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Oozing samples of seafloor sediments from multicore casts and ROV push cores are brought into the wet lab for processing. The scientists working on these samples get quite muddy in the process, but have a great sense of humor for their dirty work. While working on a recent push core sample, biological technician Jennie McClain … Continued
Benthic landers, shipboard mapping, and ROVs give underwater views of the seafloor, but aerial remote sensing platforms provide another vantage point for finding evidence of seafloor processes like seeps. Dr. Ian MacDonald and the ECOGIG team have collected and analyzed imagery from satellites and airplanes to document the oil spill and natural seep oil slicks … Continued
The second ROV dive of the expedition took place today. Its primary objective was servicing a benthic lander that has been collecting measurements on the seafloor near the Macondo wellhead since April 2012. Dr. Beth Orcutt, a microbiologist, has a collection of sampling equipment onboard the lander and she was in charge of the ROV … Continued
The research team onboard was very excited to begin scientific underwater surveys and sample collections with remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Global Explorer MK3 this morning. The primary objective for this ROV dive is to collect live deep-sea corals of two different species for molecular ecologist Iliana Baums and graduate students Danielle Young and Arielle Anderson. … Continued
Our first night at sea was spent offshore about 140 kilometers (88 nautical miles) south of Pascagoula mapping the seafloor. R/V Falkor has a state-of-the-art multibeam echosounder that is designed to map almost all of the ocean floors excepting the deep trenches (up to 7 kilometers or nearly 4.5 miles). During mapping, the ship transits along … Continued
For the past two days, the science team has been busily unpacking boxes, assembling instruments, and getting oriented on R/VFalkor in preparation for the upcoming cruise. Lists were checked and rechecked to ensure that all the necessary supplies were on hand. Scientists send or pack all their sample bottles, experiment supplies, computers, measurement tools, batteries, and … Continued
Red snapper is recognized as the most important (and controversial) reef fish species in the entire Gulf of Mexico. Its popularity as a recreational sportfish coupled with its economic value as a commercial commodity give this species unparalleled attention from fishermen, scientists, and fishery managers alike. The Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery is split … Continued
The DSSI Global Explorer MK3 ROV (remotely operated vehicle) operated from R/V Falkor captured video of an invasive venomous lionfish on an artificial reef. This is the second lionfish that has been spotted by the Harte Research Institute (HRI) Fisheries Group. Both sightings took place on artificial reefs, but it is believed that once these … Continued
