Aloha Simone!

My students and I are totally amazed at all the work and projects you are involved in on the ship! You are 'SUPER' teacher for sure! We are learning so much from your journals and your photos and thank you so much for answering our questions too!

Now some questions: How does the doctor do operations at sea? Are there nurses and other crew that can assist the doctor?

What kinds of phytoplankton live at the bottom of the ocean? We learned about chemosynthetic bacteria that break apart chemicals for food, are there any up there on the bottom of the ocean?

You mentioned that Murres have different colored eggs, does that mean that birds are able to see different colors? How long do Murres sit on their eggs and do both parents help? What is the predator of the Murres?

A big aloha to Liz! Has she seen any albatross up there this year?

You are doing such a great job! Mahalo nui loa (thanks a huge bunch) for all your hard work.

warmly, Mrs. P and her students

Simone Welch

Hi Mrs. P and class! I still have some people finding answers to some of your questions but this is what I have so far... The Corpsman or "Doc" has a good sized clinic on board called the "sick bay".  If this facility were not enough to handle a big emergency, he can also use the tables on the mess deck as surgery tables.  In fact, one of them is set up with huge lights overhead.  HSCS Corey Beasley also works with Doc, they are a two-man team.  When Katrin broke her thumb, Doc sent the xrays to a doctor on the mainland for a second opinion as well.
Phytoplankton in the depths... According to Mike Lomas, there isn't much in the way of phytoplankton in the benthos since no light means no phytoplankton.  In very shallow water such as the flanks of rivers, you may find some phytoplankton in the form of diatoms, which you guys know all about.
As far as chemosynthetic bacteria, these only exist around hydrothermal vents.  There may be some out here that are, as of yet, undiscovered especially around the "Ring of Fire" but none of these communities are being studied by anyone on board.  They are super cool though, huh?
Birds... albatross entry coming up!  Murres take turns sitting on the nest as well as feeding their chicks.  There aren't really any predators for the adutls although foxes or even human may come and prey upon the eggs.  According to Liz, prime cliff-side real estate for nesting is in the middle!
Check out coming entries for albatross info!  Talk to you soon!
Ms.W