Questions Submitted by Clague Middle School
Questions from the Clague Malley-Gaynor team students (See also previous answers to Clague questions about life at sea.)
What is the weather like there? It's very cold and snowing here.
The weather is beautiful! It ranges in temperature from 68-73 degrees Fahrenheit. We had a pretty windy day on the 19th.
What is the craziest looking device on the ship? Could you describe it and tell us what it does?
The craziest looking device may be the flux tower. It is very un-aerodynamic. It is perched at the front of the boat and about 20 ft. tall, and has instruments on it that measure T, RH, greenhouse gas (CO2), winds and rain. Because we don't want the measurements influenced by the rest of the boat, they have to be perched high. But this boat won't be winning any yacht races.
Are the cloud formations different over the ocean than they are on land? If so, how are they different? Are there any new kinds of clouds there that we don't know about?
Clouds over the ocean are different from those on land. One difference is that ocean cloud drops tend to be larger than land cloud drops. This is because the air is cleaner over the ocean than over land.
What are they doing in the submersible now? Is Mrs. Malley going to get to go down in it? How does it take pictures at the bottom of the ocean? Isn't it dark far below sea level?
They aren't using the submersibles on this trip! There are no marine biology questions being addressed by the scientists on this trip. I am not disappointed though because being on the ship alone is quite an adventure!
Have you seen any marine life yet? Please tell us about any interesting fish, birds or other animals, you've seen.
I've seen the most amazing flying fish! They look like something out of a science fiction movie, but it's better than that because they are real! Captain Ralph calls them "horizontal leapers" because they jump out of the water, expand their white wings and hover around a few seconds before plunging beneath the water again. If you watch closely you can see their wings retract just a split second before they dive in! We've also seen Frigate birds (Albatross) flying over the ship today. They have huge wingspans and are very graceful, needing very little energy as they ride the winds and stay aloft.
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