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For more than three billion years, microorganisms have served as engines of Earth’s biosphere, driving essential biogeochemical cycles that shape planetary habitability. Exploration of the sea over the last 40 years has resulted in astounding discoveries about the extent and diversity of life in the deep ocean, pushing our understanding of the intimate connections between … Continued
Jaw-dropping views and excitement abound in Week Two’s highlight video. Never-before-seen geological and biological behaviours kept researchers and crew on full alert during Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian’s dives. Watch giant smokers and tiny “chimlets,” along with cannibalistic crabs and scavenger shrimps (and more!) come to life via the feeds from the ROV, more than 3,000m deep … Continued
Some of the most striking features we are seeing on ROV SuBastian’s dives are the unique hydrothermal vent chimneys. Heidi Berkenbosch, PhD Candidate, is working jointly with GNS Science and the University of Tasmania. Although she has been studying vent structures for nearly eight years, she says she has never observed anything like the types … Continued
A major focus of our expedition is to explore the diversity of these newly discovered vents. By combining disciplines on this cruise, we have a great opportunity to link geological setting to fluid chemistry, microbial diversity, and the animal community. What controls the types of species that colonize? What about the abundance and biomass? How … Continued
Subramaniam, A., Hay, I., Aleman, M., Bracco, A., Voss, M., and Montoya, J. (2016). Bio-optical Provinces of the Bien Dong. Poster Presentation at American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Aleman, M., Subramaniam, A., and Hay, I. (2016). Characterizing the Phytoplankton Community of the South China Sea. Poster Presentation at American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Last week the winds in the south made it impossible to safely launch the ROV at our intended dive sites in the Back-arc. We flipped our itinerary, and headed to the northern Mariana arc, where the weather was more favorable. It was a move that really paid off and we avoided any serious loss of dive … Continued
During the 2016 "Searching for Life in the Mariana Back-Arc" research cruise, ROV SuBastian performed its first science dives. Utilizing the vehicle's Core Imaging Suite, online viewers were able to follow along in real-time to see an active submarine volcano, erupting sulfur lakes, strange creatures and hydrothermal vents. Dives ranged from 400 to over 3,000 meters depth. … Continued
Great start for the Searching For Life in the Mariana Back-Arc cruise As our #HydrothermalHunt expedition transitions into its second week, we get to reflect on the amazing things we’ve seen so far. The best way to catch up is to take you down with the ROV right to the seafloor and watch our first week video … Continued
The last few days have been full of dives and discoveries. The team has been piloting ROV SuBastian around Daikoku Seamount, an active submarine volcano with sulfur lakes, strange creatures and hydrothermal vents. Using the ROV’s High Definition cameras and R/V Falkor’s multibeam sonar, the team has been gathering data and visual information. Below are images of … Continued
