Teacher Logbook - NOAA Ship Ron Brown

T&S Spires at CASM vent field looms 3 meters high, in 1580 meters of water. The sulfide structure is covered with vent fauna including: palm worms, tubeworms, limpets and filamentous microbial mats.

Jeff Goodrich's Sealog:
Axial Volcano- North end of caldera at CASM vent field
July 24, 2001

Susan Merle, navigator and research assistant for Bob Embley, has been giddy lately. No, it's not because she's been at sea since June 26th. It's because she finally has acoustic navigation for ROPOS. Our latest dive at the CASM vent field was the first time during this cruise when we've had navigation. It makes getting around on the bottom much easier and puts everyone, especially Susan, in a jolly mood. Good thing we had navigation and found the vents at CASM because they were fantastic. One such vent, named T&S, was named after ROPOS member Keith Shepherd's kids, Trevor and Sarah. This multiple chimney sulfide structure was literally white, teaming with vent fauna. Tube worms, palm worms, sulfide worms, limpets, and a filamentous microbial mat covered every square cm of it.

Diving to such areas requires much coordination between the scientists, the ROPOS team, and the ship's crew. To organize each dive chief scientist Bob Embley holds a daily science meeting at 3:00. Fifteen or so scientists sit around the conference table in the "library" and discuss moorings, dive sequences, new findings, feedback and samples needed from each of the vent sites. Bob is skillful at coordinating the logistics of each dive and keeps everyone's priorities in mind. He must also consider possible weather and equipment problems. The casual but serious mood at the meeting is periodically broken with a humorous comment. In the end, the formulated plan is flexible. The posting of the "Plan of the Day" always has an elastic clause at the bottom that reads. "All times are approximate. Schedule guaranteed to change."