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It’s hard to believe that we’ve already wrapped up the second student cruise on Falkor.

Setting sail on the R/V Falkor a few weeks ago to explore unknown features in the Pacific Ocean led us to consider the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which overwintered in Astoria, Oregon in 1805 after crossing the continent and leaving markers and waypoints for those who would follow them. During the #HuntingBubbles cruise we have … Continued

Out here in the Tasman Sea, chasing the internal tide involves a lot of detective work, piecing together clues from water velocity, temperature, and density to determine where exactly the tide beam is heading.

As the R/V Falkor made its way south past the Grand Banks of Newfoundland this sunny, calm morning, Second/Third Officer Paul Shepherd overheard Chief Scientist Dr. Cabell Davis talking to researcher Melissa Patrician about the sea ahead, which had a slightly rusty reddish hue in relation to the blue sky. Throughout the Falkor’s maiden voyage … Continued

It could be assumed that given the intensity of operations in this expedition, the thought of a five-day transit through calm waters would be warmly welcomed. The scientists would perhaps take advantage of the extra time by answering neglected emails, organizing their paperwork, or cleaning a few of their instruments; but mostly, many would expect them … Continued

Although iron is the focus of our Loihi Expedition, a number of other measurements are being collected during our cruise as we hunt for Loihi’s hydrothermal plume. You might be asking yourself “If the focus of the cruise is to collect iron data, why measure anything else?” However, as scientists our goal is to tell … Continued

There are those who argue that predictability is the greatest gift of progress, the biggest merit of civilization. Our ability to explain nature through science makes the world and the universe predictable and understandable. That enables us to have a more informed and productive relationship with our natural environment and its resources. This is at … Continued

Andreas Novotny thought he would find Hemiaulus here. He has not. “It is what it is, which is fine,” he says. “What we need to do is figure out why.”  Andreas is a PhD. student and his research focuses in the symbiotic relationship between a kind of plankton, a Diatom called Rhizosolenia, and a Nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria, … Continued

The timing could not have been more perfect for this expedition, which has given the science team a glimpse of mixing activity in the central equatorial Pacific during strong El Niño conditions.

Unrelenting questions that press for a definitive, but elusive, answer are precisely the kind of questions that fuel Chief Scientist Joseph Montoya’s love for oceanography. He often goes to bed trying to solve the oceans’ latest riddle and wakes up the next morning knowing his mind was not idle. He might feel rested but is also … Continued