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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

What comes to mind when you think of the ocean? Waves, vastness, blue, or the many things that it contains. You may picture dolphins or fish, if you really know your stuff you might even imagine microclines or currents. The scientific party onboard of R/V Falkor is a little different. When they look at the ocean, … Continued

Scientists onboard R/V Falkor are gathering an enormous amount of water samples in order to decipher how Oxygen Minimum Zones in our Tropical Pacific work, as well as understanding how their expansion might shape our planet’s future. How do they collect the samples? In our video of the #LifeWoO2 expedition, Chief Scientist Mak Saito and … Continued

My name is Caleb Hsu, and I am the Student Opportunity Participant for the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s first research cruise of 2016. As part of the program, I will be sharing my thoughts and reflections each week as I experience and learn more about the science, technology, and people onboard this wonderful vessel. I became … Continued

The oceans are immense – so huge that most of us cannot even grasp the idea of their true dimensions. We often hear that they comprises 70% of our planet’s surface, and that without their waters, life as we know it would not be possible. Leighton Rolley, lead Marine Technician of the Life without Oxygen … Continued

Anyone’s first experience traveling on the open ocean can be strange and overwhelming, but I’ve been so well taken care of onboard R/V Falkor, it has basically become a floating home away from home. The crew have gone out of their way to help with everything. You don’t hear people saying “That’s not my job” —everything … Continued

Options are narrowing and a winner may be in sight You might be wondering how our Hydrothermal Hunt is going – and perhaps more importantly – you might be wondering how you are doing in our betting pool. (You have made a guess as to where we’ll find the biggest hydrothermal plume, right?) A recap: … Continued

We are studying the oceanography of the Texas coast, focusing specifically on the distribution of phytoplankton and nutrients in the water column. High nutrients often set the stage for growth of phytoplankton. One particular species that we are interested in is the toxic phytoplankton called Karenia brevis. These algae could be identified in samples taken … Continued

When I landed in Pohnpei, Micronesia for the Ontong Java expedition I was greeted by the local customs authorities in the airport.

Being an Englishman, my knowledge of Thanksgiving is limited to the following: you eat a lot of food, catch up with family, there are yams (though I’m not sure what they are) and a turkey gets pardoned by the President of the USA. So I’m obviously extremely excited to hear I’ll be experiencing my first … Continued