Andy Billings (Woods Hole) makes final checks on the ABE autonomous vehicle leading up to its first dive at Brothers this evening. Click image for larger view and image credit.
Departing Auckland, New Zealand
July 30, 2007
Bob Embley
Chief Scientist
New Zealand American Submarine Ring of Fire 2007 Expedition
Geophysicist
NOAA Vents Program, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory – Newport, Oregon
We steamed out of Auckland, New Zealand at a few minutes before midnight on July 28th into the teeth of a gale. It was slow going at first but the seas moderated during the last few hours of our transit, before arriving at Brothers volcano this morning. Marginal weather conditions pose several difficulties to oceanographic expeditions. First, it tends to slow the vessel down. Second, the vigorous motion of the vessel make it more difficult to launch and recover instrumentation thereby increasing the risk of damaging the scientific instruments. In any case, our primary science packages are ready and waiting on deck (photos) for their first descents into the abyss. After deploying and surveying in the underwater acoustic beacons, ABE will make its first dive into the caldera of Brothers volcano this evening. We’re really looking forward to seeing the first high-resolution map of Brothers caldera!
Engineers attending to the Kiel 6000-meter remotely operated vehicle under the massive A-frame on the stern of the R/V SONNE.Click image for larger view
Conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) package. The large white cylinders on the frame are used to collect water samples over geothermal systems. Click image for larger view
