Oct 16, 2019 - Woods Hole, On the Bay, WHOI

Wednesday, October 16

This morning we have another nice breakfast and then take a bus back to Woods Hole. We meet Rob Reynolds, owner of the Zephyr Foundation and a boat called the Zephyr.  We walk to the nearby docks and climb aboard.

 The Zephyr has a cabin that we can all squeeze into if necessary, but we will spend most of our time on the decks. Two crewmen handle the navigation from the helm which is above deck.

We head towards the Elizabeth Islands, which is 14 miles of mostly private land.  Rob points out some large homes on private islands owned by folks like the Forbes family, and the family that created Avon.

 There is also a small island called BoomBoom island which was used to test explosives during WWII.  And some beautiful coves.

The Zephyr is a research vessel and Rob uses it mostly for educational trips for schools, classes and groups like ours.  He first demonstrates a sub-surface mooring device, which he drops overboard.

 Then he drops a sled-like device with a camera.  We will tow this along which gives us a view of the bottom of the bay, mostly sand, rocks and eel grass today.

Next he drops a dredge which will gather some things from the bottom.  Today we collect mostly eel grass, though in warmer weather it may collect more creatures.  Since he didn't expect much, he brought a cooler full of critters along for the ride.  We fill two trays with seawater and he puts the animals into it for us to examine.

A horseshoe crab, spider crabs, conch, star fish (now called sea stars), hermit crab in a conch shell, sea urchins.  He speaks a little about each and we are free to handle them.  He collects more seawater which we examine to spot plankton and a few small jelly fish.

He uses an acoustic signal device and the previously dropped mooring device and anchor pop to the surface to be retrieved.

  We head back to the dock and take a short walk to his lab.

 There he uses a handheld microscope to look at the sea star, sea urchin and other creatures.  He shows us how a scallop has lots of eyes along the inner edge of its shell. Below are the "legs" on the bottom of the sea star.

Another cool thing he shows us is an augmented sand box.  It uses special cameras to change the color of the sand depending on its depth - like a topographical map.

 As we use our hands to change the sand, it shows how mountains, canyons, lakes, etc. are formed.  When holding your hand above the sand for a minute, it mimics that your hand is a cloud which releases rain.  You can then see the rain form streams, lakes, ponds, etc.   A great educational tool, which he says he often lends to schools for lessons and demonstrations.

From here we take a short walk to the Woods Hole Aquarium.  A small but impressive aquarium, the oldest in America, which opened in 1884.

We meet at Captin Kidd's for a nice lunch.

 Yummy fish tacos.

Next we head to WHOI, the other "big hitter" in ocean research in Woods Hole.  Our guide here is Paul Daigle.

  WHOI, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, was founded in 1930 with a $10 million grant from the Rockefellers.  This lasted 10 years.  In 1940, the US Navy became interested in an anti-fouling paint which was used on the undersides of ships.  Sonar was also developed here, as well as underwater explosives.  The US Navy still contributes to WHOI as does NASA, and there are about 1500 employees.

Paul shows us several of the REMOLIS, with are Remote Environmental Monitoring Units.  They come in multiple sizes and are used for underwater exploration.  One was used during a Shark Week show in which an antenna was attached to the back of a great white shark, and a REMOLIS unit followed the shark while filming.  The shark didn't like it, and attacked the unit several times - we saw it, complete with teeth marks, later.

These units have been used to help find air crashes in the oceans, and to locate a Spanish galleon off the coast of Columbia.  They are also used sometimes in underwater tunnels, to help locate leaks.

Part of WHOI is located in what is known as the Candle Building.  This building was used in the late 1600's and early 1700's to make candles from the whale oil that 9 whaling vessels supplied.  Of course when oil was discovered in PA, that ended the candle business.

Our tour continues to the Smith Laboratory Building where undersea vehicles are made.  The most famous of them is probably the ALVIN, created in 1964.

 It carried 2 scientists and 1 pilot and is made of titanium in a spherical design to displace pressure.  It has been rebuilt every few years and the last one cost about $50 million.  It weighs 35,000 pounds.

ALVIN discovered the remains of the Titanic - that was news everywhere - but it did so at the tail end of a top secret mission to locate two lost nuclear subs (which it did successfully).   Passengers in the ALVIN took 3 hours to descend, spent 3 hours on the bottom, and then took 3 hours to come back up.

We go through an area called the Dunkworks where designs are made and tested.  The Remus, referred to as drones of the sea, are made for the Navy.

The Rigging shop is where they figure out how to hold things on the ocean floor using an elaborate array of buoys.  The glass buoys are encased in "hard hats"....beyond that, I was lost...

We walk on the docks, passing the Neil Armstrong, a huge 3 year old research vessel which carries about 30 scientists in addition to crew.  It is owned by the US government.

We wrap up today's visit with a walk to the Ocean Science Discovery Center.  There is a short film called Discover Planet Ocean and many other displays.

Walking back to the bus, we pass a statue of Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, which many consider the beginning of the whole Environmental Science movement.

Going back to the hotel, we hear about approaching storms, and indeed the skys look ominous and winds have picked up.   At the hotel, they come around and distribute flashlights to each room, as apparently it isn't uncommon to lose power in these "Nor'easters".  We walk to town for a farewell dinner at The Quarterdeck, but then Greg opts to walk back and bring the car to a lot across from the restaurant, just in case the rains come.

The restaurant has lots of wood, some reclaimed from ships.

Nice dinner and we head back to the hotel and to our lecture by Gil Newton, from Cape Cod Community College.  His topic is Seaweeds and Algae and his enthusiasm for his subject makes it interesting.

He emphasizes our dependence on these creations, which supply over 50% of the world's oxygen and are used in ice cream, toothpaste, beer and more.  Some seaweeds are used as food as well as cleaning carbon dioxide from the air.  The seaweed used in sushi is a multi-billion dollar industry.

 There are some invasive and problem algae as well, like the Cygasum which causes algae blooms that release hydrogen chloroxide and kill so many fish.

When asked about climate change issues, he says he is concerned but optimistic.  His main concern is loss of diversity.  He thinks we are up for the challenge of figuring out new ways to maintain and grow ecological sustainability.

The winds are strong and heavy rains have begun, but we still have power when we turn off the lights for the night.