Tools of Oceanography

Question 1

Sounding is a technique used?

Answer 1

to measure the depth of water beneath a ship, where a package is attached to a line and dropped to the seafloor.

Question 2

Sidescan sonar is what?

Answer 2

A broad sound beam is sent from an instrument tied behind a boat.

Question 3

Port

Answer 3

The left side of a boat.

Question 4

Starboard

Answer 4

The right side of a boat.

Question 5

Bow

Answer 5

The front of a boat.

Question 6

Stern

Answer 6

The back of a boat.

Question 7

Identify and describe.

Answer 7

Reversing thermometer. Used in Nansen bottles. Only records temperature when flipped 180 degrees, and temperature does not changes while being hauled to the surface. It can therefore record temperature at a specific depth.

Question 8

Identify and describe.

Answer 8

Hydrometer, type used in aquariums. Measures salinity in parts per thousand (ppt). Functionally measures the change in density and therefore does not account for density changes due to temperature.

Question 9

Identify and describe.

Answer 9

Salinometer. Measures salinity in parts per thousand. Functionally measures the electrical conductivity.

Question 10

Identify and describe.

Answer 10

Secchi Disk. Measures vertical visibility or turbidity. It is lowered by hand on a line until the disk becomes invisible.

Question 11

Identify and describe.

Answer 11

Surface drifter. Used to measure currents. Many are released at a time in hopes of recapturing a few. (Can be a form of pollution.)

Also used, same purpose: drift cards, seabed drifters (same as these but without a float)

Question 12

Identify and describe.

Answer 12

Grab sampler. They are used to sample surface sediments. They may mix the sediments and are not used for deeper samples.

Question 13

Identify and describe.

Answer 13

Box corer. A supporting framework is lowered to the seafloor and it sinks 20 or 30 cm into the sediment, where it pulls large amounts of sediment up with minimal disturbance. May be very heavy and difficult to deploy.

Question 14

Identify and describe.

Answer 14

Piston corer. Used to obtain long vertical samples (up to 50 m) of soft sediments.

Question 15

Identify and describe.

Answer 15

Nansen bottle. Used to sample water at a specific depth. Nansen bottles are attached to a wire; a stainless steel messenger slids down and triggers the bottle to move into an “upside down” inverted position. This traps seawater.

Question 16

Identify and describe.

Answer 16

Mechanical current meter. Measures current rate and direction. This is one type. Different types can measure current in different ways; by rate of rotation of a rotor, rate of rotation of a propeller, and by the angle of which the meter is pushed.

Question 17

Identify and describe.

Answer 17

Plankton net. Designed to collect plankton (preferably alive). Extremely fine mesh.

Question 18

Identify and describe.

Answer 18

Purse seine. Used to quickly encircle schools of fish and capture them.

Question 19

What type of lights is required for all boats longer than 5 meters?

Answer 19

Running lights

Question 20

On a boat, what color running light is to be mounted and seen from the stern?

Answer 20

White

Question 21

On a boat, what color running light should be mounted and seen from the port side?

Answer 21

Red

Question 22

On a boat, what color running light should be mounted and seen from starboard?

Answer 22

Green

Question 23

Powerboats must display what kind of light?

Answer 23

White masthead light, mounted higher than running lights

Question 24

Sailboats are not required to have what kind of light?

Answer 24

Mast light

Question 25

Mast lights can be used in combination to indicate the “status” of a boat. What do the combination of lights mean in this system?

Answer 25

Red over red: not under command

Red over white: fishing

Green over white: trawling

White over white: short tow line

White over white over white: long tow line

Red over white over red: Restricted in maneuverability (may be carrying out underwater operations)

Question 26

When referring to boats, a gunwale is?

Answer 26

The upper edge of the side of a boat

Question 27

When referring to sailboats, a jib is?

Answer 27

small triangular sail near the front

Question 28

When referring to sailboats, a boom is?

Answer 28

A long pole fixed to the bottom of the mainsail, in order to maneuver the sail

Question 29

When referring to boats, a cleat is?

Answer 29

Metal fitting to which a rope can be fastened

Question 30

SCUBA stands for?

Answer 30

Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

Question 31

What is an ROV?

Answer 31

Remotely Operated Vehicle; they are tethered to a boat and are operated by a person on the surface.

Question 32

What is an AUV?

Answer 32

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle; these do not require input from an operator.

Question 33

What are Alvin’s most famous exploits? Who operates Alvin?

Answer 33

• Surveying the wreck of the RMS Titanic (1986)
• Locating lost hydrogen bomb in Mediterranean (1966)
• Exploration of the first known hydrothermal vents (1970s)

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Question 34

The Jason/Medea system is a what, operated by who?

Answer 34

ROV, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Question 35

Jason Jr. was a prototype of Jason. What was it used for?

Answer 35

Small ROV. Assisted in finding the RMS Titanic; deployed from Alvin and explored areas otherwise inaccessible to Alvin.

Question 36

REMUS stands for what?

Answer 36

Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS. AUVs designed by Woods Hole; torpedo shaped and designed to be operated by a laptop computer.