What's Happening Today - Nov. 14

We have a great group of students on board for this cruise. They represent all stages of college and post-graduate education. There are senior undergraduates like Brooke Stembridge, recently graduated students like Kate Buckman (who is working this year and has already been on two research cruises with me in the past few months), just starting-out students like Brent Garry and Michelle Cooper, and advanced graduates like Tomoko Kurokawa and Jenni Morgan. But, only one hails from the other side of the Atlantic 'pond'. This is Jenni Morgan's second voyage on board R/V Atlantis.

Our work is continuing well, we were astounded at the sonar image this morning. What we saw was an area of seafloor just west of the East Pacific Rise axis near latitude 9° 28'N that had multiple tongues of lava coming from the axial trough and splaying out to the west as they flowed down hill. I've posted a photo of a drawing of the axial trough that artist Paul Oberlander of WHOI drew based on my descriptions. This feature - the axial collapse trough - is key to where hydrothermal vents are located on the EPR axis in this area, and has been a focus of volcanism in the recent past. It is also where nearly all the hydrothermal vent animal communities are located along this portion of the ridge axis. More on that in the coming days. I'll let Jenni finish today's posting - please excuse the British-English spelling of certain words - she can't help herself!

Best Regards,
Dan Fornari

So I am a Brit, no avoiding the fact, and one of a rare breed here - I am unique onboard Atlantis! Would I find it difficult to be on an American ship with an all-American contingent, I wondered, as I set off from the city of Leeds in the North of England.

Well, if I'm honest, I already knew the answer to that question as this is my third research cruise, and my second on board Atlantis. No sooner had I queued to check-in at LA airport (the furthest west I have ever been!) to fly to Mexico than I was being mobbed by friendly scientists, introducing themselves and generally making me feel welcome. It has never ceased to amaze me how open and generous the Americans I have met are.

The flight was (thankfully) uneventful. We stepped off at Manzanillo and into a dense wall of heat and humidity, which was almost too much for me as I was still thoroughly overdressed in my British winter clothes! The 30 minute journey to the ship proved to show an interesting cross-section of this part of Mexico as we drove through banana and coconut plantations, past matchstick huts and into the multi-coloured and swarming town of Manzanillo proper. The peaks of hills and mountains swathed in lush green vegetation and dotted with sherbet-coloured houses was in startling contrast to the chilly autumnal England I had only just left behind.

And now here I am, in the middle of a foreign and distant ocean, basking in glorious sunshine and collecting data crucial to fully understanding the construction of mid-ocean ridges ­ a subject I have been studying for the past four years. I don't suffer from sea-sickness, I'm being cooked for three times a day (without having to wash-up!) and I'm meeting lots of new people who I hope will remain good friends long after we return to dock. Could things be any better?!

Of course I am missing my family and friends (Rowan in particular!) and my favourite season of the year in England, but I have been totally accepted and welcomed into the company of my fellow seafarers and feel very much at ease and at home. The work we are doing is directly relevant to my PhD and of the highest quality, and I feel privileged to be a part of this 'business-end' of my science.

As no-one here seems to know where the North of England is, let alone Leeds, Dan's put up an educational map in the slide show! My poor watch-mates probably know this backwards by now as I keep forcing it on them.

Cheers,
Jenni

Here's a map of England and Scotland to the north showing where Leeds is in relation to London. There will be a quiz tomorrow...

A painting of the axial summitcollapse trough (ASCT) by Paul Oberlander of WHOI. This shows a rendition of what the narrow trough at the East Pacific Rise axis looks like. Alvin is shown for scale in the middle of the painting. The trough is only 50-100 meters wide and has lots of different morphologies (shapes) of lava flows on its floor and along the trough rim. The hydrothermal vents and animal communities are also located mostly along the sides and floor of the ASCT. When we begin diving in Alvin we'll show photographs of what it looks like down there - it's a fantastic place.

Jay Grant making us pancakes this morning for breakfast - complete with real Vermont maple syrup - they were delicious.

Kate Buckman and Phil Treadwell, the 3rd Engineer down in the Engine Control Room.

The ABE guys - Al Duester (left), Rod Catanach, (middle) and Al Bradley - loading ABE's brains into the pressure housing on the vehicle this morning. So far their testing is showing that ABE is ready to go as soon as we haul in the sonar fish - hopefully Friday.

Jim Schubert, the 2nd Engineer, and Chris Haines, the 1st Engineer, down in the Engine Control Room - R/V Atlantis is 'working like a top' thanks to the top-notch engineering department on board.

Captain Silva taking his morning coffee along the starboard rail of Atlantis as he makes his rounds.

Manny Lopes, an Ordinary Seaman, painting one of the doors on the 02 level this morning.

Kevin Fisk, the Chief Engineer down in the Engine Control Room. He's responsible for ALL the mechanical and electrical equipment on the ship - from engines, to pumps to winches to sinks to drinking water - the Engine Room Dept. does it all! What is amazing is that he has only four people working with him doing this. These guys do a tremendous job under lots of pressure - hats off to them. They too are key to our ability to be out here collecting data for our research.

Uriel Carpenter using the needle gun to chip away rust in the Bosun's room. It's a constant task keeping ahead of rust on a ship and the deck crew are always on top of this so Atlantis is kept in great shape.

Maurice Tivey explaining some of the finer points of seafloor magnetics and the evolution of young oceanic crust to Brooke Stembridge in the Main Lab.