Log Post: Underway CTD’s – The Struggle is ‘Reel’

Although our expensive new robots can cruise underwater for days at a time, setting them up for their most scientifically valuable missions begins with compiling data to form a picture of the oceanic feature we are trying to study. Satellite altimetry shows us differences of tens of centimeters above or below the average sea surface … 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: Fire Meets Water

Like a domino effect, several things happen to seawater when it comes in contact with a volcano. When a volcano is not erupting and there is hydrothermal activity, hot water with very different chemistry from seawater rises up, just like steam would over a boiling pot. It spreads out and begins to create particles, or … Continued

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: Artist-at-sea: Wrap Up

Today I present another look at my art process aboard the Falkor. This unique residency presented a fantastic opportunity to focus and also brought unexpected challenges. Overall it has been an excellent learning experience. From macrobiology to microbiology and chemistry Before this voyage, most my collaborations with marine scientists have been with biologists studying relatively … Continued

Log Post: Surprise Ending!

During the Hydrothermal Hunt, we have been searching for new hydrothermal vents in a vast unexplored stretch of the Mariana Back-arc, a zone where we know submarine volcanism occurs (at least occasionally), providing the heat for seafloor hot springs and their weird-and-wonderful chemosynthetic ecosystems. A few days ago, we had only 2 segments still to go … Continued

Log Post: Research Team Seeks Greater Understanding of Ocean’s Bacterial Diversity

Scientists from the University of Rhode Island working aboard the R/V Falkor’s first shakedown cruise are collecting ocean water samples from the North Atlantic seas between Greenland and Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Gathered using a platform called the Conductivity, Temperature and Depth Rosette (CTD), the water samples are rife with the ocean’s smallest, but most abundant … Continued

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