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Universitetet i Bergen
Senter for geobiologi

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Part 1 Exploration

Hovedinnhold

Building on the results of previous cruises, researchers hope to localise Norway’s most northerly hydrothermal vents. They will test new equipment and localising methodologies. In addition they will take a number of short sediment cores to learn more about the unique sedimentation history of this area. Other highlights include seamount exploration and dredging.

Foto/ill.:
CGB

DAY ONE All Aboard!

29.30.2008 Tromsø is beautiful: blue sky, sun, snow-covered mountains. The G.O Sars is docked and loading up for a three week exploration 30 hours north of Tromsø into the Atlantic. Scientists on the cruise come from Denmark, Norway, Portugal, France, Switzerland, and the United States. They are...

DAY TWO: ON THE WAY TO THE SITE.

30.06.2008 - Late last night, after gassing up the ship with just over a hundred thousand gallons of gas (and you think you have a gas bill!) we took off at 2 AM for our site.

DAY THREE: AT THE FIRST SITE!

01.07.2008 - The G.O. Sars actually began its experiments in full last night.

DAY 4: DOWN TO 24OO METERS!

02.07.2008 The highlight of today was the first test of the ROV. It was sent down to 2400 meters (about a mile and a half). Attached is a long suction tube, which, along with a scoop on the front of the drawer placed at the bottom of the ROV and robotic arms for picking up larger samples, allow...

DAY 5: TWO SUCCESSFUL DROPS OF THE SLED

03.07.2008 At 1 AM this morning the G.O. Sars dropped its sled for the first time on this trip. The light on deck was if anything brighter, with more cloud-free sunshine, than it had been during the “day.”

DAY 6: HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT PRESSURE CAN DO!

04.07.2008 This is a picture of two Styrofoam coffee cups. One came out of the G.O. Sars galley. The other was attached to the ROV when it went down 2500 meters (about 8200 feet).

DAY 7: SHUFFLEBOARD!!!!

05.07.2008 As you have read in earlier entries in this diary, there are both “hurry up” and “wait” periods on a science research cruise.

DAY 8: TEAM WORK ON THE SHIP!

06.07.2008 Scientific exploration is not a solo activity. However, given the attention paid in the press to a scientist making a particular discovery, or winning a special prize, or perhaps even to a high school student winning a science fair award, the general public may assume that this is the...

DAY NINE: COLLECTING SAMPLES AT 3 AM...and some MICROBIOLOGY

07.07.2008 At 3 AM this morning the macro biologists began collecting the first of four samples from the ocean floor. I got up to see the first collection. This particular collection of samples included, among other things, a small fish!

DAY 10: ENCOURAGING CTD RESULTS! TWO GOOD SEDIMENT SAMPLES!!

08.07.2008 The spirits of those on board were particularly encouraged by the positive results from the large (24 cylinder) CTD results. The use of this larger machine with the current meter has allowed us to take more samples on a drop, and to get a better sense of which direction we should be...

DAY 11: LET THEM EAT CAKE!

09.07.2008 Today is about midway through our three-week cruise. Hopes for successful discoveries go up and down with each piece of information we unlock from the deep. There is one thing we can count on every day however. Every afternoon at about 2:30 most of the population of the ship (always...

DAY 12: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE SEAMOUNT

10.07.2008 One of the activities on the ship has been the mapping of the sea floor. Tor Eric Svendsen has been turning his day into night and doing this job. The purpose of the mapping is both to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of the topography, and to assist the Norwegian government in...

DAY 13: SCIENCE IS HARD WORK!

11.07.2008 Tired faces watch the screens in the control room after a long night, hoping for good signals.

DAY 14: MAN’S IMPRINT ON THE SEA

12.07.2008 Even in the North Atlantic, litter can be a problem. We have been in the middle of the ocean, miles from land, and have seen no other signs of humanity other than one ship at the far edge of the horizon since we left Tromsø, Norway two weeks ago. And yet, yesterday while looking...

DAY 15: SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION IN THE 21st CENTURY!

13.07.2008 Jules Verne published TWENTY-THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA in 1870. The Nautilus was full of mysterious dials; I remember it vividly pictured in my child’s copy of the book. The operations center for our trip beneath the sea is not so colorful as Verne’s imagination, but I think even...

DAY 16: THE DEEP BIOSPHERE

14.07.2008 As we continued our explorations under the sea, the teachers had a wonderful interview with Ingunn Thorseth, one of the research theme leaders at the Centre for Geobiology.

DAY 17: AND THEN THERE WERE VENTS!

15.07.2008 The G.O.Sars is now heading back to Tromsø; its mission completed. On July 12, at about 8 PM, the expedition discovered the most northerly hydrothermal vent field in the Atlantic Ocean!

DAY 18: GOING HOME

16.07.2008 As the G.O. Stars heads for port, we teachers want to thank Elinor Bartle, Public Outreach Specialist and head of Teachers-At-Sea, for giving us this opportunity to look through a porthole into the world of science research.

06.01.2010