This multidisciplinary cruise led by Dr. Peter Girguis of Harvard University tested new instruments that can work autonomously in undersea environments, much like future NASA ocean exploration robots aim to do. Researchers sought to characterize venting and seeping environments and biology off the coast of Southern California. During the 2018 “Characterizing Venting” cruise, ROV SuBastian was outfitted with a range of newly developed instruments, including a high-resolution, high-speed, deep-sea stereo camera system and an innovative in situ mass spectrometer (ISMS) that measures gas concentrations. A state-of-the-art instrumented seafloor lander named the Autonomous Biogeochemical Sampling System (or ABISS) was deployed alongside the ROV. While the ROV collected sediment and water column samples, ABISS ran a suite of tests ranging from mass spectrometer readings to analyzing carbon isotopes. The ABISS lander worked as a test bed for NASA technology to study oceans on other worlds. Outcomes of this technology-based expedition will span the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, and planetary science – supporting technological innovation in deep-sea and deep-space research.

ROV SuBastian Dive 162 – Point Dume Seep – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/06/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Point Dume seep off the coast of California.
Depth: 720 meters depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to scope out an area to deploy the ABISS lander; utilizing the osmotic pumps sampling package. Also accomplished was a video transect of the Point Dume seep, opportunistic push core and slurp sampling.

ROV SuBastian Dive 163 – Point Dume Seep – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/08/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Point Dume seep off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 750 meters depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to move the ABISS lander to it’s final position. They also deployed some crab traps, utilizing the osmotic pumps sampling package. They also did a video transect of the Point Dume seep with opportunistic pushcore and slurp sampling.

ROV SuBastian Dive 164 – Point Dume Seep – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/09/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Point Dume seep off the coast of California.
Depth: ~ 730 meters depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to move the ABISS lander to it’s final position. They also deployed some crab traps, utilizing the osmotic pumps sampling package. They also did a video transect of the Point Dume seep with opportunistic pushcore and slurp sampling.

ROV SuBastian Dive 165 – Point Dume Seep – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/10/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Point Dume seep off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 740 meters depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to move the ABISS lander to it’s final position and utilize the osmotic pumps sampling package. They also did a video transect of the Point Dume seep.

ROV SuBastian Dive 166 – Palos Verdes Seep – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/10/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Palos Verdes seep off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 500 meters depth
Work Completed: This is an exploratory dive. The team’s primary objective was the collection of biological samples. They also did a video transect.

ROV SuBastian Dive 167 – Redondo Knoll – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/10/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Redondo Knoll seep off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 730 meters depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to collect push-cores at bubbling seeps and then to collect control samples. Biological samples were also collected from the area.

ROV SuBastian Dive 168 – Point Dume Seep – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/11/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Point Dume seep off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 730 meters depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was retrieving the ABISS lander and performing a video transect to create a photomosaic of the area.

ROV SuBastian Dive 169 – Crespi Knoll – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/13/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Crespi Knoll off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 620 meters depth
Work Completed: This was an exploratory dive. The team’s primary objective was to conduct a survey over two peaks of the knoll.

ROV SuBastian Dive 170 – Lasuen Knoll – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/13/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Lasuen Knoll off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 670 meters depth
Work Completed: This was an exploratory dive. The team’s primary objective was to conduct a survey from the bottom of the South West side of the knoll where a large section of rock appears to have broken away. The ROV SuBastian then climbed the side of the knoll.

ROV SuBastian Dive 171 – Fossil Hill – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/14/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Fossil Hill off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 720 meters depth
Work Completed: This was an exploratory dive. The team’s primary objective was to investigate the area based on bubble findings from a sonar survey from earlier in the day. Push-core and biological samples were taken.

ROV SuBastian Dive 172 – Santa Monica Sound – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/15/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Santa Monica Sound off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 850 meters depth
Work Completed: This was an exploratory dive. The team’s primary objective was to search the area for any bubbling seeps or biological samples.

ROV SuBastian Dive 173 – JKL Garden of Bubbly Delights – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/16/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – JKL Garden of Bubbly Delights off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 850 meters depth
Work Completed: This was an exploratory dive. The team’s primary objective was to search the area for any bubbling seeps or biological samples.

ROV SuBastian Dive 174 – Del Mar – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/16/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Del Mar off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 1 km depth
Work Completed: The team has surveyed the area and found evidence of an active seep. The team’s primary objective was to explore with the intent of collecting biological samples, namely Tubeworms.

ROV SuBastian Dive 175 – Emery Knoll – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/17/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Emery Knoll off the coast of California.
Depth: Up to 780 m depth
Work Completed: The team has searched for biological samples and took push-core sediment samples. 

ROV SuBastian Dive 176 – Rosebud Whalefall – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/18/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Rosebud, a whale fall that was placed by researchers off San Diego, California, in the La Jolla Canyon.
Depth: About 850m depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to investigate ecosystems unique to whale falls. Biological samples were taken, as well as sediment samples with push-cores. A photomosaic were also made of the whale in order to create a high-resolution 3D model with post-processing techniques.

ROV SuBastian Dive 177 – Del Mar Seep East – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/19/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – Del Mar off the coast of California
Depth: Up to 1.3 km depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to dive to a depth of approximately 1,000m (3,280ft) to collect tubeworms for research. They also recovered pieces of wood that were left by a previous expedition to measure the changes and, as always, taking push-core samples. 

ROV SuBastian Dive 178 – San Clemente Escarpment – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/20/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – San Clemente Escarpment off the coast of California
Depth: Up to 2 km depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to dive to a depth of approximately 2,000m (6,500ft) to collect biological and push-core samples. 

ROV SuBastian Dive 179 – San Clemente Escarpment – Backyard Deep
Date: 10/21/2018
Location: Pacific Ocean – San Clemente Escarpment off the coast of California
Depth: Up to 2 km depth
Work Completed: The team’s primary objective was to dive to a depth of approximately 2,000m (6,500ft) to collect biological and push-core samples.