A day in the life of the Neeskay

SPECIAL REPORT, JUST FOR KIDS!

“One long blast! Cover your ears!” shouted Captain Greg Stamatelakys, sounding the Neeskay’s horn and steering the 71-foot research boat from its dock at the Great Lakes WATER Institute (GLWI) into the Kinnickinnic River. It was a sunny August morning in Milwaukee, just past 9:15am according to the nearby Allen-Bradley clock. The Neeskay, painted black with a diagonal yellow stripe across its bow, was heading out for another day of research on Lake Michigan.

The cruise’s main mission: collect data and samples at a site 12 miles northeast of Fox Point, Wis. Like most research on the water, this cruise required the help of many hands. Scientists Carmen Aguilar and Russell Cuhel led the day’s research activities. Tyler, a technician, and Jeremy, a student intern, assisted them. Geoff, an engineer, and Jim, a deckhand, were along to help the captain with boat duties.

Underway

The group had prepared for the trip earlier in the morning, loading gear and groceries onto the boat. As the cruise got underway, they talked about the weather and the day’s plan, and labeled the empty bottles and vials that water samples would go into later.

Just after departing, the Neeskay made two quick stops near the Hoan Bridge, where Milwaukee’s major rivers meet and flow into Lake Michigan. There, the researchers used a bucket to grab water samples for scientist Sandra McLellan, who stayed behind to collect additional samples at area beaches. Later, McLellan would check all the samples for bacteria washed in by the rainfall of the past three days.

The boat then followed the Lake Michigan shoreline north, stopping at several other sites to collect more water samples for McLellan. Along the way, the Neeskay passed two research buoys its crew had deployed from the boat’s stern earlier in the year. Bobbing in the blue-green water at sites off Bradford and Atwater beaches, the buoys continuously transmit weather and water data by radio back to scientists at GLWI, helping them study long-term lake trends.

Back in the pilothouse, Captain Greg next pointed the Neeskay toward the day’s main destination, the Fox Point site. This is one of several sites Carmen and Russell regularly visit to study how the lake’s physical and chemical properties affect plankton, the tiny plants and animals that support the lake’s food web. Cruising at 11 miles an hour, the ship took over an hour to get to there. In the meantime, everyone took turns grabbing lunch in the galley below deck.

Though small, the galley contains all the kitchen essentials: a sink, a refrigerator and microwave, a table and chairs. It also contains bunk beds where crew members can sleep during overnight cruises. Beyond the galley, in the Neeskay’s bow, are two more sets of bunks and a tiny bathroom. These spaces once held Army cargo: built in 1953, the boat served as an Army T-boat before being converted for research use.

Arrival

“On station!” yelled Captain Greg when the Neeskay finally reached the Fox Point site. As Geoff dropped the anchor into the 105-meter-deep (345 feet) water, all hands gathered on deck, ready for more work.

One of the first tasks was to measure the water’s clarity. Leaning over the boat’s side, Carmen lowered a device called a Secchi disk into the water by hand until she could no longer see it. “Eighteen meters,” she said, announcing the depth (59 feet) at which the black-and-white disk disappeared and recording it in her notebook.

Meanwhile, Russell and Jeremy worked to collect water samples from various lake depths. The two took turns climbing out onto the hero platform protruding from the Neeskay’s starboard side and attaching Niskin bottles to a cable. Using a winch, Jim then lowered and raised the bottles on the researcher’s signals. Tyler helped transfer the collected water into storage jugs.

The group also used the hero platform and winch cable to deploy nets to collect plankton, sensors to record water quality data, and metal PONAR jaws to scoop mud and organisms from the lake bottom. They took other measurements at the site, too-of things like temperature and light penetration-with hand-held equipment lowered over the boat’s side.

On some cruises, Carmen and Russell also deploy a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from the stern of the Neeskay. Outfitted with a camera, the ROV can collect samples and film underwater video. On other Neeskay cruises, divers manually collect samples or perform maintenance on equipment such as buoys.

Several hours after arriving, the group had completed its work at Fox Point. “Milwaukee Harbor, north!” Russell shouted up to the captain, who began steering the Neeskay back inland to make a few more quick stops to collect additional data.

During the return trip, the researchers cleaned and packed their gear, and began processing some of their water samples in the boat’s lab, squeezing them through filter paper to remove particles and tiny organisms. Eventually, they took seats on the deck and watched the city skyline come closer on the horizon.

The hands of the Allen-Bradley clock showed 6pm as the Neeskay docked at GLWI and everyone helped unload the boat. Back at their lab, Carmen and Russell worked into the evening analyzing their samples. Over the next week, their staff helped them complete more analyses. Meanwhile, the Neeskay headed out for more scientific missions on the water.

Jennifer Yauck is a science writer at the Great Lakes WATER Institute. GLWI (glwi.uwm.edu) is the largest academic freshwater research facility on the Great Lakes. Teachers can contact her at yauck@uwm.edu.

Glossary

• Bow - front of boat
• Cruise - an outing by boat
• Food web - the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
• Galley - boat’s kitchen
• Hands - crew members
• Hero platform - platform protruding from the side of the boat, so named because work performed there can be perilous
• Niskin bottle - a tube-like bottle with two open ends that snap shut at a desired depth, trapping water inside
• PONAR - sampling device named for the five people who invented it: Charles Powers, Robert Ogle, Jr., Vincent Noble, John Ayers, and Andrew Robertson
• Port - left side of boat (when facing forward)
• ROV - remotely operated vehicle
• Secchi disk - a disk used to measure water clarity by noting the greatest depth at which it can be seen
• Starboard - right side of boat (when facing forward)
• Stern - back of boat
• T-boat - small army boat that transfers cargo from larger ships to shore

Additional Photos

Click here to view a slideshow that includes nearly 40 photographs. While viewing the slideshow, you may click on a photo to read it’s corresponding caption.

Copyright 2010 by Bay View Compass. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.