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14 November 2019 marks the bittersweet conclusion to my journey on board the Research Vessel Falkor. As we continue to approach the final destination of our 2,745 nautical mile transit, I am both grateful and overjoyed to have been able to gain the full experience of living life at sea, and I am sad to … Continued

As we pass the midpoint of our cruise, and after, quite literally, sailing past ‘hump day’, it is time to take a look over what has been achieved over the last few days. Following a ~15 hour transit to our first site on Tuesday, and continual observations for whales throughout daylight hours, work began at … Continued

ROV SuBastian, the Research Vessel Falkor’s Remotely Operated Vehicle, is designed for the efficient collection of scientific data at depths up to 4500m. The yellow robot is currently being used to understand the similarities and differences across large features of the deep sea. Recently, researchers have asked, are the communities on either end more similar … Continued

What does it take to measure iron in the ocean? The science crew of the R/V Falkor are intimately familiar with this question. The concentrations of iron at Loihi seamount are quite high for ocean water, but in actuality, they are extremely low –equating to a drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool! However, … Continued

Most of the time when you tour a ship you see the main areas where the science gets done, the aft deck, wet lab, control room, but have you ever thought about what powers all these amazing technologies? I didn’t until recently, when I was graciously offered a tour of the engine room, also known … Continued

Like all good things, the Loihi Seamount excursion has come to an end. Close to two weeks onboard the R/V Falkor, and our science crew is leaving with enough data to keep them busy for the next six months. All in all, we had seven AUV Sentry deployments to the two deep regions of Loihi … Continued

The deep sea is a hostile environment to most life. There is little by the way of food or other resources. To make matters worse, no light reaches the depths of the oceans. Amidst this darkness exist hot spots of chemical activity in the ocean bed known as hydrothermal vents, fertilizing the oceans with chemicals … Continued

After a very long and unanticipated delay, we are underway and headed towards the Guaymas Basin, located in middle of the Gulf of California. The Gulf of California, one of the most intriguing places I have worked, is home to deeply interesting and fascinating seafloor habitats. In this actively rifting, young ocean basin, the East … Continued