The first leg of the Pelican cruise in SAX99 has been completed, and we are nearing the end of Leg 2.
Summary of Pelican Leg 1 activity, Oct. 2-4:
1. Chirp and side scan sonar surveys were done during the night of Oct. 3-4: Since the site survey in July, Steve Schock has extended the maximum frequency in his chirp sonar up to 45 kHz (previously it was near 15 kHz.) As expected the higher frequency yields substantially better resolution near the water-sediment interface. In fact, it appears that the chirp sonar shows clear (and very interesting) signatures of the ripple on the bottom. Divers estimate that the ripple still appears to be 8-10 cm in height over much of the region (the ripple will be measured carefully later). The chirp sonar signatures for the ripple are quite different when towing parallel or perpendicular to the ripple field. Also, near the trough region to the west of our site the ripples disappear.
The side scan survey was done simultaneous to the chirp sonar survey, and could also detect ripples. Thus, the side scan results, as well as drift camera video, provided ground truth on the presence and orientation of the ripple field. The side scan also showed a transition to a different bottom type when crossing into the region without ripples near the trough to the.west of our site. This appeared to be a region with mud on the surface, and this was confirmed later with drift camera results. Grab samples and cores will be taken in this area in the days ahead.
The chirp sonar results appear to be the most sensitive to subtle changes in the sediment properties as the trough is approached but while still in the region with ripples. Based on these results, the locations of both the BAMS and XBAMS towers have been moved slightly to bring them closer to the Seward Johnson anchor box and closer to each other. The region within the Seward Johnson anchor box, the region just to the north being used for low frequency measurements, and the region to the south for Lopes' measurements form one uniform region by all measures that we have.
2. One goal of the first two legs was to obtain stereo photography images at the exact same sediment patch with Tony Lyons' digital system and with Kevin Briggs film based system. This work uses the Pelican in a two-point moor and began on Oct. 3. Both systems were deployed, but images on the same patch were not obtained. On Oct. 4 the seas had built up to 3-4 ft, and that was enough to stir up the bottom and reduce visibility to an unacceptable level for stereo-photo work.
3. On Oct. 3, the NRL bottom mounted ADP system was successfully deployed, and on Oct. 4 drift camera surveys were made.
4. There has recently been a severe red tide in the region of the SAX99 site. As a consequence, dead fish are observed here and there floating on the surface, and many dead fish are lying on the bottom. Divers have reported no ill effects from the remnants of the red tide.
In summary, we accomplished the goals set out for Leg 1, except for the stereo photo comparison (but that work was to continue on Leg 2).
Summary of Pelican Leg 2 activity, Oct. 5
Sea conditions were now excellent.
1. The XBAMS and BAMS towers were both successfully deployed in the morning, and they were verified to be working acoustically. The tower coordinates are as follows:
XBAMS: 30 deg 22.76 min N, 86 deg
38.81 min W
BAMS: 30 deg 22.68 min N, 86 deg 38.80 min W
2. Again, the Pelican was put onto a 2-pt moor and data on stereo photo comparisons were successfully obtained.
3. As I write this, diving work is progressing on burying a sphere to the south but in the field of view of BAMS. The target coordinates for the sphere are 30 deg 22.66 min W, 86 deg 38.80 min W.
We will transit back to CSS overnight to end Leg 2.
PS: Diving work has just been completed and the 24 in (dia) sphere has been buried with the top 2-3 cm below the surface.
Remaining SAX99 Schedule as of Oct. 5 1999
Pelican Leg 3, Oct. 6-8:
Personnel at 0700 Oct. 6:
FAU: Wulf, Petrosky
APL: Thorsos, Jackson, Olson, Boget
OSU: Maziet, Cheseby
Oct. 6:
0700-1100: Load 4 moorings for Seward
Johnson. Load Wheatcroft tripod.
1100-1700: Transit to FWB.
1700-2400: Mooring deployment.
Oct. 7:
0700: Shuttle Wheatcroft (OSU) to
Pelican.
0700-1100: Complete mooring
deployment (if necessary).
1100-1500: Chirp sonar at Lopes site (bridle deployment; 1-pt moor).
1500-1600: Deploy Wheatcroft tripod.
1600-1700: Dive at tripod site (Wheatcroft, Cheseby).
1600-2400: Chirp sonar at APL and ARL penetration sites (bridle deployment).
Oct. 8:
0000-0600: Transit to CSS. Chirp
sonar at PCB vibracore sites if time permits.
0700- : Unload Schock equipment.
[Remainder in less detail.]
Pelican Leg 4, Oct. 8-17
Personnel at beginning of Leg 4:
APL: Thorsos, Jackson, Olson, Boget
UW: Jill Schmidt, Liko Self
UM: Pete Jumars
TRACOR: Charles Greenlaw, Duncan McGehee
NRL: Briggs, Richardson
Total: 11 (max is 13)
Oct. 8:
Load rad van and equipment for Holliday,
Jumars/Schmidt/Self, NRL, Dahl, Buckingham.
Transit to FWB.
Oct. 9:
(AM) Shuttle Van Holliday (TRACOR)
to Pelican (total 12).
Deploy TRACOR tower.
Oct. 10:
Continue deployment, buoy off TRACOR lines at edge of Seward Johnson area.
(AM) Shuttle David Thistle (FSU)
and Keith Suderman (FSU) to Pelican.
(PM) Shuttle Holliday, Greenlaw, McGehee, Thistle, Suderman to shore at Destin
Harbor.
Shuttle Dale Bibee (NRL) to Pelican (total 10).
[The following assumes the Seward Johnson will arrive at CSS by the evening of the 11th.]
Oct. 11:
(AM) Shuttle Thorsos, Olson, Boget
to shore.
Shuttle Ray, Lott, Thistle, Suderman to Pelican.
(Late AM) Shuttle Mike Buckingham
(SIO), Thomas Berger (SIO), Fernando Simonet (SIO) to Pelican (total 12 staying
that night).
Start Jumars/Schmidt/Self and NRL/APL BAMS manipulations.
(PM) Shuttle Thistle, Suderman to shore.
Personnel at 1800 on Oct. 11: Briggs, Jackson, Jumars, Schmidt, Self, Richardson, Ray, Lott, Bibee, Buckingham, Berger, Simonet
Oct. 11-14: Bibee low frequency, gas content.
Oct. 12:
(AM): Shuttle Thistle, Suderman to Pelican (total 12 staying that night)..
(PM): Shuttle Thistle, Suderman to shore.
Oct. 13:
(AM): Seward Johnson arrives at
FWB.
Shuttle Thistle, Suderman, Wheatcroft, Cheseby to Pelican.
Jackson, Richardson, Ray, Lott from Pelican to Seward Johnson.
Personnel at 1800 on Oct. 13: Briggs, Jumars, Schmidt, Self, Bibee, Wheatcroft, Cheseby, Buckingham, Berger, Simonet Thistle, Suderman (total 12).
Oct. 14:
(AM): Shuttle Buckingham to shore.
(PM): Shuttle Bibee to shore (total
11).
Oct. 14-24: Wheatcroft, Cheseby, Fritz--IRP and coring ops.
Oct 15: (AM): Shuttle Cara Fritz (OSU) to Pelican.
Oct. 16:
(PM): Shuttle Berger, Thistle, Suderman
to shore.
Briggs, Simonet from Pelican to Seward Johnson.
Personnel at 1800 on Oct. 16: Jumars, Schmidt, Self, Wheatcroft, Cheseby, Fritz (total 6) .
Oct. 17: Transit to CSS.
Pelican Leg 5, Oct. 17-22:
Personnel:
NRL: Dawn Lavoie, Allan Reed
APL: DJ Tang, Mike Welch, Skip Kolve, John Elliott
UM: Jumars
UW: Schmidt, Self
OSU: Wheatcroft, Cheseby, Fritz
Oct. 17:
Load Tang (APL) equipment (IMP),
Lavoie/Reed (NRL) equipment.
Transit to FWB.
Oct. 17-21: IMP deployments (IMP transferred to Seward Johnson via deployment and recovery).
Oct. 17-21: Lavoie,Reed: permeability measurements.
Oct. 18: POSSIBLE SHIP MOVEMENT IN AM DUE TO PATRIOT MISSILE TEST AT EGLIN AFB.
Oct. 19: BACKUP DAY FOR MISSILE TEST.
Oct. 20: (AM) Shuttle Kolve to shore.
Oct. 21: Lavoie, Reed, Tang, Welch from Pelican to Seward Johnson. Briggs from Seward Johnson to Pelican.
Oct. 22: Transit to CSS.
Pelican Leg 6, Oct. 22-25:
Personnel:
NRL: Briggs
UM: Jumars
UW: Schmidt, Self
OSU: Wheatcroft, Cheseby, Fritz
CSS: Joe Lopes, Ed Kloess
Oct. 22: Load Lopes (CSS) tower. Transit to FWB.
Oct. 23: (AM): Shuttle Tim Orsi (PSI), Dick Bennett (Seaprobe), Jana Avant, Maritza Abril to Pelican. Deploy Lopes tower. Turn around Wheatcroft tripod.
Oct. 24: (PM): Shuttle Orsi to shore.
Oct. 24: Lopes and Kloess from Pelican to Seward Johnson.
Oct. 25: Transit to CSS. Off load rad van.
Pelican Leg 7, Oct. 25-29:
Personnel:
NRL: Briggs
UM: Schmidt, Self, Paul Johnson, Mike Hutnak
Seaprobe:Bennett
Oct. 25: Load Johnson equipment. Transit to FWB.
Oct. 26-28: Johnson tripod deployments.
Oct. 26(PM): Shuttle Bennett to shor. Shuttle Jehrome Stockstill (Seaprobe) to Pelican.
Oct. 28: Transfer personnel and equip to Seward Johnson.
Oct. 28 (PM): Shuttle Stockstill to shore.
Oct. 29: Transit to CSS. Unload Johnson equipment. Reload rad van.
SEWARD JOHNSON SCHEDULE
Oct. 9: Depart Harbor Branch.
Oct. 9-11: Transit to CSS.
Oct. 11 (evening): Arrive CSS, begin loading for NRL, APL (including Dahl), ARL, Jaffe, Lopes-electronics.
Oct 12: Complete loading, begin transit to FWB.
Personnel:
APL: Thorsos, Williams, Olson, Boget,
Light, Miller, Mike Kenney, Paul Aguilar, Brian Strully
ARL: Nick Chotiros, James Piper, David Gage
NRL: Sean Griffin, John Bradley
Total: 14
Oct. 13:
Jackson, Richardson, Ray, Lott to
Seward Johnson from Pelican (total 18).
ISSAMS at low frequency site, Lopes site, and east of BAMS/ XBAMS site using
dynamic positioning.
Oct. 14:
(AM) Shuttle Tom Lehman (APL), Mike
Ohmart (APL), Brett McCurley (ARL), Holliday, Greenlaw, McGehee to Seward Johnson
(total 24).
Go into 4-pt moor; moorings deployed earlier by Pelican.
ISSAMS at APL and ARL sites.
Bring TRACOR lines on board; test.
Test ARL ROV.
Oct. 15:
Continue TRACOR and ARL tests.
Deploy APL frame, batteries, ... .
(PM) Shuttle Holliday, Greenlaw, McGehee, Kenney to shore (total 20).
Oct. 16: Briggs, Simonet to Seward Johnson from Pelican (total 22).
Oct. 16 -17: Begin ARL ROV and buried array ops. Continue APL deployment.
Oct. 18: POSSIBLE SHIP MOVEMENT IN AM DUE TO PATRIOT MISSILE TEST AT EGLIN AFB.
Oct. 18:
(AM): Shuttle Jules Jaffe (SIO)
and Karl Moore (SIO) to Seward Johnson.
(PM): Shuttle Griffin, Bradley, McCurley to shore (total 21).
Oct. 18: Begin APL penetration ops.
Oct. 18-19: Jaffe deployment (laser line scanner).
Oct. 19: BACKUP DAY FOR MISSILE TEST.
Oct 19 (PM): Shuttle Strully to shore (total 20)
Oct. 20; (AM): Shuttle Jaffe and Simonet to shore (total 19).
Oct. 21:
(AM): Shuttle Rob McDowell, Thistle,
Suderman to Seward Johnson.
Lavoie, Reed, Tang, Welch
to Seward Johnson from Pelican.
Briggs to Pelican from Seward Johnson (total 24).
Oct. 21-23: Lavoie, Reed: permeability measurements.
Oct 23 (AM): Shuttle Roger Banks (ARL) to Seaward Johnson.
Oct. 23 (PM): Shuttle Lavoie, Reed, Thistle, Suderman, David Smith to shore (total 20).
Oct. 24 (PM): Shuttle McDowell to shore (total 19).
Oct. 24-25:
Lopes and Kloess to Seward Johnson
from Pelican (total 21).
Lopes tower deployment: bring lines on board.
Oct. 25-29: CSS SAS measurements from CSS ship.
Oct. 28: Take on Pelican researchers.
Oct. 29 (AM): Shuttle Eric Smith (ARL) to Seward Johnson (total 22).
Oct. 29 (PM): Shuttle Welch, Chotiros, Banks to shore (total 19).
Oct. 30 (AM): Shuttle Gage to Seward Johnson (total 21).
Nov. 9 (AM): Shuttle Chotiros to Seward Johnson (total 21).
Nov. 9 (PM): Shuttle Eric Smith to shore (total 20)
Nov 12 (AM): Shuttle Wheatcroft, Cheseby to Seward Johnson (total 22).
Nov. 12-14: Recover equipment.
Nov. 14: Transit to CSS.
Nov. 15: Off load at CSS, begin transit to Harbor Branch.