Whales!!!

August 14, 2013

A quick hello to Pam's mum

from all on CLIVAR A16N, "Hello, Mrs. Barrett!"

 

 

 

Two days ago, on August 12^th, we were treated to something(s) that most people will never have the opportunity to experience. Two fin whales, the second largest animal on the planet (growing up to 27.3 m (89.5 ft), weighing nearly 74 tons), were spotted. They came very close to the ship, and we were able to positively identify them as fin whales. In contrast to the slightly larger blue whale (30 m (98 ft) in length and 170 tons), fin whales do not raise their shoulders out of the water when they dive, their dorsal fin is more prominent and their water spouts don't shoot as high. The fin whale population was decimated during the commercial whaling era, and today the global population is estimated at between 100,000 - 119,000; classifying them as 'endangered' on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

A fin whale  ☺   Note the small dorsal fin just sticking out of the water, to the left in the above picture.
(photo: Bruce Cowden)

We're being followed...

But that's not all! Ever since we first spotted them on Aug 5^th, we have been followed by a pod of pilot whales. We know they are the same pod as one has a distinctive notch out of its (his?) dorsal fin. The whales catch up with us when we stop at the next station. They have been increasing in confidence, coming a little closer each day. So close that we noticed they had a baby with them a few days ago - and this baby is super-cute and playful. Finally, two days ago, the whales decided to watch us, like we were watching them. What seemed lie half the ship was out on the stern watching the pilot whales, along with a breath-taking sunset, when the whales started 'spy-hopping' to look at us. They would come up vertically from the water to look at us. Even the baby did this a couple of times! The exuberant baby would splash out of the water when it surfaced for air, which was met with much oo-ing and ah-ing from the assembled scientists and crew.




... and baby makes three! Close encounters of the whale kind! Pilot whales
(photo: Josh Levy)

 

 

And there's more ... one of the fin whales (or perhaps another one) wanted a slice of the action, so he came and did a casual swim-by off the port bow' providing yet another great photo opportunity.

 

... and still more... Aug 11 and 12 was the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Out in the open ocean, far from urban light pollution, we were perfectly positioned to witness the night-time show. As it turns out, Aug 11^th was unfortunately cloudy, although I'm told the clouds parted at around midnight, and those lucky enough to be start-gazing were treated to a spectacular display. So, not wanting to miss out on the action, I grabbed my jacket and headed up to the bow at about 10 pm on Aug 12... and was not disappointed. My fellow star-gazers and I saw some truly fantastic shooting stars that night, and I went to bed very happy indeed.

Yesterday, Dr. Bill Landing (FSU chemical oceanography prof) gave a talk to the crew. He spoke about climate change, and how the CLIVAR program and this cruise is contributing to our knowledge of the global carbon cycle, and how it all fits into the larger picture of global climate change research. The talk was very well attended, prompting a number of pertinent questions from the ship's crew. Speaking to crew members afterwards, they said that they had enjoyed the talk and found it very informative, and that they appreciated having the chance to have the science explained in an informal setting. In return, Dr. Landing told them that the science party appreciates their involvement and all that they do to facilitate the smooth running of our research. Dr. Landing was also very grateful to Chief Scientist Molly Baringer, (AOML-NOAA), and Lt. Paul Chamberlain (Operations Officer) for the opportunity to discuss his research and its wider implications.