Alan Nelson's Daily Commentary for 10 September 1999

Kwajalein Island, Republic of Marshall Islands

I didn't have access to the computer with my files and software for the whole day today and so I didn't finish the processing. I did get all the files that I had done the last couple days copied into the archive, so those are tucked away "for good." I also got all the files out of the archive that I will need to finish the Kwajalein and Roi processing. I also have about half a day left to get the Meck data re-processed. So the amount of work that I have left and the amount of time I have left are pretty well matched!

As I walked out the PBQ (Pacific Bachelor's Quarters) this morning just before lunch, I was confronted with the lowest tide I had seen while here. I took this picture. You remember my complaining about everything fogging over when you walk out of the air conditioning. Here you see the results of condensation on my camera lens. You can imagine that that sort of condensation just wreaks havoc with electronic equipment.

After a few minutes and a gentle wipe of the lens, this is the same picture as above. This is looking out at the ocean side (as opposed to the lagoon side) of the island. The square pools are the results of the Americans dredging out material to use for fill on the island. Almost 80 acres has been added to the island of Kwajalein via land fill--that is most of the family-housing area on the north of the island. We can almost always see the different color water associated with these pools, but for the first time since I have been at Kwajalein, there was a bit of dry land between the pools and the breaking waves. Which means this is the lowest tide since I have been here.

Good reason for that. Last night was new moon. The tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. But the sun also contributes its gravitational pull to the tides. The pull of the moon is always stronger because the sun is LOTS farther away. But the highest high tides and the lowest low tides happen when the sun and moon are pulling together (at new moon) or directly opposite (at full moon). Today the pools clearly showed the effect of the new moon.

I went snorkeling in the pools for a short time around noon. A skate (a relative of the manta rays) about 3 feet across had gotten caught in one of the pools. It was sand colored and had partially buried itself in the sand and so I probably would not have noticed it. However, there were people in the pool who had seen it bury itself and they pointed it out to us, and we pointed it out to the next group...

The pools are the only part of the ocean side of Kwajalein where swimming is allowed, and only at low tide. I saw several different fish that I had not seen before in the pools today. But my favorite spot is still the island of Meck, and I will visit there one last time tomorrow.

Alan Nelson