Log Post: And We Are Off

What does Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting, the whirlpool galaxy, and billowy cloud traces all have in common? The answer is visual representations of fluid motion, something which is very difficult to see in water. However, over the next few weeks the scientists on board Falkor will try to do this exact thing, understand small … Continued

Log Post: Tracking Eddies

Once the LRAUVs Opah and Aku rendezvoused with the Falkor in the center of the eddy, it was time to switch them from survey mode to tracking and sampling mode. Our target eddy feature, the Deep Chlorophyll Max (DCM, discussed here), is indicated as a bright red/orange color in the data visualizations of Opah’s sensor … Continued

Log Post: 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 back-arc. This led to further investigation of the site with the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Sentry. The result was a beautiful high-resolution bathymetry map [FK151121_sentry_bathy.jpg] and an even more-detailed photographic … Continued

Log Post: 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 5, which shows two shallow “saddles” separated by deep basins. These high points correspond to places along the Mariana Back-arc where an enhanced supply of molten magma over hundreds of … Continued

Log Post: Back from the Tasman Sea

After 26 days at sea, the T-Beam crew has sailed back into port along the Derwent River, and tied up on land. We never expected this work to be easy – battling with the constant barrage of storms headed directly from the southern ocean – the Tasman Sea did not disappoint.

Log Post: Sometimes you eat the dive…

Up early again today for our first Nereus dive in earnest, heading down to 2250m at the top of Mt Dent, just West of the Von Damm hydrothermal field, for engineering tests. After a few concerns right before diving (waiting for the coffee to kick in and provide clarity) we were ready to go and … Continued

Log Post: Student Video #2: Waves of Change

Check out the second video from one of our Student Opportunities participants, Jennifer Killinger. She takes a look at how Mixing Up the Tropical Pacific scientists on board Falkor are collecting oceanographic data with the CTD using Yo-Yo and Tow-Yo techniques.

Log Post: When the ocean has a different plan for your science

How even ideal conditions at sea can be a challenge for a research vessel. The R/V Falkor is currently stationed at 1° North and 170° West, heading North, conducting a 10-day time-series, looking at small scale mixing throughout the Equatorial Pacific. Jennifer and I have been onboard for long enough to realize that conducting science … Continued