Teacher Aboard

Date:	Thursday, March 26, 1998
Entered By:	Teacher Aboard Leslie Bridgett

THE PACIFIC

As Pride II crosses the last stretch of water on her first Pacific crossing - a journey of over 8,000 miles - it seems only appropriate to think about our personal experiences with Earth's largest ocean. My first reaction to seeing the Pacific Ocean offshore was surprise at its color - it's bright royal blue! Hence, the term "blue water sailing" - which means ocean sailing. I grew up playing in the waves on the beach in Ocean City. That beach, of course, is on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It had never occurred to me that the Pacific Ocean (or the Atlantic once you get away from shore) would not be the familiar green of the waves I used to play in. The green is a result of sediments (sand and mud) that are introduced by coastal rivers. Another reason for the green color is the presence of microscopic plants called phytoplankton. Next time you see a photograph of Earth taken from space, note the color of the oceans. They are a beautiful deep blue!

WAVES

The second most amazing feature of oceans, particularly the Pacific, is the size of the swells. Swells are large waves that are left over from past storms at sea. While crossing the Pacific, we have had swells whose wave length (crest to crest) was 200 feet and whose wave height (trough to crest) was 15 feet. Even Pride II, which is 100 feet long, rides up and over them like a car cruising over rolling hills. When these large swells reach Hawaii, they become the huge, 20 foot waves surfers seek out on the north shore of Oahu.

Even without the storms, waves on oceans tend to be large. The size of the waves is determined by the strength of the wind, the length of time the wind blows, and the distance over which it blows. With the strong trade winds blowing constantly over thousands of miles, it is easy to understand how ocean waves can become so large.

None of these large waves should be confused with a Tsunamis (pronounced su ná me) which is a tremendous wave caused by the sudden movement of the Earth. A volcanic eruption, an earthquake, a landslide, or the crashing into earth of a meteorite or comet could trigger such a wave. On our crossing to Hawaii, we saw a spectacular meteor (I described it in my Jan. 31 log). Although this one was not large enough to generate a tsunamis, comets and meteors have the potential to generate (make) such a wave. On the open ocean, these waves have a low wave height, but the energy extends deep into the ocean. When this deep shock wave reaches the shallow waters of shore, it drags on the bottom while the rapidly moving top of the wave (which can be going 600 mph) races onward and crashes on the beach as a huge 90 foot tidal wave (now correctly termed a tsunami). It is also important to note that Hawaii sits in the middle of the Ring of Fire. This is the name given to a circle of active volcanoes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean.

Because Hawaii has experienced many tsunamis, warning sirens have been placed in beach front communities.

OCEAN CURRENTS

Standing on the deck of Pride II with the trade winds at your back and the waves coming from behind (called a following sea), it easy to see that winds drive (push) the waves. Globally speaking, this results in huge rivers of water in the ocean called currents which are pushed by prevailing (constant) winds. Pride II's navigation station has a Pilot's Book which shows these currents.

It contains an interesting story about a cargo ship that lost a container full of 80,000 sneakers over the side in the northern Pacific. Since sneakers float, researchers took note of where the sneakers washed ashore in Alaska to determine the path of ocean currents in the area. You can see a picture of the sneakers and read more about the event at the Ocean Planet Web site.

EL NIÑO

Recently, the El Niño current has attracted a lot of attention. El Niño, which means "the Christ Child" in Spanish, is a warm current which usually gets stronger off the west coast of South America at Christmas time. This current of warm water effects smaller currents of water near the coast and results in poor fishing for the local people. When El Niño is especially strong and lasts for a long time, it also affects weather on a global scale.

For the crew of Pride II, the strong El Niño current this year has spelled disappointing winds (you can read about it in my Feb 2 log). The trade winds, which might normally blow 20 to 30 knots, are light - they are blowing at 8 to 15 knots. They are not strong enough to sail the ship if it is going to arrive in Shanghai on time. This has been frustrating for Captain Miles. Even though Shanghai is west, he has had to sail further south than he wanted to in order to "find" stronger trade winds. Even when he got further south, the winds were still not as strong as expected. As a result, Pride II has had to use its engines more that expected. It has been "motorsailing" a lot (using both sails and engines). Because of all this motoring, Pride II had to make an unscheduled stop in Guam to take on more fuel.

There is also a weather FAX on the ship that prints weather maps. By reading these maps, Captain Miles can locate low pressure systems or moderate storms which might produce wind. El Niño affects the crew as well. They have to work extra hard to set or strike (take down) sails as the wind freshens (get stronger) and then goes light again.

CORAL REEFS

Surrounding part of Hawaii and throughout the Pacific, coral reefs hug the edges of islands, or stand alone after a volcanic island has eroded away. Did you know that a coral reef is actually a large group of tiny animals that live together? A piece of dead coral typically is covered by a pattern of holes. When it was alive, each of these holes contained a jellyfish-like resident. During the day, the animal, called a coral polyp, hides inside the hole. At night, the polyp extends its tentacles (arms) to sting and capture microscopic animals called zooplankton as they float with water currents. Some corals, like fire coral, have a sting which is painful to humans. Most corals have microscopic plants called algae living in their tissues. Through life processes, the algae and the coral provide nutrients for each other and both organisms benefit. This helpful sharing relationship is called symbiosis. Due to the presence of these algae plants which need light, corals require clear, warm, shallow water to survive.

The coral polyp uses a another life process to make its hard cup-like home by using minerals from the water. This is similar to the process by which your body takes calcium from milk to make your teeth. These coral colonies grow very slowly and are easily damaged. It is important when swimming on reefs not to touch the coral. Please note that corals do poorly in aquariums at home. Please do not purchase coral - dead or alive. Buying coral only serves to destroy a reef somewhere in the world. As fascinating as reefs may be to marine biologists, they are a hazard to ships. Storms can blow ships off course and run them onto reefs. The Pacific has many reefs. It requires the careful eye of both captain and crew to navigate Pride II safely in the Pacific and especially when approaching tropical islands.

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

A huge thank you to all of you who created the fabulous scrapbooks which I am taking to Asia!

It is such a treat to leaf through them and get to know you just as your new Asian sister schools will. It still amazes me how much emotion (feelings) a few words and a picture can convey (say to others). I have to take a moment to congratulate you on a job well done!

As I look at the faces of kids, read tidbits about your lives, or read the questions you have for your new Asian friends, it reminds me of the magnitude (size) of the responsibility that I have to you and the schools in Asia.

For lack of other words, I feel like the "children's ambassador," sent to foreign lands to leave behind a trail of partnerships of schools on opposite sides of the world. For teachers, our greatest reward is to believe that we made a difference. Thank you for believing in this program. You can be sure that I will do my best to make this world a smaller place for all of you.

CHINA ON THE HORIZON

As I write this log, we are counting down to our arrival in China. This is a whole new world for me and you. New places are a lot more fun if you travel with an open mind. This means that although we are comfortable with our familiar (home) surroundings, it is important to appreciate things that are new and different. It might prove interesting to write down now how you would describe Asia. Later, on our way back to America, we will blow the dust off this piece of paper and compare it to our experiences!

Zai jian (Zi' gee en - goodbye in Chinese)
Leslie Bridgett

YOUR THOUGHTS

Why do you think Earth is sometimes called the "Blue Planet?"
Consider the reasons waves are large. Why do lakes have smaller waves?
Why is it less likely for the Atlantic to experience a tsunamis?
Write a short story describing an incident that causes a tsunamis and tell what happens when it strikes the coast.
Compare the winter weather in an El Niño year to the weather in a normal year in your area.
How were the Trade Winds affected by El Niño?
Describe how a coral polyp is similar to a jellyfish?
Why is it an environmentally poor decision to buy dead or live coral?
Suppose you were asked to be an ambassador for a group of bicycle clubs in your area as you travel to clubs in the next state. What would you do to help these clubs share information?
Make a list of how you would describe Asia. Include your thoughts on the people, food, clothes, religion, countryside, buildings, homes, plants, animals, TV shows, games, music, art, government, weather, holidays, customs, and language.

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