How have you used Jason on other expeditions?
My first expedition in 2011 was WHOI Mediterranean Deep Brines with Jason. I was involved because I was local PhD student from Crete. We were investigating the deep, hypersaline, anoxic basins—underwater “lakes” of extremely salty water with no oxygen. They have so much salt that they won’t take any more, and they are so dense that they cannot mix with the seawater above. Jason was coring the seafloor, and taking samples where you transition from normal salinity into moderate and hypersalinity.
Have you had any memorable experiences watching dives in the Jason control van?
Last year I was in the control van when they were taking a person from total newbie to making them part of the team, and it was really fascinating the care that goes into training. I was like, “Can I be a half-time scientist and half-time Jason Team? Can you train me to be one of you?” It’s pretty cool to see the Jason Team work together. They are on top of things. As a team, they are isolated from the rest of the world for weeks, so they have to do all the troubleshooting on their own. Of course, they have the scientists and the ship’s crew, but it’s a self-sustaining ecosystem. I have been impressed with the care and interest they show with the scientific instruments. I would think a vehicle group would just take care of their own instruments. But they care about the science, as well, and they understand the success of their entire team is associated with the success of the science. They provide amazing support.
How does access to a vehicle like Jason impact your scientific work?
It’s so important to everyone who does work in the deep ocean. Jason can operate almost 24/7, its pilots are safe and well rested, and incredibly skilled with driving and setting up experiments. A vehicle like Jason can map things, find new features we’re interested in sampling, and make discoveries. It is our eyes and hands on the seafloor.