Mahmud Hasan Ghani's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 7

SST Satellite Products 

I mentioned in my last blog that I have found a good correlation in the Aqua MODIS global sea surface temperature (SST) products with our SailBuoy data. Today, I intend to discuss more details about the satellite-derived SST products and how the product is more validated with the reference data.

From several SST products of different resolution of Aqua MODIS, I am using one of the standard products for my comparison. This Aqua MODIS Level 3 global product is a daily global 4 km SST product available on the OceanColor website on a daily basis. Here question may arise, that one full analysis is remained for Terra MODIS which has the same quality SST products. At the beginning stage, I studied both Aqua and Terra MODIS products for the same in situ data. After several comparisons between Aqua MODIS and Terra MODIS, I had decided to go for the Aqua MODIS, as it seemed better relevancy in retrieved data. But that does not neglect the Terra MODIS, when in this term I am focusing one product only. There might be another complete series of analysis which can be interesting to find out the best validated product. Usually, it will take more time to download the images and to process the data to fit with the SailBuoy data. So, there is a scope to more analysis in between the satellite products.

Figure 1: Day-wise SailBuoy SST vs satellite-derived SST.

However, coming to the current analysis, the figure is showing the day-wise surface temperature variation in the Northern Gulf of Mexico from where the SailBuoy started to transmit data on March 15, 2013, and ended on May 15, 2013. I have mentioned that this satellite product is from level 3 products, but there is another option for a day-wise level 2 product on the OceanColor website. It is important to mention this level 2 product, as there is some limitation in the coverage area of the satellite image, which could miss some study area in a particular day. The images are not in similar style for all days to cover the whole Gulf of Mexico; so level 3 global products are better than level 2 to find out the location wise SST values mentioning the latitude and longitude through the daily images. It reduces the chance of missing the right locations and retrieval of SST values.

Figure 2: Scatter plot of satellite-derived SST vs SailBuoy SST (62 days).

Posted By:

Mahmud Hasan Ghani, Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Mahmud Hasan Ghani's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 6

Trip to Hallingskeid

During this busy and short semester, I passed a good day in Hallinskeid, Norway, on November 18-19. The program was organized by Dr. Lars Hole in a mountain cabin of Hallingskeid, where we were introduced to the traditional Norwegian mountain hiking culture in snowing conditions and had an informal scientific seminar. The seminar was the main objective of this short trip, but we also experienced the Norwegian cabin life in a silent mountain area and had a relaxing break from the packed city life. Hallingskeid is a railway station between Oslo and Bergen inside a snow tunnel; many mountaineers go there for hiking during weekends and stay at the nearest cabins from the station, which are at the slope of the mountain. The station is located at 1,110 meters (3,640 ft) above mean sea level.

 It was a great a time with two other visiting scientists from Cuba and one student from Faroe Island. For all of us, it was a new experience by passing a night in a mountain cabin when the outside temperature was - 8° C and all the horizon was covered with snow. Our cabin was only a few hundred meters away from the nearest station, but, somehow, the most challenging task was to pass this short distance over fresh snow. As we were at the beginning of the snow season this winter, the snow was not compact enough to move freely. At late evening, we had fun over the snow-covered slope of the mountain with sliding and skiing. Dr. Lars is an experienced guy in these conditions; he helped us by providing all kinds of information and materials for the movement at the typical rough weather conditions of Norway.  

Location of Hallingskeid (red dot on map) in relation to Bergen (white dot on map).

 

Above and below: A few moments at Hallingskeid (photos courtesy of Dr. Lars Hole).

The next morning, there was a scientific session for all of us to present our ongoing research work. I made a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the SailBuoy project and data analysis that I am doing under Deep-C. These days, I am getting interesting comparison results in terms of remote sensing data from Aqua MODIS sea surface salinity (SSS) products, which I have used to compare in the below analysis. Somehow, this satellite date figure is showing the same tracking location against the SailBuoy SSS data, but the data values retrieved from satellite images are giving constant same values for a single day without significant variation. As suggested by Dr. Nico Wienders from Florida State University, I should try new products as usually this SSS product is not as good as it should be. I will try for SMOS, Aquarius, or some other new source of remote sensing data products in the upcoming days to find out the close salinity values for in situ data. In the case of sea surface temperatures, there is good correlation between the two data sets, and results show more validation of the Aqua MODIS products, which I am going to discuss in my next blog.  

Sea surface salinity mapping: Satellite vs. SailBuoy data.

Posted By:

Mahmud Hasan Ghani, Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Rickards Holds Drifter Testing Day

Student teams from the IB Program at Rickards High School in Tallahassee have been busy working on designs for ocean drifters that can move with the surface currents near the coast/beach/surf zone.  

The two best designs will be included in an upcoming SCOPE (Surfzone Coastal Oil Pathways Experiment) where dozens of drifters will be released in the Gulf of Mexico.  Each drifter, including those designed by the students, will be equipped with a GPS unit to allow scientists (and the students) to track their movements. 

To determine which of the drifter prototypes were ready for such a mission, they were put to the test on Saturday!  Rickards teacher Dana Fields and Deep-C scientist Nico Wienders evaluated each design to determine if it met the criteria necessary to fulfill a mission in the Gulf of Mexico.  They evaluated each drifter's buoyancy, durability, and portability.  Because unless a drifter is correctly designed, it may be blown by the wind rather than transported by the current and it won't withstand the rain, wind and constant movement in the waves.     

Some students were nervous when their drifter was dropped into the pool... watching anxiously to see if it would take on water or sink.  Others crossed their fingers when their design was flipped over.  The judges were testing if it would right itself (one of the necessary characteristics of  a functional ocean drifter). 

Across the board, "they did incredible," Dr. Wienders said. "I was seriously impressed!"

Once the scores are tallied and the judges have time to confer, they will announce the two winning designs.  So stay tuned...

Posted by:

Amelia Vaughan,
Ocean Science Educator
FSU-COAPS

Students at Rickards High School in Tallahassee have accepted the challenge!

Eight student teams at Rickards High School's IB Program have decided to jump into the SCOPE (Surfzone Coastal Oil Pathways Experiment) Drifter Project by designing and building their own drifters.  Scope is part of the CARTHE Consortium, an initiative charged with predicting the fate of oil released into the environment to help inform and guide response teams. CARTHE, along with the Deep-C Consortium, are challenging students to create new and improved drifters that can help scientists learn more about currents and waves in the Gulf of Mexico.

Two designs presented this Saturday will be selected, fitted with GPS units, and deployed into the Gulf of Mexico during a coastal experiment being conducted by scientists seeking to understand how currents and waves affect the movement of oil and other toxins onto shore.  The experiment will be based at John Beasley Park, Okaloosa Island, FL. Most of the drifters will be deployed from the beach.  (For details, read the 2013 Ocean Drifter Project Fact Sheet).

Testing of the Rickards drifter designs will take place this Saturday, November 23.  Eight student groups will test their drifters -- each branded with a moniker as unique as their individual designs:

• The Current'anator
• Duck Dodger
• Hannibal
• The Jellyfish
• The Aggressor
• Water boy
• Whatever floats your boat
• Zakoosa

Take a look at the drifter designs the student teams will be presenting and testing this Saturday:

Rickards drifter designs from DeepCConsortium

Rickards High School Science Teacher Ms. Dana Fields
with Dr. Nico Wienders, a physical oceanographer at
Florida State University and member of the Deep-C Consortium. 

Judges, including teacher Dana Fields and Deep-C scientist Nico Wienders, will be asking each testing group to explain the design of their drifters and defend why they believe it is the most sea worthy and best for the SCOPE mission.  The drifters will also be put to a test on-site to ensure they meet the criteria necessary for them to fulfill a scientific mission in the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Challenge! 
Students were asked to create drifters that can move with the surface currents near the coast/beach/surf zone. In developing their designs, participants considered materials that might be best for future scientific research (biodegradable vs plastic, colors, weight, ability to float, etc). They also considered wind, currents, storms, boats, etc. because unless a drifter is correctly designed, it may be blown by the wind rather than transported by the current. Worse yet, it may not be able to withstand the constant pounding of powerful ocean waves. 

Important Criteria for Surf Zone/Coastal Drifters 

• First... must be able to float! 
• Next, it needs to include a GPS unit via straps, Velcro, zip ties, or something that will attach the unit to the drifter; 
• It must be durable and sturdy... able to take a withstand rain, wind and constant movement in the waves; 
• It must be small and light enough to be carried on a jet ski (less than 10 kilos, but 3-5 kilos is better); 
• It should be easy to hold on to (some have handles or something that can be easily grasped during deployment); 
• And, it cannot be deeper than 50 cm.

Posted by:

Tracy Ippolito
Deep-C Coordinator

Joseph Guerrera’s Research Blog - Part 1

Hello all. 

My name is Joseph Guerrera and I am a freshman undergraduate researcher at Florida State University from Clearwater, Florida. I am taking part in an internship with Deep-C scientist Dr. Nico Wienders through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). The program is designed to introduce me to oceanography and research. Over the remainder of this fall and spring semester, I will be working alongside Dr. Wienders examining hydrology in the Gulf of Mexico, primarily in the De Soto Canyon. 

My internship will consist of several parts. Currently I am learning everything I can about oceanography and circulation patterns in the Gulf of Mexico in order to better grasp what the project is all about. I have also started learning MATLAB, which we will begin using very soon. One of the first tasks will be to compare data with model projections using MATLAB. In the coming weeks model data will be obtained from researchers at several universities, and after the model data is collected and organized it will be compared to the experimental data obtained in the Gulf. 

I am excited to begin my research career at Florida State with this internship. And through my participation in the Deep-C project, I hope to gain a better understanding of the physical properties of the Gulf of Mexico and oceanography in general. In the coming weeks I look forward to posting updates on our progress comparing model data to experimental data using MATLAB.

Posted By: 

Joseph Guerrera
Florida State University

Mahmud Hasan Ghani's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 5

Satellite vs. SailBuoy Data 

In my last blog, I showed the sea surface temperature (SST) mapping of the SailBuoy against the satellite SST data for April 12-18, 2013, from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Today, I’m going to discuss more of this comparison.

The analysis between the two data sets displays convincible results of the sea surface temperature in Gulf of Mexico region that is going to open a new era in the application of remotely operated oceanic vessels. From the SailBuoy, in our current study period, 23.72 °C was the highest temperature, while 23.25 °C was the highest processes temperature value from Aqua MODIS products. Here, the difference is only 0.46 °C, which is most reliable. At the same time, the minimum temperature difference recorded for this period is only 0.24 °C, and the average temperature difference is .09 °C, which might be a negligible value. The figure is showing a strong trend between the two data sets with average values of 22.56 °C and 22.47 °C for the SailBuoy and satellite, respectively.  

Posted By:

Mahmud Hasan Ghani, Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Building Drifters for the SCOPE Project

Photo courtesy of CARTHE

Next month, scientists from Florida State University and the University of Miami will release 200 coastal drifters from Okaloosa Island, FL as part a scientific experiment designed to investigate how currents and waves affect the movement of oil and other toxins onto shore.  A group of high school students from schools throughout Florida have been invited to participate in this hands-on experiment by designing and building their own drifters which will then be deployed in the December drifter release. 

“What we want to understand is how oil ends up on the beach, and that starts with having oil — in this case, simulated with drifters — outside the surfzone,” explains Ad Reniers, an associate professor of applied marine physics who is the lead investigator Surfzone Coastal Oil Pathways Experiment (SCOPE). 

Scope is part of the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment, or CARTHE, an initiative charged with predicting the fate of oil released into the environment to help inform and guide response teams. CARTHE, along with the Deep-C Consortium, are challenging students to create new and improved drifters that can help scientists learn more about currents and waves in the Gulf of Mexico.

More About Coastal Drifters
Oceanographers use drifters to collect data and track ocean currents and eddies.  Typically, drifters are deployed from a vessel (a ship or, in this particular case, a jet ski).  Once released, they float along with the ocean currents, for days, months, and even years.  Drifters provide data on their location and speed to scientists via Global Positioning System (GPS) units, so researchers use them to learn how the currents and waves affect the movement of particles (such as oil or pollutants) in the ocean. 

Students in Miami testing their homemade drifters

The Challenge! 
We want students to create drifters that will move with the surface currents near the coast/beach/surf zone. Participants should consider possible new materials that might be best for future scientific research (biodegradable vs plastic, colors, weight, ability to float, etc). Also consider wind, currents, storms, boats, etc. Unless a drifter is correctly designed, it may be blown by the wind rather than transported by the current.  Or worse yet, it may not be able to withstand the constant pounding of powerful ocean waves. 

Important Criteria for Surf Zone/Coastal Drifters 

• First... must be able to float!
• Next, it needs to include a GPS unit via straps, Velcro, zip ties, or something that will attach the unit to the drifter;
• It must be durable and sturdy... able to take a withstand rain, wind and constant movement in the waves;
• It must be small and light enough to be carried on a jet ski (less than 10 kilos, but 3-5 kilos is better);
• It should be easy to hold on to (some have handles or something that can be easily grasped during deployment);
• And, it cannot be deeper than 50 cm.

If you have been selected to participate in this experiment, be sure to ask questions in the comment section for help and advice on drifter building from one of our experts!  And watch the video below for more information about drifters.

Helpful Resources

• http://drifters.doe.gov/design.html
• http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dac/gdp_drifter.php#design
• http://drifters.doe.gov/byo-drifter/byo-drifter.html
• http://studentdrifters.org

Calculating Buoyancy

• http://www.instructables.com/answers/How-do-I-calculate-buoyancy/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy

How to Calculate Buoyancy 

Totally Submerged Object in Water

 Object’s Volume = 1ft³
Specific Weight of Water (γ_^Water) = 62.4lb/ft³
F_^B = 1ft³ x 62.4lb/ft³ = 62.4lb  

                                                       How to Calculate Buoyancy 

Object 50% Submerged in Water

Object’s Volume = 1ft³
Submerged volume = 0.5ft³
Specific Weight of Water (γ_^Water) = 62.4lb/ft³
F_^B = 0.5ft³ x 62.4lb/ft³ = 31.2lb

Posted by:

Amelia Vaughan,
Ocean Science Educator
FSU-COAPS

 

Mahmud Hasan Ghani's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 4

Satellite vs. Sail Buoy Data 

After the two week shutdown of all NOAA websites, again I am on track using an ocean color website for remote sensing data. Usually, the ocean color website is the most common source for remote sensing data, and this shut down hindered my current analysis of in situ sea surface temperature (SST) data with the satellite data.

All new scientific data analysis needs a comparison with the published analysis or validated with referred data. I have been working on the in situ data set analysis retrieved from the SailBuoy and am planning to do comparison with the satellite data. From the Aqua Modis and Aqua Terra satellites, I have selected the Aqua Modis satellite products when both have SST products. But in case of resolution, after several data comparison from 4 micron night and 11 micron data set, I got better results in 11micron products as following my geographical references.

And the result is very clear in terms of data collection by the SailBuoy validating with remote sensing data. In the first stage, I have selected the period of April 12 to April 18, 2013, to make a SST map over the Gulf of Mexico. It shows an almost perfect match with satellite data following temperature values in the region, as shown in below figures. (To be continued...) 

 
Posted By:

Mahmud Hasan Ghani, Norwegian Meteorological Institute

A Science Sleepover

November 5, 2013 -- Last week we had an unusual request...to teach 100 seventh graders in pajamas about science!  Deep-C joined up with the Florida Climate Center to put together 8 activities about weather and the ocean for Fairview Middle School's annual 7th grade sleepover.  Our team of awesome scientists and Florida State students spent their Friday night demonstrating a floodplain, building a hydrometer, getting up close and personal with deep sea creatures, making weather instruments, and much more!

Building a 7 layer density model.

Assistant State Climatologist Melissa Griffin demonstrates the properties of a floodplain.

Dr. Lydia Stefanova from the Center from Oceanic and Atmospheric Prediction Studies(COAPS) exploring the properties of air with a "wind bag".

Students test out their home made anemometers.

Students made hydrometers and then tested salt water vs. fresh water

Trying to entangle the web of life!

Demonstrating how different liquids have different densities.  Pretty cool!

Heath Marin's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 3

The next set of lessons I'm working on focuses on students building on prior knowledge and concepts of currents and other biogeochemical factors in the Gulf that affect larval settlement and dispersal. They will see how flow from strong currents and riverine drainage can have an effect on the Gulf ecosystem. Students will do a WebQuest of the systems in the Gulf and how various factors come together. For the final project, students will select an organism commonly found in the Gulf and create a descriptive visual cause/effect representation of three factors that affect that organism and its effects on the Gulf ecosystem and humans.  

Posted By:

Heath Martin, University of Miami/RSMAS

Heath Martin's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 2

This past weekend I attended the ScienceOnline: Oceans conference and had a great time networking and learning about great opportunities for outreach. I recommend that if anyone has an interest in outreach that they attend a future venue (check them out online). The next Deep-C lesson focuses on Oceans and Human Health and the connection between terrestrial and aquatic/marine systems. Students will be exploring the causes of pollution in the Gulf from the major river systems and their effects on human health and the overall health of the Gulf marine life. For any of you that might be attending the Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference in Miami October 24-27, I'll be available in person at the Florida Marine Science Educators' Association (FMSEA) information booth. 

Posted By:

Heath Martin, University of Miami/RSMAS

Mahmud Hasan Ghani's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 3

Sail Buoy and Surface Salinity

Today I am going to write a short background of my data collection method and the new instrument used for this project. As I mentioned earlier in my first post, the SailBuoy is the new oceanic instrument which can be remotely operated and used for in situ data collection instead of surface buoys from a specific region.

It was March 2013,when the SailBuoy launched from south of Cape San Blas, from where it covered the 840 nautical mile (nm) area in her two months journey in the Gulf of Mexico. It was continuously transmitting data through its satellite communication in one-hour intervals. From the data pack, we retrieved the Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity and Oxygen of its passed ways. The application of the SailBuoy - an unmanned vessel - is just amazing. Just a single move with the SailBuoy in the Gulf of Mexico, and now we have data from approximately 840 nm area in a two month period. The basic difference between the fixed buoy and the SailBuoy, I think, is the coverage area. Fixed buoys are giving data continuously from one location, but the SailBuoy can cover large areas in a short time. Also, ocean going research vessels need a lot of scientific arrangement, manpower, and of course adequate investment to carry out the research; in some cases, the use of the SailBuoy would be the alternative to collect data in our concern area. Sudden accidental oil spills require immediate data collection from the spilled area to make further predictions, especially for oil drifting models in the region.

As we are focusing on how the Gulf of Mexico is more or less affected by oil spills, analyses of the physical properties of sea water, such as temperature, salinity, and oxygen are important for further research. In my last post, I discussed temperature variations for the study period and was able make some weekly sea surface temperature (SST) maps.

Involvement in a project like the SailBuoy data analysis is a great experience and learning period for me. From our real data pack, I have the conductivity data set but not the salinity data directly. Using some functions in MATLAB make the work easier and enable me to find the surface salinity. This salinity is usually measured on the base of properties of sea water conductivity. At with SST, surface salinity data is showing a good map over the region covered by the SailBuoy. From the figure, it is clear that during the study period the salinity range dominants between 36 and 36.5; but at the beginning we observe the range below 35.5. This lower range stabilized for only a few days, and then it went over 36 and kept this rate at a constant until the end of May 15.

Posted By:

Mahmud Hasan Ghani, Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Heath Martin's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 1

Originally from New York State, I moved to South Florida in 2003. My background as a Biology undergraduate allowed me to explore various opportunities in the marine sciences and photographic arts. Master’s and Specialist’s degrees in education strengthen my commitment to bring marine science into the classroom. In the eleven years of teaching in South Florida, I’ve been fortunate to have had a diversity of great experiences. Most of this has been curriculum testing and development, and training of other educators. For the past few years, I’ve been a Ph.D. student in a hybridized curriculum and instruction program with a marine science concentration at Florida Atlantic University. The dissertation research project is tentatively titled, Shark Sense: A South Florida Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Sharks, Implications of a Standards-Based, After-School Program. The idea is to develop an after school, standards-based program that incorporates the Ocean Literacy and Florida Sunshine State Standards. I am excited to be in the proposal stage and expect to begin data collection in the near future.

Deep-C was new to me until I saw a posting on the Florida Marine Science Educators Association (FMSEA) listserv. I am incidentally also the South Florida (FMSEA) regional representative. The University of Miami is within reasonable driving distance from home and school. Upon reading the posting, I thought this would be a great way to create marine science/oceanography lessons for the classroom. University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) researcher, Dr. Villy Kourafalou is an expert in ocean systems modeling. She described her ideas to bring important oceanographic concepts of the Gulf of Mexico to the classroom. The Deep-C internship officially started in September and about six topic areas are being used to develop standards-based lessons about those topics. There are lots of great resources available and I hope to bring some of them together as a middle-school friendly curriculum that can be incorporated into the classroom. Major Topics ideas include: Oil Spills (dispersal, settling and effects), Nutrient Transport: (rivers to oceans), Oceans and Human Health: (why/how the ocean is an indicator of healthy systems), Predicting Ocean Weather (modeling and weather systems), Deep Ocean Settling: (larval transport and settling). I welcome any suggestions, ideas, or possible funding opportunities from others. Please feel free to email Heath.Martin@browardschools.com

Posted By:

Heath Martin, University of Miami/RSMAS

Benthic Ecology Research Cruise

Meet members of our research team...

Master's students Nicole Morgan and Ben LaBelle
process a sediment core.

Ben LaBelle is a Masters student in the lab of Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor. His current research focuses on the community structure and genetics of deep sea Octocorals. On this cruise he assisted in the processing of sediment cores for macrofaunal community comparisons.  

Nicole Morgan is a Master’s student with Florida State University, working with Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor on the community and genetic structure and diversity of deep-sea structure-forming organisms, like corals and sponges. On this cruise she assisted with multicoring operations, with specific protocols for quantitative macrofaunal sampling. 

Anastasia Nienow, Arvind Shantharam, and Kim Pollard
sampling sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities.

Arvind Shantharam is a PhD student from Florida State University, working in the Baco-Taylor lab sampling sediment-dwelling invertebrate communities of the De Soto Canyon and evaluating their response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. ‘….We sample the mud and section them into set depth fractions and later in the lab we pick organisms out of the mud for identification and enumeration. What critters we find and how many them we find help us gauge the recovery of the sediment ecosystem…’ said Arvind. Kim Pollard is a senior majoring in Environmental Science & Policy, minoring in Biology at FSU. He assisted in multicore processing in addition to various activities on the vessel. He is currently endeavoring in an honors thesis involving stable isotopes. 

Anastasia Nienow handles water samples from the CTD.

Anastasia Nienow is a student assistant at Valdosta State University with a B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from Georgia Tech. Her main focus on this cruise was to collect water samples from the CTD to look at diatoms, nannofossils, and pigments in the water column. 

Nicole Clark assisted with the multicore and piston core.

Nichole Clark is a research technician at the Sedimentology Geochronology Laboratory at Eckerd College. She recently graduated with a B.S in Marine Science and participated in this cruise assisting with the operations involving the multicore and piston core.

Dr. Peter Lazarevich and Eric Howarth work with the computer control center of the MILET system. Eric Howarth is the senior engineer of the Marine Field Group within the Oceanography Department at FSU. His is charged with the overall operation and performance of the MILET. Peter is responsible for the collection of underwater navigation and sub-bottom profile data for the MILET. 

Dr. Peter Lazarevich (foreground) and Eric Howarth
work with the computer control center of the MILET system

John Kaba collects surface sediments in an effort
to understand what response deep Gulf sediments
had to the 2010 oil spill.

John Kaba is a graduate research assistant at Florida State University working for Markus Huettel. He has been focused on the degradation of the Deepwater Horizon oil in different environments. On this cruise, he collected surface sediments from every site. Back in the lab, he will incubate them in seawater with different amendments of nutrients, oil, and Corexit, and measure oxygen consumption and dissolved inorganic carbon production as a proxy for microbial activity. “I am trying to understand what response the deep gulf sediments had to any hydrocarbons that were deposited 
spill.”

Posted by:

Oscar Garcia-Pineda
Florida State University

 

Mahmud Hasan Ghani's Internship, Fall 2013 - Part 2

Monthly Temperature Variation 

Yes, now my days are going with only analyses can be termed as analytical season; Coriolis force, Ekman layer, Fluid Motion, Geostrophic Flows, Vorticity Dynamics in Dynamical Oceanography; Statistical Data analysis for Oceanography and Meteorology. And of course my practical work experience with the data analysis of Sail Buoy.

It’s just fantastic, if you know how to use mapping functions in Matlab with your desired geographical location and data. For last few days, I have been trying to segregate my monthly combined data into weekly sets. It was my experimental analysis that I have planned to move in step by step. Because of all data are in text format and fit for full map view; but I wanted to do it in my own way, in the most common MS Excel sheet. Reading from text format in Matlab according to my weekly set was making errors, then the easier functions I got that Matlab can read Excel file also.

Sea Surface Temperature is one of the dominant physical properties of ocean which I selected for mapping at first and all data are divided into nine weeks SST data sets to get the shorter period temperature variation. It looks great when I run all the figures in Matlab script; the moving of Sail Buoy including color changes that indicate variation of temperature distinctly. Clearly observing the difference of temperature between April and May; when average temperature of in April was 22° C, it went up to 23.5° C in May. It’s noted that in May, 2013 Sail Buoy covered the most deep sea portion of Gulf of Mexico.

Posted By:

Mahmud Hasan Ghani, Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Another Deep-C Benthic Ecology cruise is underway.

Well, another Deep-C Benthic Ecology research cruise is underway! 

This cruise will occupy the Deep-C benthic array with the addition of two new sites located to the ENE of DeSoto Canyon. Our sampling activities over the next ten days will include:

• Multicore collections (3x per site) 
• Water column profiles and rosette casts (at selected sites) 
• MILET survey for benthic fauna and Subbottom profiles 
• Piston coring at selected sites

This was our first multicore....
Pictured: Nicole Clark, John Kaba, George Gunthro,
Arvind Shantharam, Rebekka Larson, and Kim Pollard. 

Posted by:

Oscar Garcia-Pineda
Florida State University