Log Post: The Presence of Microplastics

At last, the day we’ve been waiting for is here! After what felt like forever of planning this cruise, today we finally departed from Balboa, Panama. The excitement is real, and I cannot wait to see what this journey has in store for us. I am part of the team from Aalborg University, and we … Continued

Log Post: Ir al Mar es un Regalo

No muchas personas pueden tener acceso en primera fila a ver los maravillosos y misteriosos ecosistemas que se esconden en las profundidades del océano. Tener en las manos especímenes que viven a 2500 m de profundidad es recordar que nuestro planeta alberga vida en cada rincón y que debemos luchar más fuerte por protegerlo. Estas … Continued

Log Post: The Role of Ocean Viruses

Viruses comprise a group of biological entities that are physically small (most viruses range in size between 20–200 times a millionth part of a millimeter) but very diverse both in terms of appearance and reproductive cycles. Because viruses do not take up food or nutrients for growth and energy production, they do not represent organisms … Continued

Log Post: Working Towards Equitable Deep-Ocean Research

The deep ocean (>200 meters) is the largest ecosystem on the planet, present in 82% of countries globally and occupying the majority of marine areas beyond national jurisdictions (aka the High Seas or international waters). Environmental stewardship is more likely to be effective when it is locally shaped and led, however, expense, inefficiency, and inequitable … Continued

Log Post: The Lavatic Theatre

We have entered the gut of the East Pacific Rise desirous of an animal lacking a gut. Averaging, and at times exceeding, blackened submarine depths of 2500 meters, the Riftia tube worm flourishes in thrumming cities of chiton; their interlocking cabled architectures capped by crimson groves of labial, lipstick-like protuberances (the hemoglobin-rich gill structures used … Continued

Log Post: Trans-Habitats | Artist-at-Sea

Artist-at-Sea Max Hooper Schneider regularly works with the idea of “trans-habitats”: spaces constantly shapeshifting and mutating with no terminal state. The hydrothermal vents being studied during the #VentUnderworld expedition appear to continuously be created, transformed, and destroyed by the forces around them. Such habitats in flux are an excellent pairing for the artist who has … Continued

Log Post: Succession and Diversity through Dispersal and Settlement

Traducción al español a continuación The 9°North East Pacific Rise is an ideal study site to unravel primary succession, the rate at which animal communities colonize a hydrothermal vent after a volcanic eruption. About every 15-20 years, volcanic eruptions pave the area with lava, allowing us to study the change in the species structuring a … Continued

Log Post: Curiosity-Driven Science – Week 2 Update

Working as part of a team on Research Vessel Falkor (too) creates a situation ripe for the spreading of knowledge and cross-collaboration. Scientists are close to – and may work on – projects that are not in their precise field of expertise. “Through doing that, you learn a lot about sort of different methods that … Continued

Log Post: Dejar el Mundo un Poquito Mejor | Science Stories

“El cuidar estos ecosistemas implica superarnos a nosotros también, y entonces siento que estoy saciando como lo que lo que quería, saciando mi curiosidad pero al mismo tiempo, ayudando a la humanidad. Es lo bonito de intentar dejar el mundo un poquito mejor.” Ivonne Rodríguez Ramírez nos da una mirada a cómo se introdujo en … Continued

Log Post: Life in Crust Cracks and Crevices

Traducción al español a continuación The first thing that one notices when approaching the deep-sea hydrothermal vents at 9ºN on the East Pacific Rise is the lush and beautiful animal communities featured by the giant tubeworm Riftia pachyptila, pointing to the high productivity of this ecosystem that rivals that of the tropical rainforest. Yet what … Continued