Biofilms4Larvae

Ship

R/V Atlantis

Vehicles

HOV Alvin

Cruise Party

Shawn Arellano: Chief Scientist, Principal Investigator
Western Washington University 516 High Street Bellingham, WA United States 98225
+1 360 650 3634
arellas@wwu.edu

Lauren Mullineaux: Principal Investigator
USA
+1 508 289 2898
lmullineaux@whoi.edu

Costantino Vetriani: Principal Investigator
Rutgers University 71 Dudley Rd New Brunswick, NJ USA 08901
+1 848 932 3379
vetriani@marine.rutgers.edu

Departure: Puntarenas, CR on Feb 18, 2022

Arrival: Puntarenas, CR on Mar 18, 2022

Mobilization Date: Feb 16, 2022

Demobilization Date: Mar 21, 2022

Supporting documentation:

Operations Area: East Pacific Rise

Lat/Lon: 9° 50.0′ N / 104° 17.0′ W

Depth Range: 2000 / 2600

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

Science objectives

This cruise consists primarily of one research team investigating the role of biofilms in structuring larval settlment at hydrothermal vents. Decades of research at hydrothermal vents have shown that larvae of endemic vent animals disperse effectively between vents, yet we don't know how they complete the journey by locating and settling in suitable habitat. This question remains one of the key unresolved puzzles in the ecology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents. We suggest that microbial biofilms are a good signpost for larval settlement at vents because they integrate temporal variability in abiotic and biotic features of vent habitats.

We will visit at least two deep-sea vent sites located on the EPR at 9°N. All activities will take place within three distinct biogenic habitat types: Alvinella-dominated, Riftia-dominated, and mussel-dominated habitats. Some sites will also include suspension zone. This project include 3 cruises. One was complete in Winter 2021 during which preliminary experiments were recovered and new epxeriments were deployed. Our main objectives on this cruise are to 1) complete and recover one set of field experiments previously deployed in Winter 2021, 2) deploy a set of experiments to be recovered in FAll 2022, 3) collect natural biofilms, and 4) complete shipboard larval behavior experiments. 

Science Activities

Field Activities (18 science days): 

1) Deploy, recover, and re-deploy larval settlement experiments. These are Mullineaux-type "sandwiches" that have been covered in nitex mesh "purses." Recovery of some will be in an RNA-later sampler.
2) Deploy, recover, and re-deploy larval tube traps. 
3) Collect in situ measurements of sulfide (total and free sulfide), oxygen, and pH at each sampling site using cyclic voltammetry with Au/Hg microelectrodes and potentiometric miniaturized glass electrodes with collaborator Nadine LeBris. 
4) Deploy larval McLane pumps
5) Collect natural biofilms. 

Lab Activities: 
1) Process and sort all sandwich samples from recovered field experiments. 
2) Collect live larvae from McLane pumps. 
2) Conduct shipboard larval behavior experiments with a high pressure vessel system.

Pre-cruise planning meeting: Teleconference

Media personnel on board: Video
Science-in-Action Documentary Film. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that narrative storytelling can transcend the barriers of scientific discourse and act as an effective tool for communicating scientific understanding, particularly when compared to more expository approaches (Laursen and Brickley 2011; Negrete 2003). Stories “can make it possible for learners to see a place for themselves in science—as active participants, not passive spectators” (Gilbert et al. 2005). This project engages film students in scientific inquiry through co-authorship of a science documentary that conveys science and real scientists to the public. The Documentary Film Lab at Rutgers (DFL) in collaboration with the PIs will create a science-in-action documentary film intended for national distribution via streaming or broadcast as well as film festivals and museum screenings and will maintain a record of numbers of viewers reached. The DFL and marine scientists have produced multiple award-winning films together, including Atlantic Crossing and Antarctic Edge: 70˚ South. Rutgers’ film department (including the DFL) has established a premier undergraduate film program with a specialization in science filmmaking. One staff member and one student will film onboard the R/V Atlantis, capturing ~150 hours of footage. We will create a documentary that highlights some of the thrills and rigors of scientific research and methods, and their real-world application on the ocean floor. The footage will reveal scientists as people to improve self-identity in STEM. Throughout the next year, DFL staff and undergraduate film students will shape the footage into a dynamic science narrative documentary and a two-minute film trailer. During that year, PI Vetriani will visit the RFL to provide film students with lectures in ocean science; PIs Arellano and Mullineaux will participate virtually. The final documentary will be submitted to local PBS affiliates for distribution in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Washington and to Liberty Science Center and New England Aquarium to consider for screenings, exhibit use, and their museum education curriculum. The documentary will also be screened at Rutgers, WHOI, and WWU and their surrounding communities, and be available for NSF’s and NOAA’s educational networks.

Stations:

  Station 1
  Distance: null
  Days: 18
  Latitude: 9° 50.0’ N
  Longitude: 104° 17.0’ E

  Station 2
  Distance: null
  Days: 18
  Latitude: 9° 50.0’ N
  Longitude: 104° 17.0’ W

Funding Agency: NSF #1948580

- added NSF #1948580 on Oct 24, 2021 7:45 PM by
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R/V Atlantis

Shipboard Equipment

Bathymetry System 12 kHz
ADCP 75 kHz
A-Frame
Deionized Water System
Science Underway Seawater System
12 kHz Pinger for Wire Use
Navigation - Heading
Multibeam
Fume Hood
Navigation - Position
Crane

Shipboard Communication

Basic Internet access via HiSeasNet

Critical CTD Sensors: 

MET Sensors

Barometric Pressure
Air temperature
Relative Humidity
Wind speed and direction
Short Wave Solar Radiation

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
Scientific Walk-in Refrigerator


Storage Notes: we will need refrigerated walk-in, -70C freezer, -20C freezer, and a standing refrigerator in the main lab. We will want the two walk-ins set to seafloor temperature (~2C) for shipboard experiments. 

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
ITAR

Navigation Notes:


Winch Notes:

We will likely need a winch for deploying the elevator and/or the pumps.  But I'm not sure which one to use;  we need Alvin group to weigh in.

Wire Notes: For wire use, we'll also need Alvin group to weigh in.

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: yes	Type: L. Mullineaux's larval pump
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? no

Special Requirements

Elecrical Power: yes	Identify: clean electrical power
Equipment Handling: no	Identify:
Inter/intraship Communications: yes	Identify: intranet
Science Stowage: yes	Identify: expanded science stowage
Water: yes	Identify: uncontaminated seawater

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 are still gathering this, but it will likely be just ethanol and potentially formaldehyde.

Radioactive Material

Radioiosotopes: no

Additional Information

Is night time work anticipated on this cruise? no

Specialized tech support (Seabeam, coring, other): 

Other required equipment and special needs: 

HOV Alvin

Site Survey

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

What type of samples do you expect to collect?

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?  no

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.

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  no

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:

Date Submitted: Nov 1, 2021 8:06 PM