schillij's blog

The importance of being brief was one of the take away messages from today's NSF Workshop on Science Journalism.

Science journalist, Cheryl Lyn Dybas from NSF hosted the workshop at the 2010 Ocean Science Meeting in Portland. She presented interesting insight into scientific communication.

The center released the new Virtual Columbia River web site today.

The Virtual Columbia River includes self-redundant long-term simulation databases of 4D (space-time) circulation, designed to characterize contemporary variability and change.

The site contains an amazing Columbia River Climatological Atlas.

I was quietly writing an article when two high school interns entered my office. Avilash and Tanner wanted to make a CMOP video and needed my help. Being game for something fun, I said sure. This is what we came up with. Enjoy.

The centers best and brightest take a break for a game of soccer.

Soccer Match - Nirzwan and Chelsea square off

The Glider Workshop was taught in Astoria as part of the Ocean Observatories Camp.
(Glider artwork by CMOP intern, Lindsey Longway)

Last summer I went on a research cruise aboard the R/V Wecoma. The project was to capture the human factor about working and living at sea. Each day I would shoot, edit, and then uploaded videos to our web site from the ship. I have compiled all the videos in one place for you to watch.

Visit the cruise video blog page

The CMOP field team set out on their second glider deployment. The seas were calm as we traveled about 25 miles out into the ocean to launch the glider.

Danny helps deploy the glider off the ship.

The gliders name is Phoebe. The rope on her tail end is only there during system tests.

I had the best of intentions to update my blog with the glider mission status. Then we crossed the Columbia Bar into the ocean.

The seas were rough. 8 - 10 foot swells. The 50 foot vessel felt tiny as it bobbed up and down. I spent a great deal of time sitting outside on the back deck while we traveled to the launch site. Didn't get sick for the longest time. Then I walked back into the wheelhouse and witnessed the roller coaster ride over a large wave. That pretty much did in my stomach. I scurried out to the rail and launched my breakfast.

The seas were too rough to launch the glider. The team decided to run various computer telemetry test on the vehicle. All functions worked out well. They were confident it could be launched in better seas.

So with that, we head back to port at the MERTS dock.