SeepC GoM

Ship

R/V Atlantis

Vehicles

AUV Sentry, HOV Alvin

Cruise Party

Cliff Cunningham: Principal Investigator
Duke University 130 Science Drive Durham, NC US 27708
+1 919 660 7356
cliff@duke.edu

David Eggleston: Principal Investigator
NC State University 303 College Circle Morehead City, NC US 27695
+1 919 515 7840
eggleston@ncsu.edu

Ruoying He: Principal Investigator
North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC US 27695
+1 919 513 0249
rhe@ncsu.edu

Svetlana Maslakova: Principal Investigator
University of Oregon P.O. BOX 5389 Charleston, OR US 97420
+1 541 888 2581 ext. 309
svetlana@uoregon.edu

Cindy Van Dover: Principal Investigator, Chief Scientist
Duke University Marine Laboratory 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd Beaufort, NC US 28516
+1 252 504 7655
clv3@duke.edu

Craig Young: Principal Investigator
University of Oregon Oregon Institute of Marine Biology P.O. BOX 5389 Charleston, OR US 97420
+1 541 888 2581 ext. 299
cmyoung@uoregon.edu

Departure: Gulfport on May 21, 2014

Arrival: St Petersburg FL on Jun 14, 2014

Mobilization Date: May 19, 2014

Demobilization Date: Jun 15, 2014

Supporting documentation:

»Cruise_Plan_Station_Data.docx

Operations Area: Gulf of Mexico

Lat/Lon:

Depth Range: min / max (m)

Will the vessel be operating within 200 NM of a foreign country? no

Science objectives

The primary objective of the SeepC Project is to advance our general knowledge of connectivity in the deep sea using taxa found at seeps as model systems. The focus is on species and processes occurring in the Intra-American Sea (including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and eastern seaboard of the US), with attention to oceanographic circulation, life histories, and genetics.  Questions that apply in shallow-water systems motivate this study:

1. What phylogeographic breaks occur in the system? It is important to distinguish between phylogeography and connectivity.  A phylogeographic break implies a long history of isolation or possibly cryptic speciation, while genetic population structure indicates gene flow is reduced, but still ongoing or recent. 
2. Do collections from different sites indicate a panmictic population of a given species?  This is the fundamental question about connectivity and the scale of population genetic variation in marine species with planktonic larvae and it comprises extent of gene flow, directionality, and relative contributions.
3. What bio-physical processes underlie observed connectivities?  Biological processes (e.g., larval distributions in the water column, timing of reproduction, and planktonic larval duration) and physical processes of transport and dispersion interact to determine connectivity.

Our efforts include improving the oceanographic model for the IAS near the seabed using current data from moorings at several depths and locations and coupling this model to a Lagrangian larval transport model.  We stress the importance of iterative interactions among the science teams to advance our understanding of connectivity in the deep sea through descriptive and hypothesis-driven research.   We will develop effective and best methods for hypothesis testing under the constraints of working in a relatively inaccessible environment and will build capacity in understanding connectivity in deep-sea systems.

Science Activities

Three primary study sites: 
Leg 1:
i) Brine Pool/GC
ii) Alaminos Canyon

Leg 2:
i) Florida Escarpment

Coordinates

GC petroleum site (adjacent to Brine Pool)	27 44.7N	91 13.3W	540 m	(Green Canyon lease 234) Bergquist et al. 2005	tubeworms and mussels
Brine Pool NR1	27 43'24"N	91 16'30"W	650 m	(Green Canyon lease 233) Bergquist et al. 2005	childressi
Brine Pool NR1	27:43°N	91:17°W	640 m
Alaminos Canyon 645	26°21.267198′N	94°29.899938′W	2213 m	Kellogg 2010
Alaminos Canyon 645	26.3545	−94.4998	2240 m	Roberts et al 2010
Alaminos Canyon 645	26.3714	−94.4969	2223 m	Roberts et al 2010
Alaminos Canyon 645	26-21.34N	94-29.84W	2230 m	Alvin 3625	tubeworms, clams, mussels
FE	26 01.8N	84 54.9W	3288	Turnipseed et al. 2004; Alvin 3634-3636

NEW SITES OF INTEREST: 
MC853 28 07.6N, 89 08.5W; 1075 m

DC583 28 23.1N, 87 23.3W; 2445 m

1) Two mooring recoveries
Brine Pool NR1
Released 11/5/13, 0830
27deg43.394'N, 091deg16.753'W

Alaminos Canyon
Released 11/6/13, 1448
26deg21.300'N, 095deg29.799'W

Each of the train wheel anchors has wood and bone bags to be recovered as well as a 4-tube larval trap.   Both moorings use non-impolodable volume floats (syntactic foam or plastic).  The Brine Pool mooring also has a small float with a small spar and orange flag for visibility at the surface. 

2) One Mooring deployment (Florida Escarpment)
similar configuration as those recovered

3) Alvin seep sampling
mussels, clams, tubeworms, and associated animals; targeting at least 30 individuals per species (manips, net, slurp) 

4) Sentry plankton sampling 
Strategies TBD in consultation with Sentry team, but perhaps a series of pump runs directly above seep sites (lowest possible altitude; sampling a constrained area, on the order of 100 m x 100 m (?); multiple heights above bottom (lowest, 10 m, 50 m, 100 m etc?)

5) MOCNESS tows
Strategies TBD - would be great to plan a simple experiment to compare Sentry and MOCNESS

6) Sentry high-resolution mapping of Fl Esc wall

7) Sentry high-resolution maps of all seep areas (imaging and bathymetry)

8) CTD casts

9) XBTs

10) Hydrophone

Pre-cruise planning meeting: Teleconference

an initial teleconference is scheduled for 13 Jan, 1500-1700 with WHOI operators

Stations:

  St Pete
  Distance: 172
  Days: null
  Latitude:
  Longitude:

  Florida Escarpment_3288 m
  Distance: 192
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 26° 1.8’ N
  Longitude: 84° 54.9’ W

  DC583_2445 m
  Distance: 148
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 28° 23.1’ N
  Longitude: 87° 23.3’ W

  Gulfport
  Distance: 425
  Days: 1
  Latitude:
  Longitude:

  Alaminos Canyon_2213 m
  Distance: 195
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 26° 21.27’ N
  Longitude: 94° 29.9’ W

  Brine Pool_650 m
  Distance: 3
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 27° 43.4’ N
  Longitude: 91° 16.5’ W

  GC234_540 m
  Distance: 115
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 27° 44.7’ N
  Longitude: 91° 13.3’ W

  MC853_1075 m
  Distance: 165
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 28° 7.6’ N
  Longitude: 89° 8.5’ W

Funding Agency: NSF #1031050

- added NSF #1031050 on Jan 3, 2014 3:32 PM by
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R/V Atlantis

Shipboard Equipment

Bathymetry System 12 kHz
Deionized Water System
Science Underway Seawater System
Multibeam
Fume Hood
Navigation - Position

Shipboard Communication

Basic Internet access via HiSeasNet

CTD/Water Sampling

Mocness
911+ Rosette 24-position, 10-liter bottle Rosette with dual T/C sensors

Critical CTD Sensors:  CTD TEAM: PLEASE BE SURE THE INSTRUMENTS YOU NEED ARE IDENTIFIED

Sample Storage

Climate Controlled Walk-in
Freezer -70°C 25 cu. ft.
Freezer -70°C 3.2 cu. ft. ea.
Refrigerator 8.6 cu. ft.
Scientific Walk-in Freezer


Storage Notes: NB: We would like two walk-in spaces temperature controlled, one set a the ambient temperaure at 450 m, the other set at near-freezing. I.e., both at refrigerator T (7C, 3-4C). I checked the 'walk-in freezer' as the place holder for these two walk-in needs.  We will supply temperatures.

Navigation

Will you be using Long Base Line (LBL) navigation? no

Will you be using Ultra-short baseline (USBL) navigation for other than Alvin operations? no

Navigation

GPS
USBL

Navigation Notes: For navigation and maps, we defer a final decision until consultation with the Alvin and Sentry operators.  There is a lot of high resolution mapping already completed for the GoM; we need to discover how to find the right type of files and would value advice.


Winch Notes: We will recover moorings; MOORING TEAM, please complete this section.

Wire use and application

CTD Winch with .322" Electro-mechanical wire


Wire Notes:

Slip ring required? no	Number of conductors:
Non-standard wire required? no	Type:
Traction winch required? no	Describe:

Other Science Vans:

Specialized Deck Equipment

Mooring Deployment/Recovery Equipment Required: no	Type:
Cruise Specific Science Winch Required: no	Type:
Nets Required: no	Type:

Over the Side Equipment

Will you be bringing any equipment (winches, blocks, etc.) that lowers instruments over the side? yes

Details: MOORING TEAM: Please request the BIG POWER acoustic release command box!

Special Requirements

Elecrical Power: no	Identify:
Equipment Handling: no	Identify:
Inter/intraship Communications: no	Identify:
Science Stowage: no	Identify:
Water: no	Identify:

Additional Cruise Items/Activities

Explosive Devices: no Portable Air Compressors: no Flammable Gases: no

Small Boat Operations: no SCUBA Diving Operations: no

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? yes

Describe deployment method and quantity:
We will use small volumes of formalin and alcohol to preserve specimens.

CRAIG YOUNG: Add your larval trap chemicals

Radioactive Material

Radioiosotopes: no

Additional Information

Is night time work anticipated on this cruise? yes

Specialized tech support (Seabeam, coring, other):  MOCNESS, SENTRY

Other required equipment and special needs: 

AUV Sentry

Site Survey

Will you provide detailed charts of the work area(s)?  no
Current Chart(s):


If no, will you need Sentry to generate maps of the work area(s)?  yes

Will you need post-dive maps of the work area generated?  yes

Navigation

Will you be using Long Base Line (LBL) navigation? no

Will you be using Ultra-short baseline (USBL) navigation? yes

Will you be using Doppler/GPS navigation? yes

What type of samples do you expect to collect?
plankton samples, imagery, bathymetry science-supplied hydrophone; self-logging; RT data? orientation? no power requirement; Dave Eggleston will follow-up with Eric Benway

Science Supplied Equipment

Are you supplying equipment to be used with AUV Sentry?  no

Has this equipment been used on Sentry before?  no

Please give a brief description of the equipment, its intended purpose, the cruise # it was last used on if any and its deployment method.

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  no

Has the pressure case been tested to the anticipated depth of deployment?  no

Air weight(s) of this equipment?

Water weight(s) of this equipment?

Does the equipment require data or a power interface from the vehicle?
  no

Does the equipment meet the electrical requirements of the Sentry User Manual?  no

Additional Information

Brief operations description or comments: priority:

1) plankton sampling; close to bottom, below permanent thermocline 3.5 to 100 mab with bottom lock; hi freq dvl for 1 m to 0.5 m to 180m; >180 m, no external reference; needs ship overhead; nb, MOCNESS every other night

2) FE wall

low priority: std hi-res mapping tasks

SENTRY SPACE: hydrolab or aft section of lab; two vans

Data: new camera - 10X resolution
supply 1 copy of data; need right kind of hard drive; 2-8 terabytes of data; pro-rate boxes
data formatting; ntsf preferred, mac and pc 

Night ops: handy for launch and recovery; must be covered by workmen's comp.

HOV Alvin

Site Survey

Will you provide detailed charts of the work area(s)?  yes
Current Chart(s):


If no, willl you need R/V Atlantis to generate maps of the work area(s)?  no

Will you need post-dive maps of the work area generated?  no

Navigation

Will you be using Long Base Line (LBL) navigation? no

Will you be using Ultra-short baseline (USBL) navigation for other than Alvin operations? yes

Vehicle Equipment

Bio collection boxes: 12 x 12 x 12
Bio collection boxes: 12 x 12 x 24
CTD
Large capacity slurp samplers: multi-chamber
Scoop nets
Push corers (12-pack rack)
Small capacity slurp samplers


What type of samples do you expect to collect?
invertebrates - the usual: mussels, clams, tube worms, shrimp, snails, etc

Elevators

Will you be using elevators to transport samples to the surface?  no
If yes, how many would you anticipate? 

Science Supplied Equipment

Are you supplying equipment to be used on HOV Alvin?  yes

Has this equipment been used on Alvin before?  no

Please give a brief description of the equipment, its intended purpose, the cruise # it was last used on if any and its deployment method.
hydrophone: D Eggleston is PI and will provide info; Sentry notes.

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  yes

Has the pressure housing been tested per Alvin Pressure Test requirements?  no

Air weight of this equipment?

Water weight(s) of this equipment?

Does the equipment require a power interface from Alvin?  no

Voltage required

Power required

Data Interface

Does the equipment meet the electrical requirements of the Alvin User Manual?  no

Please provide power and comms specifics, wiring diagram, pinout, and wiring harness in advance of the cruise.

Does this equipment require hydraulic inputs from Alvin?  no
Hydraulic schematic of the equipment requirements.

Does this equipment require manipulation?  no

If yes, please describe how the equipment is to be manipulated: 

Will this equipment be deployed off the vehicle?  no

If yes, please describe how the equipment is intended for deployment: 

If yes, will the equipment be disconnected from the vehicle and left in situ?  no

How long will the deployment be? 

Will the equipment be recovered by the same vehicle?  no

Do you intend to recover any other previously deployed equipment?  no

If yes, please describe this equipment: 

Does this equipment use any glass spheres, ceramic housings or similar (non-metallic materials) for either buoyancy or as pressure housings?  no

Do you require any electronic equipment in the personal sphere? no

Has the computer or control panel been gas tested for use in the personnel sphere?  no

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? no

Additional Information

Brief operations description or comments:
We are very interested in conducting two dives per day at the shallow sites (Brine Pool and GC234).

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DAYS ON STATION ARE NOT FINALIZED
Date Submitted: Feb 25, 2014 10:48 AM