Tonga Trench Expedition

The Adventure Continues!

Shannon Casey — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:53:17 +0000

Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego researchers have returned from a journey into one of the deepest parts of the ocean and there is much to be shared! If you have been following the happenings of the seven-day Tonga Trench Expedition, you will be happy to know the adventure is not over yet.

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A Last Word from the Chief Scientist

skrantz — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:53:53 +0000

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 [...]

A Look at Captain Wes Hill

skrantz — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:42:35 +0000

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 [...]

The Troops Must be Fed!

skrantz — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:33:01 +0000

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 [...]

A Closer Look at Rosa Leon Zayas – Chief Scientist

skrantz — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:41:36 +0000

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 [...]

Volunteer Researchers on the Roger Revelle

skrantz — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:25:09 +0000

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 [...]

Being an Undergraduate On a Research Vessel

skrantz — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:37:39 +0000

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 [...]

Nearing the End of the Tonga Trench Expedition

skrantz — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 03:54:46 +0000

This morning at 9:15, we left the Tonga Trench Station and turned the ship towards Fiji, a 2-day sail ahead of us. The science team, having accomplished all of their experiments, went to catch up on their well-deserved sleep.

The months of planning this expedition have paid off well in the execution. There will be [...]

Important McLane Pump Deployments

skrantz — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 03:47:05 +0000

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 [...]

Plankton and Deep Sediment in the Tonga Trench

skrantz — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:54:30 +0000

Yesterday, during a small window when deep-sea operations weren’t underway, we did a daylight plankton tow. The net was towed across depths from 200 m to the surface with a 350 µm mesh net for about 30 minutes. We recovered a bonanza of small pelagic animals and some of us spent the next few hours [...]