Join A team of scientists and technicians both at-sea and on shore will they conduct exploratory investigations on the diversity and distribution of deep-sea habitats and marine life in the vicinity of the Galapagos Islands. The 50-day expedition will be divided into two ‘legs’ and includes work in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and international waters. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/welcome.html http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/include/images/ocean_explorer_podcast_100.jpg http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/welcome.html Results of the GALREX 2011 cruise indicate abundant and recent hydrothermal and volcanic activity on two adjacent tectonic ridge segments, spanning more than 200 km of spreading axis. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/summary/summary.html July 24 Log. Typical when exploring unknown areas of the deep-ocean, feelings of great anticipation that we would discover something that could fundamentally change the way we think about deep-ocean geology and biology flooded our thoughts. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july24/july24.html This expedition’s inaugural dive was on the Paramount Seamounts, an underwater mountain with a summit less than 300m below the sea surface. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july14/july14.html July 22 Log After spending barely a week reading textbooks and articles about plate tectonics, navigation systems, black smokers, white smokers, and the biological Indicators that tip a researcher off that we are getting close to active hydrothermal venting, the dives started. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july22/july22.html Click here to see a live stream of the video feed from the Okeanos Explorer. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html Read short daily summaries of the ship's activities, written by the Galapagos Rift 2011 Expedition Coordinator. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/dailyupdates/dailyupdates.html July 18 Log We know there are frequent eruptions along the Mid-Ocean Ridge but we can only put a time and date on the few that we’ve serendipitously come across in isolated areas of study. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july18/july18.html July 19 Log The data the Multibeam EM302 system on board the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer collects consists of bathymetry and backscatter; both are valuable in understanding the seafloor structure. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july19/july19.html July 20 Log As we approached the a strong signal in Seirios’ sonar in near darkness, the form of a towering hydrothermal sulfide spire appeared. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july20/july20.html July 17 Log After the expedition’s inaugural dive on the Paramount Seamounts, the science team decided to head southeast to explore a number of sites identified on the CTD/mapping leg as having the anomalous temperature and light readings characteristic of active hydrothermal vents. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july17/july17.html The Conductivity Temperature and Depth sensor package (CTD) is one tool of exploration used by the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (EX). The first time I used a CTD was aboard the Schooner Westward (Sea Education Association) when I was enrolled in a summer programthat taught marine science along with seamanship and sailing. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july16/july16.html July 11 Log As the ship got closer and closer to a go/no-go departure decision. Technicians work stretched well into the early morning hours as they tried to repair the satellite antenna in the VSAT dome. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july11/july11.html July 8 Log If you had asked anyone in the office last year where the Okeanos Explorer would be this year, the immediate response would have likely been 'Indonesia'. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/july8/july8.html Chief Scientist Ed Baker and Leg 1 Expedition Coordinator Meme Lobecker reflects on the initial findings of the Galapagos Rift 2011 expedition. The tow-yos conducted by the Okeanos Explorer during Leg 1 were some of the longest continuous tows ever conducted for hydrothermal vent detection. With this new data and known vent area bathymetry scientist have high hopes for Leg 2 discoveries. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/logs/leg1/leg1.html Ocean Explorer Expedition Education Modules (EEM) are designed to reach out in new ways to teachers, students, and the general public, and share the excitement of daily at-sea discoveries and the science behind NOAA’s major ocean exploration initiatives with the people around the world. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/background/edu/edu.html The Galápagos region is a classic site for combined geological and biological investigations going back to the time of Darwin. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/background/geology/geology.html We have embarked on an expedition to return to the Garden of Eden and to explore other nearby communities of exotic deep-sea life. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/background/history/history.html Understanding the biology and microbiology of the Galapagos Rift has important implications for expanding our knowledge of the evolution, ecology, and biogeochemical impact of life at hydrothermal vents. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/background/biology/biology.html The Galapagos Rift Expedition 2011 marks the debut of a new camera and lighting platform named 'Seirios'. We expect that the new and improved lighting system will markedly enhance our exploration capability. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/background/seirios/seirios.html (July) This unique expedition, to one of the most fascinating areas of the world’s ocean, will explore the water column and unexplored benthic environments in the Galapagos region. http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1103/background/plan/plan.html