The captain told us throughout the cruise that it was not a good idea to put something in the water unless we were willing to not see it again. And even though I agreed with him completely, it was terrific to see instruments come back on board. Many of our instruments were programmed to stay [...]

The captain of the ship was Wes Hill, a highly experienced seaman who has been at sea for a total of 26 years, and with Scripps Institution of Oceanography for 23 of those years. Born in Central Pennsylvania, he did not come from a sea-faring family, but attended school with the Merchant Marines and [...]

Two of the most important, hardest working and most appreciated members of the crew are the ones who keep us so well fed.

Three substantial meals are provided each day, breakfast beginning at 7 a.m., lunch at 11:30 and dinner at 5 p.m. The cooks begin their work at 6 a.m. and continue until [...]

The Microbial Oceanography of the Tonga Trench Cruise is a student-led expedition funded largely by the UC Ship Fund.
Rosa Leon Zayas, Chief Scientist for the expedition, is a Ph.D. candidate, who seeks to complete her doctorate in 1-2 years. The work of this expedition will contribute significantly to her research on microbial life [...]

So what is it like to be a volunteer researcher on a trip like this? Terrific! What an amazing opportunity. We only found out that joining the journey would be possible a few weeks ago, but it didn’t take us long to sign up. We are not scientists of any kind, but love science and [...]

Here at the Tonga Trench, and aboard the UC San Diego research vessel, Roger Revelle, I have been participating in scientific research alongside Dr. Lihini Aluwihare. As an undergraduate, I feel very lucky to be part of this research expedition. This is my first time on a research vessel, and I have learned so much [...]

The last day and a half of work done on the Tonga Trench station included deployment of two McLane Pumps to sample the ocean waters from 5,000 meters to the surface in 1,000 meter increments. The McLane Pump consists of a battery powered pump that samples the ocean water and runs the water across a [...]