The Next 'Dorado Outcrop and CR CORKs'

Ship

R/V Atlantis

Vehicles

HOV Alvin

Cruise Party

Andrew Fisher: Principal Investigator, Principal Investigator, Principal Investigator, Principal Investigator
UCSC 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, CA USA 95064
+1 831 459 5598


Samuel Hulme: Principal Investigator
Moss Landing Marine Laboratory USA
+1 831 359 1907
samiam0101@gmail.com

Geoffrey Wheat: Principal Investigator, Chief Scientist
University of Alaska Fairbanks P.O. BOX 757200 Fairbanks, AK USA 99775
+1 831 633 7033
wheat@mbari.org

Departure: Costa rica on Nov 30, 2014

Arrival: Costa Rica on Dec 12, 2014

Mobilization Date: Nov 28, 2014

Demobilization Date: Dec 13, 2014

Supporting documentation:

Operations Area: 86 to 88 degrees west 8 to 10 degrees north (TicoFlux site) and CR CORKs

Lat/Lon: 9° 0.0′ N / 87° 0.0′ W

Depth Range: 3000 / 3300

Will the vessel be operating within 200 NM of a foreign country? Costa Rica
Are visas or special travel documents required? no

Science objectives

Intellectual Merit: Scientific Motivation and Proposed Program

            Most of the advective heat loss from the oceanic lithosphere occurs on "ridge flanks”, areas far from the magmatic influence of seafloor spreading. Global hydrothermal fluid flows to and from the seafloor on ridge flanks, driven by lithospheric cooling and influenced by basement relief and variations in sediment thickness, are of the same magnitude as the flows from all of Earth's rivers and streams to the oceans. Yet, pristine fluids from a typical ridge-flank hydrothermal system have never been sampled, mainly because it has not been possible to locate a site of focused discharge where representative samples could be collected. We have located a small basement feature, Dorado outcrop, on 23 m.y.-old seafloor on the eastern flank of the East Pacific Rise, that is hypothesized to discharge 10³–10⁴ L/s of cool (10–20°C) hydrothermal fluid that carries 200-350 MW of lithospheric heat, equivalent to the heat output of a black-smoker vent field.

            We propose to sample this fluid to determine its composition, and to assess the rate of discharge from Dorado outcrop, so that we can quantify the chemical impact of this hydrothermal system. The physical and chemical state of this fluid is typical of fluids that extract heat from the crust and exchange solutes with the overlying ocean across much of the seafloor. Collection of uncontaminated samples from this feature will provide the most accurate estimates of the global impact of ridge-flank hydrothermal circulation. We anticipate that this fluid will be modestly different in composition from bottom seawater, which is why collection of pristine samples is so important, because of the relatively low temperatures of reaction and short residence time of the fluid within basaltic basement. Despite being slightly altered, fluid of this kind can have a large influence on the geochemical budgets of important solutes in the ocean because the flows are so large (from both Dorado outcrop and on a global basis).

            We will conduct an eleven dive operation with the submersible Alvin to collect fluids, rocks and sediment, retrieve experiments deployed in 2013, and measure temperature in the venting fluids and in the sediment. These data and samples will be combined to generate the first well-constrained estimates of hydrothermal flows from Dorado outcrop

 

Broader Impacts

            Undergraduate and graduate students and a junior faculty member (Hulme) will gain experience by participating in this program and through the development of ROV manipulated samplers and sensors. Results of this work will be broadcast in publications, theses, presentations (to scientific and lay audiences), and in K-16 curriculum development. The P.I.s have strong histories of involvement in educational and outreach programs at multiple levels. Wheat and Hulme are developing hands-on science-technology packages to engage K-8 students during week-long learning opportunities that include three technology-based activities per grade level and meet national science, mathematics, and language arts standards. Fisher will involve university students through USCS’s Institute for Scientist and Engineering Educators and Cal Teach programs. Wheat and Fisher are involved in the NSF-funded Science Technology Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI). Materials from this expedition will be incorporated in C-DEBI education and outreach activities, reaching a diverse audience that includes K-8 students in the Los Angeles area.

Science Activities

We will use the submersible Alvin to collect fluids, sediment, rocks, and make measurements of heat flow and temperature.
We also will collect water using the CTD
We will use the multi-beam system on the Atlantis to map areas that were missed in 2013.
We will conduct a gravity coring operaiton at night.

Pre-cruise planning meeting: Teleconference

Stations:

  Dorado Outcrop
  Distance: 100
  Days: 10
  Latitude: 87° 7.0’ N
  Longitude: 9° 5.0’ W

  Tico Flux Outcrops and Seamounts
  Distance: 20
  Days: 3
  Latitude: 9° N
  Longitude: 87° W

  Tengosed Outcrop
  Distance: 10
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 9° 10.0’ N
  Longitude: 87° 0.0’ W

  TicoFlux Outcrop area 8-10 N and 86 to 88 W
  Distance: null
  Days: null
  Latitude:
  Longitude:

Funding Agency: NSF #1130146

- added NSF #1130146 on May 3, 2014 12:00 AM by Geoffrey Wheat

R/V Atlantis

Shipboard Equipment

12 kHz Pinger for Wire Use
Bathymetry System 12 kHz
Deionized Water System
Fume Hood
Multibeam
Navigation - Heading
Navigation - Position
Relay Transponder for Wire Use
Sippican XBT System (Mark 21)
Transponder Navigation - Sonardyne USBL
Bathymetry System 3.5 kHz

Shipboard Communication

Basic Internet access via HiSeasNet

CTD/Water Sampling

911+ Rosette 24-position, 10-liter bottle Rosette with dual T/C sensors
SBE43 oxygen sensor
Wet Labs C*Star transmissometer (660nm wavelength)

Critical CTD Sensors:  we will bring a gravit coring system

Sediment Sampling

Gravity corers

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.


Storage Notes: We will probably want both walk in refrigeration units  at 4degrees C.  Often one is at 4C and the other at -20C.  We will probably want both set to 4C

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
LBL

Navigation Notes: We need navigation for Alvin, the gravity cores, and possible elevators.

Winches

CTD Winch with .322" Electro-mechanical wire
Trawl Winch with .681 fiber optic

Winch Notes: We will conduct a few CTDs and need a wire for gravity coring

Wire use and application

CTD Winch with .322" Electro-mechanical wire
Trawl Winch with .681 fiber optic
Hydro Winch with .25" hydro wire


Wire Notes: We will conduct a few CTDs and need the fiber wire for Jason II

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

Portable Vans

Chemical Storage Van

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: we will bring a gravity corer

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

Radioactive Material

Radioiosotopes: no

Additional Information

Is night time work anticipated on this cruise? yes

Specialized tech support (Seabeam, coring, other):  we will conduct the gravity coring and we will need help setting up the CTD

Other required equipment and special needs: 

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? no

Vehicle Equipment

Push corers (12-pack rack)
Search sonar
Low temperature probe
Scoop nets
CTD
Bio collection boxes: 12 x 12 x 12
Bio collection boxes: 12 x 12 x 24
Major (dual) pair water sampler(s) with ICL temperature probles


What type of samples do you expect to collect?
push cores, fluids, rocks, and temperature Also we will bring a heat flow probe as back up to the alvin heat flow probe

Elevators

Will you be using elevators to transport samples to the surface?  yes
If yes, how many would you anticipate?  1 maybe

Science Supplied Equipment

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

Has this equipment been used on Alvin before?  yes

Please give a brief description of the equipment, its intended purpose, the cruise # it was last used on if any and its deployment method.
heat flow probe
Come to think of it we wnat to add an oxygen sensor that we will bring

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  yes

Has the pressure housing been tested per Alvin Pressure Test requirements?  yes

Air weight of this equipment? null

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?  yes

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?  yes

If yes, please describe how the equipment is to be manipulated:  use the manipulator to move the heat flow probe into the sediment or the oxygen sensor into fluid flow

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?  yes

If yes, please describe this equipment:  osmosamplers, miniture temperature recorders and rock slides

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? yes

Has the computer or control panel been gas tested for use in the personnel sphere?  yes

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? no

Additional Information

Brief operations description or comments:

Date Submitted: May 3, 2014 12:29 AM by Geoffrey Wheat