Monday, October 13, 2008
Happy Columbus Day
Happy Columbus Day everyone, and, since were in Canada, Happy Thanksgiving. Yes, that's right, Thanksgiving. Here in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. So a special note to my son Nicky: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Want to try sighting the North Star yourself? Here is how: Find the Big Dipper. Trace an imaginary line from the spoon up. The first bright star you come to is the North Star.
Want to find our more about using the stars to find your way, or Celestial Navigation, click here.
We are fairly far out to sea right now. There is a point of land in Nova Scotia, Canada about 100 miles to our north, but most land is around 200 to our west. We are seeing a lot of off-shore birds like the Shearwaters pictured here. These little birds spend most of their lives in the open water feasting on fish. They come on shore only to breed, so landlubbers don't see them very much. What a treat.
They were part of a large flock that was foraging in the nets yesterday afternoon during a tow.
We also have a few land birds on board. They may have been blown out to sea by storms and have stopped on our ship for a rest. Several were eating what they could find out of the nets on deck yesterday.
The nets on the Bigelow have 6 sensors, each reporting different variables, such as depth, the width of the net opening and the height of the opening back to the scientists on deck. One of the sensors stopped working and had to be replaced yesterday. Take a look at this video of how the repair was done.
CLE students, try using these images of ships in the past as a story starter. Write me a short story about a trip on an old sailing vessel and incorporate some of what you have learned about their technology in your story. Can you tell me the story of how that wood ended up on the bottom of the ocean? Please don't post these to the blog. They will be too long. Print them and show them to me when I get back on land next week.
And now some answers to your questions:
RM – Good question: A sea spider is a sea-creature related to the horseshoe crab. It just looks a lot like the spiders we see on land.
Back to Columbus Day, though. Since that's probably what your all talking about at home. In honor of Columbus Day, I thought I would try something interesting.
I made a replica of the instrument Columbus used to navigate his ship. It is called a Quadrant. Columbus would sight the North Star with his quadrant and measure its angle above the horizon. That angle is equal to your latitude. He used a quadrant to measure that angle.
This is what a quadrant looks like. You hold it up so you can see the star you want in your site. The weighted rope simply falls over the scale of numbers and indicates the angle. What instrument in math looks like this? Post your answers on the blog if you think you know.
So did I beat the GPS? You will have to watch this video to find out.
Want to try sighting the North Star yourself? Here is how: Find the Big Dipper. Trace an imaginary line from the spoon up. The first bright star you come to is the North Star.
Want to find our more about using the stars to find your way, or Celestial Navigation, click here.
We are fairly far out to sea right now. There is a point of land in Nova Scotia, Canada about 100 miles to our north, but most land is around 200 to our west. We are seeing a lot of off-shore birds like the Shearwaters pictured here. These little birds spend most of their lives in the open water feasting on fish. They come on shore only to breed, so landlubbers don't see them very much. What a treat.They were part of a large flock that was foraging in the nets yesterday afternoon during a tow.We also have a few land birds on board. They may have been blown out to sea by storms and have stopped on our ship for a rest. Several were eating what they could find out of the nets on deck yesterday. The nets on the Bigelow have 6 sensors, each reporting different variables, such as depth, the width of the net opening and the height of the opening back to the scientists on deck. One of the sensors stopped working and had to be replaced yesterday. Take a look at this video of how the repair was done.
The water temperature outside is changing. It is now much colder than it was. When we were further west, we were towards a warm current called the Gulf Stream that moves north a
long the east coast of the USA. The water was about 63 degrees. Now we are in a cold water current called the Labrador Current. This current brings water south from the Arctic along the Canadian coast and ends in the Gulf of Main. The water here is about 55 degrees or so. We are not seeing the dolphins anymore and some of the science crew thing the water temperature may be too cold for them. Take a look at this map of the water temperatures. Brighter colors are warmer in this picture. We have moved from the warmer greener colored water into the cooloer blue colored water. The red line represents our course.
long the east coast of the USA. The water was about 63 degrees. Now we are in a cold water current called the Labrador Current. This current brings water south from the Arctic along the Canadian coast and ends in the Gulf of Main. The water here is about 55 degrees or so. We are not seeing the dolphins anymore and some of the science crew thing the water temperature may be too cold for them. Take a look at this map of the water temperatures. Brighter colors are warmer in this picture. We have moved from the warmer greener colored water into the cooloer blue colored water. The red line represents our course.WOS students who have not had a chance yet, should compare our ship to the one Columbus Sailed. Go back and look through the blog at the pictures of Snuggy and Zee in the different parts of our ship to help you. Post your answers on the blog.
Finally, something very interesting came up in our nets today. We got this off the bottom in 1000 feet of water. It is wood. Clearly cut and shapped by a person and for a purpose. It appears to have been down there for a long time. How do you think it got there? Post your answers on the blog!
CLE students, try using these images of ships in the past as a story starter. Write me a short story about a trip on an old sailing vessel and incorporate some of what you have learned about their technology in your story. Can you tell me the story of how that wood ended up on the bottom of the ocean? Please don't post these to the blog. They will be too long. Print them and show them to me when I get back on land next week.
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And now some answers to your questions:
RM – Good question: A sea spider is a sea-creature related to the horseshoe crab. It just looks a lot like the spiders we see on land.
Have we seen any sharks? We have seen a lot of dog-fish, which are a type of shark, but are not very ferocious. Our captain saw a great white off the bridge. Unfortunately, I was working below decks at that moment and did not get out to see it in time.
# posted by Jacob Tanenbaum @ 12:08 AM 
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Hello Mr. Tanenbaum from Ms. Coughlin's class. We were discussing Columbus in class the other day and how hard his journey must have been. In technology class we compared the type of ship he came on to the one you are on. Your ship is run by engines and Columbus needed to depend on wind power. We saw how your ship can process sea water into drinking water, something the early explorers weren't able to do. Your ship uses GPS tracking systems and radars along with many other technologically advanced instruments to help guide you on your journey. Columbus and the early explorers depended on the stars. The quadrant that you demonstrated was very interesting. What a long way we have come in navagation!!! Now start the engines and full steam ahead!!
# posted by 
: October 14, 2008 7:35 AM
: October 14, 2008 7:35 AM
Dear Mr. Tanenbaum,
Happy Columbus Day to you too!
And to our friends in Canada, Happy Thanksgiving Day. Mrs. Berube's class enjoyed seeing and reading about your trip. We watched the videos of the different parts on the Bigelow. Too bad Columbus didn't have all that equipment. It would have made his trip much easier and much more comfortable. Enjoy the rest of your trip and we'll see you soon.
Happy Columbus Day to you too!
And to our friends in Canada, Happy Thanksgiving Day. Mrs. Berube's class enjoyed seeing and reading about your trip. We watched the videos of the different parts on the Bigelow. Too bad Columbus didn't have all that equipment. It would have made his trip much easier and much more comfortable. Enjoy the rest of your trip and we'll see you soon.
# posted by : October 14, 2008 8:21 AM
: October 14, 2008 8:21 AM
Hello Mr. T from Mrs. Graham's class. We loved taking a tour of your ship and comparing it to the kind of ship Coluimbus would have saied on. Danny commented that between making electricity and filtering the sea water into drinking water you might never have to leave. Add the delicious seafood your finding, a comfy looking bunk bed, television and the world's best views, we all agreed. Mr. T, we also watched your video comparing Columbus' use of a quadrant to navigate the sea vs. a sextant and the modern use of GPS. Very interesting. Gaby hopes your stayong warm. Good luck and we'll see you soon.
# posted by : October 14, 2008 10:44 AM
: October 14, 2008 10:44 AM
Dear Mr. Tanenbaum,
Your trip sounds very exciting. The sea stars are fabulous! What different kinds of fish are you finding in the nets? Where did you see the dead whale? We liked the video of the whales that you saw breeching. Have you gotten any sea snakes in your nets? Or sea turtles? Have fun!
From Mrs. B's class at WOS
Your trip sounds very exciting. The sea stars are fabulous! What different kinds of fish are you finding in the nets? Where did you see the dead whale? We liked the video of the whales that you saw breeching. Have you gotten any sea snakes in your nets? Or sea turtles? Have fun!
From Mrs. B's class at WOS
# posted by : October 14, 2008 11:03 AM
: October 14, 2008 11:03 AM
Mr. Tanenbaum,
We used your blog for our science class today to talk about adaptations. We examined your pictures and video of the skate. We could see that the skate has many physical features that help it to survive: 1) brown color and spots to camouflage it against the ocean floor; 2) mouth on the bottom to get food as it swims along; 3) flat shape to disguise itself; 4)eyes at the top to see predators; 5)a case for the baby skate to help it survive. Are there any others we missed? We LOVED the video of you helping the skate to give birth! We thought it was gross and wonderful. We watched it several times! ~Ms. Christie-Blick's Class
We used your blog for our science class today to talk about adaptations. We examined your pictures and video of the skate. We could see that the skate has many physical features that help it to survive: 1) brown color and spots to camouflage it against the ocean floor; 2) mouth on the bottom to get food as it swims along; 3) flat shape to disguise itself; 4)eyes at the top to see predators; 5)a case for the baby skate to help it survive. Are there any others we missed? We LOVED the video of you helping the skate to give birth! We thought it was gross and wonderful. We watched it several times! ~Ms. Christie-Blick's Class
# posted by : October 15, 2008 5:09 AM
: October 15, 2008 5:09 AM
Hi Mr. T.
I watched the video about the styrofoam cups. I geussed the cup would expand. I was wrong, the cups shrunk.
I thought the experiment with the sea-hags (have a great summer)was cool.
from b.o'd.
I watched the video about the styrofoam cups. I geussed the cup would expand. I was wrong, the cups shrunk.
I thought the experiment with the sea-hags (have a great summer)was cool.
from b.o'd.
# posted by : October 15, 2008 8:18 AM
: October 15, 2008 8:18 AM
Hello Mr T,
How is your trip going so far. I loved the part when the Sea Hags tried chew thier way through the bag.Why do the lobsters have bacteria. Hope you come back soon!!!
How is your trip going so far. I loved the part when the Sea Hags tried chew thier way through the bag.Why do the lobsters have bacteria. Hope you come back soon!!!
# posted by : October 15, 2008 11:59 AM
: October 15, 2008 11:59 AM
Dear Mr.Tanebaum,
It looks like your having a great time on that ship!!! How are the people on the ship? Are they nice? It looks like you have seen some pretty cool animals. Have you found any other animals beside them that you posted??? While I was watching your video it looked like there was a lot of wind pulling you!! Did it feel weird?? I don't think that it has ever happened to me!! Hope you are safe and I will keep coming on to see your videos and other cool things!!!
I have also been to Cape Cod! Well that is where Mrs.B told us you were!!!
Have fun,
JR
It looks like your having a great time on that ship!!! How are the people on the ship? Are they nice? It looks like you have seen some pretty cool animals. Have you found any other animals beside them that you posted??? While I was watching your video it looked like there was a lot of wind pulling you!! Did it feel weird?? I don't think that it has ever happened to me!! Hope you are safe and I will keep coming on to see your videos and other cool things!!!
I have also been to Cape Cod! Well that is where Mrs.B told us you were!!!
Have fun,
JR
# posted by : October 16, 2008 11:12 AM
: October 16, 2008 11:12 AM
Hi Mr. Tanebaum is it fun on the sea? Did you chose to go to the sea? Our did they make you go out to the sea and have no choice? Do you know how to tie sailer knots do you know all them, do you know one are none GH
# posted by : October 16, 2008 11:13 AM
: October 16, 2008 11:13 AM
Hi Mr. Tannebaum...
Even though its after Columbus day..i just wanted to say Happy Columbus Day!
Did your crew do anything exciting? Oh my gosh... I just remembered. Christopher Clumbus was on sea a lot. Just like where your are. Now im going to pretend im on sea. I can just feel the wind pulling me back even though i want to explore. I want to find something new that will help us. I want to see what a new species of fish would be like... what color would they be? How do they react to certain things? I was watching the history channel yesterday there was a episode on Fish and ocean life. I dont know where it was taken but there was a sceintist looking for new species... and he also had a night shift like you. He seemed very excited and curious about his job?What are you trying to discover in Cape Cod. My grandma your ship. Have you ever been on a submarine. I know this questiond doesnt have anything to do with ocean life... science or anything else but what's your favorite baseball teams. Mine is the yankees... I HATE BOSTON!! enjoy the rest of your trip
Have fun
MH
Even though its after Columbus day..i just wanted to say Happy Columbus Day!
Did your crew do anything exciting? Oh my gosh... I just remembered. Christopher Clumbus was on sea a lot. Just like where your are. Now im going to pretend im on sea. I can just feel the wind pulling me back even though i want to explore. I want to find something new that will help us. I want to see what a new species of fish would be like... what color would they be? How do they react to certain things? I was watching the history channel yesterday there was a episode on Fish and ocean life. I dont know where it was taken but there was a sceintist looking for new species... and he also had a night shift like you. He seemed very excited and curious about his job?What are you trying to discover in Cape Cod. My grandma your ship. Have you ever been on a submarine. I know this questiond doesnt have anything to do with ocean life... science or anything else but what's your favorite baseball teams. Mine is the yankees... I HATE BOSTON!! enjoy the rest of your trip
Have fun
MH
# posted by : October 16, 2008 11:14 AM
: October 16, 2008 11:14 AM
mr.t
it is amazing how you you were holding up a very big sting ray. was it heavy? how are you doing on the ship?I think that it would be an amazing experience to go on a ship and learn about all of those sea createres. if someone was sick and they neede to go to the hospital what would you do? i think that you should have a doctor on the ship with you at all times. how long dod it take you to catch that sting ray?
from. N.W
it is amazing how you you were holding up a very big sting ray. was it heavy? how are you doing on the ship?I think that it would be an amazing experience to go on a ship and learn about all of those sea createres. if someone was sick and they neede to go to the hospital what would you do? i think that you should have a doctor on the ship with you at all times. how long dod it take you to catch that sting ray?
from. N.W
# posted by : October 16, 2008 11:15 AM
: October 16, 2008 11:15 AM
hope your having a good time
on deck.have you ever cach a
wale
well bye
on deck.have you ever cach a
wale
well bye
# posted by : October 16, 2008 3:04 PM
: October 16, 2008 3:04 PM
Dear ,mr.t
Our class was discussing how there might be another reason for lobster shells getting soft. We discussed that it could be from
fetizerlizer that flowed down a stream or got absorbed in the ground. This is what we think. Can you bring in a soft shell for us to observe? You know what a good scincetist always says "PROVE IT" !
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Our class was discussing how there might be another reason for lobster shells getting soft. We discussed that it could be from
fetizerlizer that flowed down a stream or got absorbed in the ground. This is what we think. Can you bring in a soft shell for us to observe? You know what a good scincetist always says "PROVE IT" !
# posted by : October 16, 2008 4:16 PM
: October 16, 2008 4:16 PM << Home
