Gallery – GEOTRACES GP15

Images from Leg 2- Hilo, HI to Papeete, Tahiti – Part 2

All the scientists sampling gases from the seawater collected by the non-trace metal CTD rosette on leg two of GP15.

The team from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Oceanographic Data Facility for leg two.

The Roger Revelle took a sun scorched pass by the island of Bora Bora in its final days at sea.

The trace metal CTD rosette lurks beneath the surface while the retrieval team stands at the ready with tag lines.

The trace metal clean CTD rosette emerges from a calm sea, with one tag line attached and the other reaching out for its loop of rope.

Even the tropical Pacific can have brooding moments. Here, the trace metal CTD rosette hangs just below the hydraulic “A-frame” as it is hauled in.

Once the trace metal CTD rosette is back on board the team quickly covers the bottle openings with plastic shower caps to minimize contamination.

Members of the pump team Steven Pike (foreground) of WHOI and Yang Xiang of UCSC prepare to grab the winch cable to retrieve their equipment.

The final instrument to come out of the water during pump casts is the CTD, which records an array of data that forms a crucial background for interpreting the particles collected by the pumps’ filters.

Around 4 a.m. on November 24, members of the GP15 team await the return of the final return of the CTD rosette at the end of the expedition’s scientific sampling.

Scripps Research Technician Drew Cole prepares to fix a tag line to the CTD rosette to guide its final arrival on deck.

The final cast of GP15 hovers above the deck of the Roger Revelle as Columbia University’s Martin Fleisher retrieves a device called the “mono-core” that hangs below the CTD rosette and is used to collect sediment cores.

Virginie Sanial of the University of Southern Mississippi looks out to sea while waiting to collect her final samples of GP15.

A dramatic sunrise served as the backdrop as GEOTRACES researchers collected the final samples of GP15.

Virginie Sanial of the University of Southern Mississippi captures the morning’s celebratory mood.

The scientists taking samples from this instrument wrap up their routines for the last time as the horizon lights up.

Everyone turns up on the back deck for the last sunset of the expedition.

The final sunset of GP15 did not disappoint.

Janelle Stephen of Texas A&M University looking out to sea on GP15’s last night before reaching Tahiti, perhaps recalling a time when the journey seemed endless.

Jingxuan Li of WHOI in a contemplative moment during the final sunset of GP15.

Vinicius Amaral of UCSC finds some levity amid the fading light.

The sunset takes a bow before the final curtain call.

On the morning of November 25, the R/V Roger Revelle reached its final destination of Papeete, Tahiti. Here, the neighboring island of Moorea juts from a calm sea during the final approach to Tahiti.

After thousands of miles traveled, thousands of liters of seawater sampled and countless hours of sleep deferred, GP15 arrives in Tahiti.

Tahiti, as seen from the Roger Revelle on the morning of November 25, just before the harbor pilot sped out to bring us into port.

GP15 blog posts written by Alex Fox unless otherwise stated.

Follow GEOTRACES GP15 on WordPress.com

GEOTRACES GP15 is supported by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Images from Leg 2 – Hilo, HI to Papeete, Tahiti – Part 1

During GP15’s stop in Hilo, HI, students from the University of Hawaii toured the R/V Roger Revelle.

GP15’s Joseph Gum of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Oceanographic Data Facility (Scripps ODF), explains the CTD Rosette to students from the University of Hawaii.

Martin Fleisher of Columbia University shows a sediment core collected during leg one of GP15 to students from the University of Hawaii.

Yang Xiang of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) carving his jack-o-lantern for Halloween.

Co-chief Scientists Karen Casciotti (left) of Stanford University and Phoebe Lam (right) of UCSC hard at work on their jack-o-lantern just before Halloween.

Leave it to the Co-chief Scientists to create a GEOTRACES GP15 themed jack-o-lantern.

Co-chief Scientist Phoebe Lam of UCSC puts the finishing touches on her collaboration with Co-chief Scientist Karen Casciotti of Stanford University. The R/V Roger Revelle can be seen deploying all of GP15’s sampling systems in the detailed pumpkin carving.

David Murline, Captain of the Roger Revelle during GP15, poses with his jack-o-lantern in costume on Halloween.

Co-chief Scientists Phoebe Lam (left) of UCSC and Karen Casciotti (right) of Stanford University working together in costume on Halloween.

Virginie Sanial (left) of the University of Southern Mississippi and Susan Becker (right) of the Scripps ODF team sampling in costume on Halloween. Image: Karen Casciotti

Zoe Sandwith (hot dog) of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Virginie Sanial (taco) of the University of Southern Mississippi retrieve samples on Halloween. Image: Karen Casciotti

Chief Scientist Greg Cutter (center) of Old Dominion University pokes fun at his many hours on deck driving the winch in his “winch monkey” costume on Halloween.

A calm day in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Trace metal CTD rosette technician Kyle McQuiggan prepares for the next cast.

Clouds floating above the sea.

Research Technician Drew Cole of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography awaits the return of the CTD rosette.

The winch arm of the Roger Revelle hauls in the CTD rosette.

A sunset at sea, as seen from the bow of the R/V Roger Revelle.

Trace metal CTD rosette technician Kyle McQuiggan gets winch driving instructions from Chief Scientist Greg Cutter of Old Dominion University. This was the only time on GP15 that Cutter did not personally control the trace metal CTD rosette’s trip to and from the deep.

The GP15 team celebrates crossing the equator with music and dancing on the bow of the Roger Revelle.

Trace metal CTD rosette technician Kyle McQuiggan on deck at sunrise.

Colette Kelly of Stanford University stores seawater samples on deck in the twilight.

Scripps ODF Chemistry Technician Erin Hunt tends to her chemistry in the one of the labs aboard the Roger Revelle.

Tubes awaiting samples in the hydro-lab of the Roger Revelle. Scripps ODF Chemistry Technician Erin hunt monitors her samples in the background.

Co-chief Scientist Phoebe Lam of UCSC takes in a sunset at sea.

Co-chief Scientist Phoebe Lam (center) of UCSC and her two graduate students Yang Xiang (left) and Vinicius Amaral (right).

Vinicius Amaral of UCSC works with a smile in the sampling hangar.

Zoe Sandwith of the WHOI sampling helium in the Roger Revelle’s hangar. After filling a copper pipe with seawater she crimps it into individual sections that will be frozen for storage and transport.

The GP15 team gathers on the back deck of the Roger Revelle to catch the sunset.

Left to right: Sveinn Einarsson of Old Dominion University, Brent Summers of the University of South Florida and Laramie Jensen of Texas A&M University take a moment to appreciate the setting sun.

Captain David Murline (left) and Colette Kelly (right) of Stanford University making music in the fading light.

Colette Kelly and her PhD advisor, Co-chief Scientist Karen Casciotti of Stanford University relax at the end of the day.

GP15 passed by Flint Island, an uninhabited coral island approximately 2.5 miles long and 0.5 miles wide. At its highest point it is just 25 feet above sea level.

The surface of the ocean takes on an array of textures and colors depending on the conditions.

Jennifer Kenyon of the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) and WHOI joint program in applied oceanography and engineering prepares samples for analysis.

Jennifer Kenyon of the MIT and WHOI joint program in applied oceanography and engineering prepares filters used to collect particles from seawater for analysis.

A seabird passes overhead near Flint Island.

An oceanic white-tip shark soars through the water on its broad pectoral fins after the Revelle has been sitting in place for more than 24-hours. As the ship’s shadow collects smaller fish seeking shelter, sharks and other predators come in to investigate. Sadly, the experienced oceanographers on board confirmed that shark sightings are much rarer now than they used to be.

The crystal clear waters of the South Pacific offer a virtually unobstructed view of this oceanic white-tip shark.

GP15 blog posts written by Alex Fox unless otherwise stated.

Follow GEOTRACES GP15 on WordPress.com

Images from Leg 1 – Seattle, WA to Hilo, HI – Part 3

The following galleries depict the scientists of GP15 collecting and analyzing samples from the Pacific Ocean. Please refer to the GEOTRACES Glossary for definitions and explanations of the sampling systems and spaces on board the R/V Roger Revelle. Photography by Alex Fox.

The GEOTRACES trace metal clean CTD Rosette.