Scientists and crew on starboard side of R/V Roger Revelle standing by to recover the buoy and mooring to which the hydrophone and other instrumentation is attached near W. Mata.

Scientists and crew on starboard side of R/V Roger Revelle standing by to recover the buoy and mooring to which the hydrophone and other instrumentation is attached near W. Mata. Image courtesy of Submarine Ring of Fire 2012 Expedition, NOAA Vents Program. Download larger version (jpg, 6.3 KB).

Buoy Recovery
September 17, 2012

Weather again precluded a dive for the ROV Quest 4000. To maximize the use of limited time at sea, the decision was made to recover a “hydrophone” or underwater microphone and other instruments on a vertical mooring deployed near W. Mata almost two years ago. Hydrophones are designed to listen for the range of sounds typically given off by underwater volcanoes. Scientists are especially excited about the data collected by the hydrophone recovered today because they know that the volcano underwent a major event sometime in 2011 and are hopeful that it contains critical new information about the nearby submarine volcano, West Mata. Analyses of the hydrophone recordings at the lab will hopefully reveal the critical information the scientists are looking for. CTD and multibeam mapping continued to further refine what we know about the ocean floor in this most intriguing area of volcanism in the NE Lau Basin.