Student Connection

The NOAA Ship TOWNSEND CROMWELL has been busy taking scientists and their field camp equipment out to remote islands in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.   On this cruise we have re-supplied or established field camps at Tern Island, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Kure Atoll and Pearl and Hermes Atoll. All these islands are very remote and uninhabited, except by the scientists from NOAA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The scientists live out in the field camps for 2 to 4 months at a time, studying the islands' plants and wildlife.  The ongoing scientific studies include observing the Hawaiian monk seals. The seals live in the waters around the islands, feeding out on the reef, coming up on the shore to rest and have their pups. Through observation of the seals and their behavior, tracking the number of pups born, survival rates and growth rates, the scientists' goal is to monitor this endangered population. The scientists taken out to the islands this year included two specialists who will be collecting blood samples from live seals. The blood samples will undergo lab analysis to determine the health of the individual seals. This type of detailed and specific study will help track and monitor the overall health of the monk seal population For more on the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, click on the Monk Seal link on our home page.  Establishing and re-supplying the field camps takes much coordination, planning and a lot of trips in the ship's small boats. Since there are no pier facilities at these islands for the ship, the only way to get the scientists and their gear to shore is by running small boats from the ship into the beach. It will take about 20 boat trips to accomplish the task at each island.

Below is a listing of what is required for a typical camp of three scientists for 2 months:
- 300 waterproof buckets of personal gear, canned and dry food
- 100 six gallon water jugs
- 5 tall propane bottles
- A propane powered refrigerator
- 4 large walled tents with poles and stakes
- 6 pallets of camping gear and scientific equipment
- 4 coolers of frozen and refrigerated food

On this cruise we have had a participant from NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program.  She is a third grade teacher from California. She has worked right alongside the scientists and crew throughout the cruise. In the next update we will provide her thoughts and impressions on her first trip out to sea and participation in a NOAA research project.

Update from 5/26/01

Last Modified 5/29/01

http://atsea.nmfs.hawaii.edu/