What's Happening Today - Nov. 29

Another busy day of ABE diving, rock coring and camera surveys. Only two days left and we're having to make tough decisions about what to do. There are so many interesting features displayed in the ABE bathymetry and magnetics data, the DSL-120A sidescan data; and intriguing relationships to be investigated based on the digital photos that the Towed Camera THING is collecting for us.

We are excited about that data we've collected, but also frustrated at not being able to confirm, with direct observations during Alvin dives, our interpretations of the remote sensing sonar and geophysical data. We really need to get to the seafloor to complete our research - to directly observe the field relationship we are inferring from the micro-bathymetry and sidescan sonar imagery, and the brief glimpses of the seafloor we are getting in the digital images from the camera surveys. When we get home next week, we will write up our cruise report and try to make a convincing case to the National Science Foundation, the US government agency that is funding our research, to reschedule the ten dives we lost because of the problem with the Alvin viewport. Hopefully this coming Spring we can return with Alvin to complete this important facet of our science program here on the East Pacific Rise.

The weather has been hot and sunny, so the pool has become a gathering place, especially in the afternoon. This afternoon, Carl, Jay and Linda let me work in the galley to prepare a pasta dinner for the whole ship. A big thanks to Jay Grant who helped me with all the preparations. Making dinner for 50 people is a challenge. I don't know how these folks do it day after day, and produce consistently delicious and nutritious meals. All I know is I'm glad they do as it makes being at sea a pleasure.

I made three different types of pasta sauces- spicy marinara (a recipe that my Grandmother taught me), sausage and vegetable, and spinach pesto. Cooking for the science party and crew is a small way of saying thanks to all of them for their hard work and help in making our research possible.

Best Regards,

Dan Fornari

ABE Imagenex micro-bathymetry map showing the well-defined terraces formed on the east side of the East Pacific Rise axis in this area. The axial summit trough is clearly imaged by the detailed bathymetry as the narrow trough running just inside the left edge of the image. The dotted lines show the locations of the DSL-120A sonar tracks (see the next map). Paul Johnson of HMRG made this image.

DSL-120A sonar image of the same area covered by the ABE dives near 9° 50'N showing the prominent flow fronts on either side of the axial trough which runs along left side of the record. The trough is close to or under the nadir in this image but is visible at the bottom just above the letters "k and i" in kilometer. Dotted lines show the path of the sonar fish.

See more maps and bottom photos in the Preliminary Data Section.

The Steward, Carl Wood, fixing lunch.

ABE being recovered today. As you can see, the weather is delightful.

The Towed Camera THING, showing the back side with the wind-up mechanism for the rock corer. It is powered by the bungee cord that is wound tightly around the pulleys at left and the horizontal shaft. When the weight drops, it triggers a pin that makes the bungee spool up around the shaft, thereby raising the corer. Andy Billings is the designer of this very useful and functional device. He gets the Rube Goldberg Award for the cruise!

The camera core head covered in chips of basaltic glass sampled during Camera Tow #10.

A beardless Captain Silva with Alvin in the background wants to say HEY! to his family back on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and is looking forward to going home at the end of the cruise. Hi Liz, Zub, Gate, Bin and Ri, see ya soon.

Jay Grant, the cook, holding the skipjack tuna caught earlier today. Uriel Carpenter hauled in the fish.

Michelle Cooper, petrologist, graduate student, and - synchronized swimmer! Akel Sterling and Kate Buckman watch the performance from poolside. Bruce Strickrott, one of the Alvin pilots, top right, is watching the performance.

Akel Sterling getting synchronized swimming lessons from Michelle (right).

Kate Buckman (left), Akel Sterling and Michelle Cooper lounging in the pool.

Near the end of Tow#10, completed this morning, we crossed the collapsed lobate lava flows near the axial summit collapse trough (ASCT). A large anemone is attached to the edge of the collapse near the middle of the photo.