Journals 2009/2010

Aundrea Rue
Carolina Forest High School, Myrtle Beach, SC

"NOAA Hydrographic Survey of the Pavlof Islands, Alaska" NOAA R/V RAINIER July 27 - August 7, 2009

Journal Index: July 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 August 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

July 31, 2009

Today I went out on a jet boat and did bottom samples from 8-5. Sampling involved dropping a lead weighted clam-shell sampler, with its mouth propped open, to the sea floor, be it 40, 150 or even 200+ feet deep. The sampler is attached to hundreds of feet of line and is designed to snap shut when it comes into contact with the floor. To make sure that that happens, a weight is sent down the rope after the sampler reaches bottom to slam into the sampler. After that, it's just a matter of pulling the line up over a pulley and bringing the sample to the surface. We found solid rock, broken shells, sand, mud, gravel and various combinations of these at the 30 different sights we surveyed.

Deploying the sampler		Bringing in the line after the sampler has clamped shut

Opening the sampler to analyze the sample		All of that work for this sediment sample! This one was fine sand and broken shells.

In addition to the interesting sediments, the swells here are incredible! The water can go from flat to 6 feet in a matter of minutes or quarter-miles! We bumped our way around Dolgoi and Wosnosenski Islands today. They're an amazing place, these Pavlof Islands!