Cruise Log

Hydrothermal Hunt Video Matrix – summary

https://youtu.be/YDyWrwO4nJA

Surprise Ending!

During the Hydrothermal Hunt, we have been searching for new hydrothermal vents in a vast unexplored stretch of the Mariana Back-arc, a zone where we...

Falkor’s crew and their Essentials

Anyone's first experience traveling on the open ocean can be strange and overwhelming, but I’ve been so well taken care of onboard R/V Falkor, it has...

Week Three Video Highlights

There are several operations happening on Falkor during the Hydrothermal Hunt, each looking for different types of indicators and traces of venting systems. This week's...

Four Unexpected Things I Learned While Working on a Research Vessel

I’m a geologist, and one of those terribly annoying people who really love their jobs. Recently, my work has moved from land-based research to deep...

Helium’s role in the Hydrothermal Hunt

What do Donald Duck and underwater volcanoes have in common? Helium! Helium is a noble gas, and it’s playing a particularly noble role on this...

Plume Contest Review

Options are narrowing and a winner may be in sight You might be wondering how our Hydrothermal Hunt is going – and perhaps more importantly...

Life in the Bubble

Team Iron takes you into the most exclusive (science) room on the ship. We like to throw things in the ocean We drop the trace...

Pumping Iron

Do shallow arc volcanoes supply iron to phytoplankton in the open ocean? Scientific research on a moving ship is a real challenge. We have to...

Week Two Video Highlights

As researchers exploring unknown areas, you expect the unexpected. But, even for the seasoned scientific explorer, Week Two offered some giant surprises. The discovery of huge active...

Marvelous Multibeam Math

With the discovery of big plumes and active venting on the seafloor during CTD tow-yo 6 we really hit the jackpot out here on the Mariana...

Surprise: Young Lava!

One of the joys of exploration is getting surprised. And boy, were we surprised when we found a lava flow on the seafloor that looks...

Bonanza on the Back-Arc

Like a bloodhound on the scent, the recent discovery of our first new vent site energized our exploration efforts. Our next target site was on Map...

A Day in the Life of a Seafloor Scientist

I wake up disoriented, not remembering where I am. I sit up and bang my head against the bunk above me. Oh, right, I’m on...

Place your bets!

We’re aboard the R/V Falkor on a #HydrothermalHunt in the unexplored parts of the Mariana back-arc. Hydrothermal vents host some of the most unique chemical...

The First Plume

Sometimes the Moment of Discovery does not occur in a flash. Sometimes it takes several moments, hours, or even days to recognize. We had to...

The First Hydrothermal “Hit”

After a first week of dodging a typhoon, hanging on during rough seas, and ironing out minor equipment problems, we are now reaching our stride...

Week One in Review: Video

The first week in Guam was full of challenges, ranging from a Typhoon weather delay to trouble-shooting the Sentry Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. However, the Hydrothermal...

5 Reasons Why Working on a Research Ship is the Best Experience Ever

Fellow students and newcomers: Congratulations – you have made the excellent choice of studying oceanography, marine geology, or biology! This means you may have the...

Mapping Earth’s Ocean Seafloor

Opening Google Earth and looking at the seafloor graphics, it is easy to get the impression that we know what the entire ocean bottom looks...

A Day of Thanksgiving

Being an Englishman, my knowledge of Thanksgiving is limited to the following: you eat a lot of food, catch up with family, there are yams...

How to recover an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Back On Course

After successfully avoiding the typhoon, we begin the trip back to port to complete the rest of our loading. The return leg is a good...

Tracking Down Hydrothermal Vents

Scattered along the barren ocean floor lie uncounted hydrothermal vent sites—oases of hot, chemical-rich, life-nurturing fluids. These oases are a submarine version of Yellowstone National...

The Tectonic Neighborhood

Most people have heard the Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth, but how did it form and why is it there? Why are...

Adaptation

The windshield wipers are working frantically as we drive towards the ship for the first time. A tropical storm is approaching Guam and this rain...