Follow along as participants in the cruise provide updates and reflections on their experiences, the science, the technology, and other elements of the expedition.
September 5, 2018 | By Erik Cordes
Although it was relatively short, this was an incredibly successful research expedition. We learned a lot about the different habitats in the study area between Virginia and Georgia. The information we have gathered will help us to understand these habitats and their dynamics—methane flux into the ocean and atmosphere, the life spans of corals, the flow of carbon and nutrients through canyons, and much more.
Read moreSeptember 1, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
On the last day of August 2018, the DEEP SEARCH team had its last Alvin dive of the cruise. Just because our dives were over yesterday does not mean the work is over though—not in the least.
Read moreAugust 30, 2018 | By Zach Proux
As the DEEP SEARCH expedition aboard the R/V Atlantis winds down, graduate student Zach Proux writes about his first experience diving in the human occupied vehicle Alvin. Only 24 hours after the fact, he's surprised to say he doesn't know where to begin.
Read moreAugust 28, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
Each time that we’ve sent Alvin to the seafloor so far during this DEEP SEARCH mission, we’ve sent some number of pushcores down with it. Pushcores are sampling tools designed to bring intact columns of sediment to the surface. Though the devices themselves might be simple, there’s actually a lot of complex information to be learned from the surface sediments we collect.
Read moreAugust 26, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
When I first started planning this expedition with the DEEP SEARCH team nearly a year ago, I had no idea that it would result in such a spectacular expedition filled with successful dives, consistently great weather, and exciting discoveries. But what was most personally surprising and awe-inspiring for me was that I, too, got the chance to go down to the seafloor in Alvin.
Read moreAugust 25, 2018 | By Sandra Brooke
How fast do deep-sea corals grow? As usual with questions pertaining to biology, the answer is "it depends." Just like terrestrial organisms, growth rates are influenced by a number of factors. Each species has a genetic "blueprint" that defines its growth capacity, but environmental conditions, food intake, and stress contribute to the actual growth of an individual.
Read moreAugust 24, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
Scientists weren’t expecting this find, but it opens the possibilities for where Lophelia could be forming reefs. While Lophelia reefs are known to occur off the coasts of Florida to North Carolina at depths averaging 350-600 meters, the presence of these reefs at deeper depths (greater than 700 meters) and farther offshore make these newly discovered reefs unique, potentially connecting deep-sea coral habitats from the south to the north.
Read moreAugust 23, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
Many members of the DEEP SEARCH team will spend the coming months and years fully characterizing the significance of our dive today. When the lengths of all of the mound features and probable reefs in the region are combined, the DEEP SEARCH team estimates that there’s approximately 85 linear miles of Lophelia reef here.
Read moreAugust 22, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams, Ryan Gasbarro, Jonathan Quigley, & Natasha Vokhshoori
The transit time is also giving everyone on board a chance to replenish after yesterday’s first frenzied sample processing day. With not much else to report about the onboard goings-on, we’ve asked three members of the DEEP SEARCH team to share about their experiences so far.
Read moreAugust 21, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
Today was exactly the type of dive that the DEEP SEARCH science team has been readying for over the last few months. All of the packing, the protocol reviewing, and the sample designing went from preparation to application the instant Alvin arrived on deck this afternoon.
Read moreAugust 20, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
The first Alvin dive of DEEP SEARCH is complete! We had an interesting dive on Wilmington Canyon, which provided an excellent opportunity to dive somewhere entirely unexplored. After a successful and smooth first launch of the cruise, those onboard quickly learned that the dive would be challenging.
Read moreAugust 19, 2018 | By Caitlin Adams
Though the DEEP SEARCH expedition didn’t leave port until the early morning of August 19, scientists started arriving to the ship as early as Thursday, August 16. The mobilization process for any research cruise is complex and time-consuming, and with nine different science teams aboard, the DEEP SEARCH mobilization was no exception.
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