Photos for Media Use

High-resolution photos available for download:

black_smoker_hires.jpg
2.4 MB
Still image of the first black smoker vents discovered on the Galapagos Spreading Center along with many other warm springs.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

vent_organisms_hires.jpg
2.1 MB
Still image taken by the Medea camera sled showing vent organisms on the seafloor. The images taken by the still camera on the photo sled are much higher resolution than the video feed, enabling scientists on board to see smaller features in greater detail, such as the galatheid crab (also called "squat lobster") and mussel shells thought to be seen in this image.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

galapagos_xmas_hires.jpg
1.8 MB
Co-Principal Investigator Edward Baker poses in front the ship’s fireplace and Christmas tree for an image to send home to the family for the holiday.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

xmas_cookies_hires.jpg
532 KB
Acoustic technicians, Jamie Smith and Jennie Morgan, bake sugar and gingerbread cookies for the holidays using Jamie’s mother’s homemade recipe. With no cookie cutters on board, the shapes are cut by hand.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

xmas_stockings_hires.jpg
3 MB
Students Sarah White and Justine Kimball turn regular old socks into Christmas stockings using paint, glitter and glue.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

ctd_hires.jpg
3.5 MB
The CTD/Niskin rosette cast arrives back on deck full of water samples. Each Niskin bottle on the rosette is remotely triggered to collect water samples at various depths. Water collected from a hydrothermal vent plume are sampled back on board to determine the type of hydrothermal vent the plume came from.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

geoff_lebon_hires.jpg
4.1 MB
Still image of Geoff Lebon, GalAPAGoS 2005 expedition scientist.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

medea_hires.jpg
4.5 MB
After an initial deployment to the seafloor, the Medea is brought back on deck to replace a malfunctioning altimeter. Without knowing the Medea's altitude, flying her is dangerous, as pilots risk running into elevated seafloor features and damaging the camera sled. The DSL team conducted the replacement quickly and efficiently, putting the Medea back in the water a mere 23 minutes after she is brought on deck for repairs.
Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

Video for Media Use

View a video of the first black smoker ever to be found on the Galapagos Spreading Center, "Plumeria" (named after the tropical flower by that name)! Scientists also came upon a cluster of at least six 12-14 meter high chimneys pouring out massive quantities of black smoke, which they named the "Iguanas" vents, after the famous marine iguanas of the Galapagos Islands. (Quicktime, 716 Kb.)

For More Information:

Fred Gorell (for media/outreach questions)
NOAA, Office of Ocean Exploration
Silver Spring, MD
Phone: (301) 713-9444 x181
email: Fred.Gorell@noaa.gov

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