Three years since concluding my field work in Alaska, my office at the NSF brought me back to this wild, beautiful state. My foray back into field work allowed me to gain experience on our research vessel, the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. My office helps to provide NEPA documentation for the geophysical surveys that occur on the Langseth and this July, we collected data for a study on the Alaskan megathrust. The results from the study would increase our breadth of knowledge on catastrophic earthquakes caused by subducting plates, and also provide data that supports graduate and undergraduate student research. In addition to the importance of the research, I was mostly thrilled to be back in the field! I started my cruise from Kodiak Island, whose beautiful green mountains were a fantastic backdrop for the harbor. 
Numerous sea otters, harbor seals and seabirds accompanied us through coastal waters as we began our journey out to sea. My first morning in the open ocean was an exercise in staying upright. Basic actions such as showering, eating, and sleeping become a challenge when you are not used to the sway of the boat – needless to say, I was not entirely thrilled about my first shift on watch. As a Protected Species Observer (PSO), part of my job was to look for marine mammals or (errant) sea turtles that may approach our boat during seismic surveys. There were ~30 steps from the deck to the tower, and during rainy conditions, those steps seemed even more treacherous to a clumsy novice observer. Although my fellow PSOs bounded effortlessly up and down the tower, I always took my time. 
Conquering the tower steps was frequently rewarding in the Gulf of Alaska. We had an amazing view as we encountered humpback whales, fin whales, northern fur seals and groups of Dall’s porpoises. I learned how to identify species from the few surface characteristics that they exhibited. The occasional breaching humpback or bow-riding porpoise helped to make up for the long hours with brisk, cold winds, fog, or rain. Another highlight of each watch was whenever a ‘visitor’ would bring up a batch of gummy bears to the tower. Between several 3-4 hour visual shifts, I also monitored the Passive Acoustic Monitoring system to attempt to detect marine mammals acoustically. Generally, the five PSOs work close to 16-hour days with a few breaks thrown in depending on the number of daylight hours, but with me onboard we only had 11 hours of work each day. However, everybody on the boat works hard and it was great to be around a group of hardworking scientists and a crew who got along so well. Friends were easy to make on the Langseth.
I left the Langseth as she was halfway through her science mission. A few technicians from Scripps and I were transported to Sand Point, Alaska, on the Langseth’s small rescue boat. For a day and a half, I got to explore the small town of Sand Point, which is part of the Shumagin Islands. On the day I left Sand Point, the whole town was plagued by a power outage, and I was not sure if my flight would make it out, but it did. I’d like to think that Alaska was reminding me that while I was eventually allowed to leave, I would probably be back.
Phew, what a trip... thanks to Olivia for sharing! Where has Knauss taken YOU recently?
No comments:
Post a Comment