Hear Healy

In our last post, “Cross-Blogination,” you may have noticed that USGS.gov titled the article we wrote for them “The Otherworldly Sights and Sounds of the Arctic.” There were a few pictures to help you see what was described in the article, but there was no sound. Today we bring you the other half of the title.

The whooshing sound is slushy ice sliding along the hull and the loud bangs are large chunks of ice that were left in the trail cut by the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent. If you have served aboard a ship you know just how amazingly strange it is to hear this sound. On most ships you only hear this kind of sound once. The sound that follows is usually some kind of alarm. Having stood inside the bow recording this audio, I believe the word violent best describes the noise.

The audio was captured from inside the bow of the Healy.

(U.S. Coast Guard audio clip by Petty Officer Patrick Kelley)

“Cross-Blogination”

On this Healy trip we have several different people emailing blog entries back ashore to people who are posting them.  In fact there is so much blog traffic being generated on Healy that I thought it would be a good idea for us to work together to generate the most possible exposure for each of the ongoing Healy blogs as possible.  Thus, I coined the term “cross-blogination.”   Basically, we have decided to share material so that we can shed a little light on each other while we are also providing new and interesting material to our own unique audience.

So without further delay, here is the first of the hopefully many products of cross-blogination.  It was originally posted to www.continentalshelf.gov and USGS.gov.  

 

The Otherworldly Sights and Sounds of the Arctic

 

August 23, 2009 · Filed Under 2009, Journey

Petty Officer Patrick Kelley, U.S. Coast Guard

I am a photographer, videographer and journalist in the U.S. Coast Guard. During this mission, I am onboard Healy to document this historic voyage to map the ocean floor and define the outer reaches of our continental shelf.

If you are reading this, you most likely have an infinitely greater understanding of the complexities of what the science team is doing to accomplish its goals than I do.  You probably know better than I what the significance of 12khz multi-beam sonar is to the oceanographers.  You probably know why pockmarks on the Chukchi Cap are relevant to the geologists.

What you might not have, however, is an idea of what we aboard Healy are seeing and experiencing.  This region is amazingly unique, awesome, and striking. So instead of offering a feeble attempt to explain the very complicated scientific research underway, I am simply providing you a description of our temporary environment.

We are a little more than two weeks into our journey into the Arctic Ocean, and I am still amazed by what I see each day.  We have seen four polar bears, a few rare birds and many seals.  However, the most incredible feature of the Arctic, in my opinion, is the ice itself.

As we move through the Arctic Ocean, the ice changes from one location to the next. The change is not just the thickness, as I had anticipated, but also the color, density, and texture.  In some areas, the ice looks harsh and unwilling to yield to the weight of Healy, and in other spots it appears that the ice attempts to flee before the ship gets to it. Sometimes when you look out you feel like you are cruising through a snow-covered prairie. The next day, it’s as though you have landed on a rocky, frozen planet and the ship has to blast its way through.

When it comes to color, you might think only of blue and white as the prevailing colors of the extreme north. While those are the most common colors, just calling them blue and white is not sufficient. I have seen more shades of blue here than any home improvement store paint department could hope to produce, and until I got here, I didn’t even realize there was more than one shade of white.  The frozen pools that form on top of the multi-year ice floes create the most astonishing shade of blue I have ever seen.  The white ice background creates an intense contrast, which makes the blue stand out even more.

When the fog clears enough for the sun to make an appearance, gold becomes an important player in the color scheme of the Arctic. When the sun is out, the ocean water appears to be a deep shade of black. When we are not completely surrounded by ice, the sun reflects off the black water and the bright white of the ice and creates a brilliant golden haze that runs along the horizon. And at this time of the year, the sun does not drop below the horizon; instead, you have a lasting sunset or sunrise.

If you are out on deck while the ship is breaking ice, you can actually hear the ice strain under the weight of the hull and snap when the load is too much for the sheet to bear. From inside the ship, you hear a deep rumble when Healy confronts large sheets of ice. The sound of the ship colliding with a smaller chunk of ice is more of a loud bang.

Having spent the majority of my career on boats and cutters, I am still struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that one of Healy’s primary purposes is to go out to sea and run into a major navigational hazard, over and over again.  I guess at some point I won’t flinch when the ship rocks, rolls, and shakes through an eight-foot-thick sheet of ice.

This for me is a once in a lifetime trip that I hope to someday tell my grandkids about. If you are ever offered the opportunity to make your way to the top of the world, do not pass it up. I would hate for you to miss out because no one ever told you how amazing the Arctic Ocean is.

The Ice Man

ARCTIC OCEAN – Below you will find an article created by D-17 Public Affairs.  The article includes a few quotes from the chief scientist at the National Ice Center, Pablo Clemente Colón, who just happens to be underway onboard the Healy right now.  So we figured it would be a good idea to put the article on the Healy blog as well:

Coast Guard assists international science community to study Arctic ice, ocean behavior in Alaska

NOME, Alaska – The Coast Guard in cooperation with several scientific agencies and the International Ice Patrol deployed an ocean drifting buoy in the Arctic Ocean north of the Bering Sea for the very first time Wednesday.

“We are leaning forward to gain a thorough understanding of the cultural, environmental and operational challenges the Coast Guard faces in Northern Alaska and the Arctic domain. As such, we need to project a persistent presence in these remote regions to expand our knowledge of the environment and protect U.S. sovereignty,” said Capt. Robert Phillips, Chief, Incident Management Branch Seventeenth Coast Guard District.  “In order to accomplish these goals we are partnering with the scientific community and other federal agencies, such as NOAA, to join us in collecting data for future operations and a successful road ahead in the Arctic.”

Ocean drifting buoys have been used for research and data collection in the north Atlantic for years. The buoy was deployed from the back of a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Kodiak with the help of personnel from the Coast Guard International Ice Patrol headquartered in New London, Conn. The effort coincides with the Coast Guard’s month-long operations on the North Slope and the summer 2009 expedition of the Coast Guard Cutter Healy.

“This effort signals the beginning of airborne deployments by Coast Guard C-130 Hercules Arctic Domain Awareness flights in support of the buoy network,” said Pablo Clemente-Colón, chief scientist of the National Ice Center and an oceanographer with NOAA who is currently deployed aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy.

According to Clemente-Colón the deployment of this open ocean drifting buoy represents a contribution by the U.S. Interagency Arctic Buoy Program (USIABP) to the Arctic Observing Network (AON) and the International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP) to maintain a network of automatic data buoys to monitor synoptic-scale fields of surface air pressure, air temperature, and ice motion throughout the Arctic Ocean.

He noted that the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, participating in the Joint U.S.-Canada Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) mapping mission, is also supporting the deployment of additional ocean drifters, seasonal ice buoys, and ice beacons for the USIABP.

The ice drifting buoy uses a modified version of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) buoy. These WOCE buoys are drogued at 50 or 150 feet to track the deep water currents that affect iceberg drift. The drifters also measure the sea surface temperature using a thermister on the underside of the surface float.

The drifters are further equipped with submergence sensors that indicate drogue loss. Buoys without drogues do not follow ocean currents well, because the surface float is significantly affected by winds and waves.

Drifters transmit sensor data to satellites that determine the buoy’s position and relay the data to Argos ground stations. Service Argos provides tracking and data services. The WOCE buoys the International Ice patrol use generally cost about $2,000 each.

The International Ice Patrol deploys between 12 and 15 buoys each year in the Labrador Sea and North Atlantic region. The buoys are either ship deployed by vessels of opportunity or air deployed by Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft during iceberg reconnaissance. Each buoy provides latitude and longitude, sea surface temperature, and submergence information.

The buoy’s locations and data can be seen at the Drifter Buoy Center or the WMO-IOC Buoy Server.

The United States contribution to the IABP is coordinated through the United States Interagency Arctic Buoy Program (USIABP), which is managed by the National Ice Center (NIC) and the University of Washington Polar Science Center (PSC). The USIABP is a collaborative program that draws operating funds and services from a number of U.S. government organizations and research programs, which include the International Arctic Research Center, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Naval Oceanographic Office, the NIC, the Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Coast Guard. From these contributions the USIABP acquires and deploys buoys on the Arctic Ocean, and supports the Coordination and Data Management for the IABP by the PSC.

Further information regarding the Coast Guard’s North Slope operations and Operation Arctic Crossroads can be found at the Coast Guard District Seventeen website. The Coast Guard Cutter Healy’s summer and fall 2009 deployment can be followed at the Coast Guard Cutter Healy website where you’ll also find links to blogs from the science crews on board including the Arctic mapping team or the Alaska Logbook click on the CGCHealy label.

Arctic Exchange

ARCTIC OCEAN – Fireman Mike Miozzi (right) returns to the Coast Cutter Healy after spending the day aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent Aug. 17, 2009.

While Miozzi was on the Laurent a few Canadian Coast Guardsmen toured the Healy.  The ships have been exchanging personnel for the last few days to help crewmembers of both vessels develop a better understanding of how each ship is operated and maintained.

Miozzi, an Exeter, R.I., native, has been stationed on the Healy for nearly a year and is working to become a machinery technician.  As a member of the Healy’s main propulsion engineering division, the Laurent’s machinery spaces were what he was most interested in exploring.

“Their engine room is much different than ours.  Here most of our machinery occupies its own space, but on the Laurent almost all of their equipment and machinery is in the same space,” Miozzi said.  The design reminded him of the Coast Guard’s 378-foot cutters, he said.

While his main objective was merely to have a look at the Laurent, Miozzi found his way into a bit of work.  “I got to clean a few duplex strainers that were in their sludge system,” he said.  “It worked the same way over there as it does here: shift the flow to the strainer that is not being worked on, open up the strainer you need to clean, remove the basket, rinse it off, put the basket back in and close it up,” he said.  “I didn’t exactly go over there and change out an engine, but it was pretty cool to be more than just a tourist,” he said.

Even though the engine room was impressive, it wasn’t what stood out most to Miozzi.  “The people on the Laurent were so professional and welcoming that I felt like I was a part of their crew,” he said.  “The next time they have a few people come over here I am going to volunteer to give them a tour to return the favor,” he said.

There was one other thing that Miozzi couldn’t help but notice.  “They have a bar that’s open from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.,” he said.  “I’m pretty sure that’s why we had to leave at 7 p.m.,” he said.

(U.S. Coast Guard photos and story by Petty Officer Patrick Kelley)

In Her Element

ARCTIC OCEAN – Seaman Melissa Gomes, a Seattle native, prepares to select fresh vegetables to be served with the evening meal Aug.13, 2009, on the Coast Guard Cutter Healy.

Gomes graduated food service specialist class A-school in April and is scheduled to be promoted to Petty Officer Third Class in October.

The daughter of two former Coast Guard food service specialists, she says the Coast Guard provided her the most direct path to her chosen profession and that she is ready to face the challenges that come with being a cook on a large cutter. “I know that cooking for so many people is a big job but it’s exactly what I want to do,” Gomes said.

Gomes worked at a restaurant for nearly a year before she joined the Coast Guard but was never afforded the opportunity to work in the kitchen. “The fact that I could begin cooking as soon as I finished my training is what I found so appealing about joining the guard,” she said.

Petty Officer Second Class Candice Morrison, a food service specialist, says she believes that Gomes has a bright future ahead of her. “She works hard and is learning quickly,” Morrison said. “I think her positive attitude is what will set her apart during her career,” she said.

When asked what her favorite part of her new career is, she didn’t hesitate. “Being able to serve others while I am doing what I enjoy most is the absolute best part of the job,” she said.

(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Patrick Kelley)