VISIONS’21 Live Video

Sept 4, 2021 1100 local (Pacific):
Demobilization of all RCA gear was completed at 1100 local and the shipboard party shortly there after began their return to Seattle, ending TN393 for this season.

Sept 3, 2021 1201 local (Pacific):
First lines have been thrown to the NOAA dock and the Thompson has officially arrived in Newport to complete Leg 4! This marks the successful end of an extended OOI Regional Cabled Array 2021 field season. Demobilization will commence shortly.

Sept 3, 2021 0831 local (Pacific):
The Thompson has arrived at the sea buoy off the coast of Newport, OR, and is awaiting favorable tides to head for the NOAA dock and start demobilization from Leg 4.

Sept 2, 2021 1302 local (Pacific): 
The E/V Nautilus has now recovered both vehicles (ROVs Hercules and Argus), and is heading back to port. The Thompson is also steaming back to Newport following a marathon 26-hour rescue dive and the successful completion of all OOI work for the 2021 field season (thanks to the incredibly hard work of the Thompson crew, Jason team, UW scientists and VISIONS students, and UW-APL engineers)!

Sept 2, 2021 0946 local (Pacific): 
We are now at the Endeavour vent field, assisting with ROV rescue operations with the Ocean Exploration Trust. The Thompson and Jason are conducting critical work to aid the recovery of the Hercules and Argus vehicles from the seafloor. Learn more here: https://nautiluslive.org/blog/2021/08/27/rovs-hercules-argus-recovery-updates

August 31, 2021 2256 local (Pacific): 
The Thompson is currently at Axial Base, where we are conducting a verification CTD cast to near-bottom depth (2600 meters) to compare to the data from the deep profiler mooring.

August 31, 2021 1615 local (Pacific): 
Jason is on the way down to the seafloor at ASHES in the caldera of Axial Volcano. This is our last dive of the cruise and your last chance to watch live video of the hydrothermal systems on the seafloor.

August 31, 2021 1331 local (Pacific): 
Jason is on the way back to the surface following dive J2-1384. We will offload the water and rock samples and take them into the Thompson analytical lab, and then launch dive J2-1385, which will be primarily a water sampling at ASHES.

August 31, 2021 0950 local (Pacific): 
Dive J2-1384 is currently conducting water and mineral sampling for the BOEM group, as well as some microbial trap deployments.

August 30, 2021 2327 local (Pacific): 
Dive J2-1383 has just completed. Jason is now ascending after replacing some temperature probes and taking biological samples for the Cabled Observatory Vent Imaging Sonar System (COVIS) project. This external NSF-funded project examines changes in the distribution and flow of heat out of hydrothermal vents at this site. Following this dive will be another sampling and survey dive (J2-1384) for the BOEM-funded project.

August 30, 2021 1636 local (Pacific): The ROV is currently on descent back to the ASHES vent field on dive J2-1383, where we will swap out a CTD (conductivity, temperature, and pressure-recording instrument) and an osmosampler (OSMOI) that uses an osmotic pump to slowly collect hydrothermal fluid over the 1-year deployment.

August 30, 2021 0726 local (Pacific): Jason dive J2-1382 is currently conducting a survey of the active underwater hot springs in the ASHES hydrothermal field as part of a BOEM-funded project.

August 29, 2021 2104 local (Pacific): We are currently conducting our final dive at International District (J2-1381) which will replace the digital still camera. The camera will be plugged in and powered, and then aimed at the RAS-PPS (fluid and DNA sampler) vent cap. The temperature and resistivity instrument (TRHPH) will also be powered up and the sampling probe will be placed in the orifice of a hydrothermal vent, while temperatures are monitored in real-time from shore.

August 29, 2021 1044 local (Pacific): Overnight we recovered and redeployed the MJ03C junction box, and then picked up the 2020 RAS-PPS instrument (which takes samples of hydrothermal vent fluids that can be filtered to preserve and analyze microbial DNA). Jason is currently on the way back down to International District (dive J2-1380) with a new RAS-PPS. Once the instrument is plugged in, a fluid intake cap will be placed on top of a nearby vent to allow sampling. Then we will recover two other fluid chemistry instruments (the TRHPH and THSPH).

August 28, 2021 2224 local (Pacific): The HD camera was deployed successfully, powered on, and tested, and we have now moved to a new vent field known as "International District." Jason has just reached the seafloor on dive J2-1378, which will deploy a vent fluid chemistry sensor known as TRHPH. This temperature and resistivity instrument (resistivity being an analogue for chlorinity, measuring the “saltiness” of the vent fluids) has a probe that will be placed inside the mouth of an active vent on a later dive. We will then unplug and recover medium-power junction box MJ03C.

August 28, 2021 1221 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1377 has just begun! Jason is descending ~1500 meters to the ASHES vent field with a new HD video camera. The camera will be swapped with the old one and positioned in front of the active ‘Mushroom’ hydrothermal vent, which is covered in bacteria, chemosynthetic tube worms, and other vent fauna.

August 28, 2021 0915 local (Pacific): We are currently ascending after a successful turn of a J-Box (MJ03F) and a CTD in Central Caldera. Next up is a short transit to the ASHES site where we will turn the HD video camera (CAMHD).

August 28, 2021 08:08 local (Pacific): We are currently diving in the Central Caldera of Axial Volcano. We have just finished moving the cable connections from the old to the new J-Box and are in the process of deploying the new CTD here.

August 27, 2021 23:01 local (Pacific): The Thompson is currently transiting to Central Caldera, where the first dive (J2-1375) will be the SCTA recovery, and the second dive (J2-1376) will be the swap of node MJ03F. Each dive should be about 6-8 hours long.

August 27, 2021 15:48 local (Pacific): Jason is back on deck and being prepped for the next dive which will recover the undervator and CTD before we move to Central Caldera. At that site we will recover the Self-Calibrating Tilt Accelerometer (SCTA, developed by W. Wilcock at UW) and perform a swap of node MJ03F.

August 27, 2021 13:42 local (Pacific): Jason (J2-1373) is now working at the Eastern Caldera site to turn the CTD.

August 27, 2021 08:59 local (Pacific): Following a successful profiler swap at Axial Base, we moved to the top of Axial Seamount and are about to begin dive J2-1373 at Eastern Caldera to swap out a seafloor CTD using the undervator.

August 26, 2021 22:03 local (Pacific): The Thompson has arrived at Axial Base, and dive J2-1372 has just begun. Jason will descend along the mooring line with a cleaning brush, and then swap out the old profiler with one that has a new set of instruments. The dive will take about 9 hours.

August 26, 2021 04:46 local (Pacific): We are on our way to Axial Seamount. Our first stop after the ~18 hour transit will be to swap another Deep Profiler vehicle.

August 25, 2021 23:54 local (Pacific): We left the dock in Newport, OR at 1512 local today and we are currently at the Endurance Oregon Offshore site completing the dive to swap out the wire crawler of the Deep Profiler. We will then conduct a data verification CTD and begin a ~18 hour transit to Axial Base where we will resume operations.

August 25, 2021 14:49 local (Pacific): The R/V Thompson will depart shortly to begin Leg 4. The ship will transit to the Oregon Offshore site to install a Deep Profiler vehicle.

August 23, 2021 21:54 local (Pacific): 
We are currently docked at the NOAA  Marine Operations Center-Pacific in Newport, OR. Starting at 0800 tomorrow, we will offload our Leg 3 equipment and supplies and load all of the items needed for the next leg of our maintenance cruise. We will depart for Leg 4 on Wednesday at ~1500 local.

August 23, 2021 12:30 local (Pacific): 
We have just arrived at the Yaquina Bay Approach Lighted Whistle Buoy Y outside of Newport. At ~1300 hours, we will head in past the jetty and dock at the NOAA facility at ~1400 hours local.

August 23, 2021 09:52 local (Pacific): 
Following a brief, but interesting science dive (J2-1370) at the Pythias Oasis seep site (where we investigated methane bubbles, explored more of the northern edge of the site, and took some water samples), the Thompson is now heading back towards Newport to demobilize from Leg 3 and prepare for Leg 4. All OOI mooring work on this leg was accomplished despite some heavy weather, and we look forward to fairer seas for the upcoming work at Axial Volcano!

August 22, 2021 22:05 local (Pacific): 
The Slope Base deep profiler mooring has been successfully redeployed at 2900 meters off the coast of Oregon, thanks to a long day of work by the UW-APL team on the Thompson. The Jason ROV is now ascending following a dive (J2-1369) to the base of that mooring to plug the profiler dock into the cable (which will provide power and data transfer capabilities).

August 22, 2021 12:45 local (Pacific): 
The team has been back to work for a while, and two grips have already been attached to the mooring line. That line has been spooled off of the MLW drum and now comes the slow process of load transfer of the remaining line using the grips.

August 22, 2021 11:20 local (Pacific): 
It has started to rain and, conveniently, it is time for lunch. We are taking a break from mooring deployment for a bit, but will be back to work very soon.

August 22, 2021 1030 local (Pacific): 
This morning we woke up to overcast skies and an air temperature of 17°C (63°F) and seemingly warmer 15 kt winds. The seas remain relatively calm compared to the previous days, but a large swell wave passes through every so often. Deep Profiler mooring deployment began after breakfast and will continue through most of the afternoon. After that we will dive to reconnect the cable to the docking station at ~2890 m below the surface.

August 21, 2021 1345 local (Pacific): 
As of ~ 15 mins ago, all load transfers via yale grips were completed, and we are now spooling the mooring line directly onto the medium-lift winch (MLW). Operations are progressing nicely, and we are on schedule.

August 21, 2021 1015 local (Pacific): 
Wind picked  up early this morning, and the team waited until full daybreak to dive so as to allow better visibility for timing of the swell waves for the ROV entering the water. At 0658 Jason entered the water and attached the recovery line to the DP mooring top float. After the line was brought on deck, the intricate process of load transfers began as the DP mooring recovery progressed. We expect the recovery operation to take 6-8 hours.

August 20, 2021 1654  local (Pacific): 
Due to the weather conditions, the dive to attach a recovery line to the Deep Profiler mooring top float and the deck operations to recover the mooring have been postponed to early tomorrow morning. We plan to conduct the dive at 0500 local and continue with deck operations afterwards.

August 20, 2021 1450  local (Pacific): 
After our weather check at 1200 hrs local, we decided that the combination of winds and swell was such that we should extend the delay of operations until 1600 local at which time we will reevaluate the conditions.

August 20, 2021 0841  local (Pacific): 
We are now on weather hold for the Deep Profiler mooring recovery. As the winds are predicted to decrease over the day, we hope to be able to decide to move forward with operations shortly after our next weather check at 1200 local time.

August 20, 2021 0810  local (Pacific): 
The dive to disconnect the Deep Profiler took much longer than anticipated due to difficulties locating the top float under the current conditions and positioning the transponder beacon in it. Nevertheless, the dive ended with the task completed. We are now monitoring the weather and will soon decide on whether to move forward with the second dive before mooring recovery.

August 19, 2021 2230  local (Pacific): 
The sea state continued to improve and conditions were favorable enough that Dive J2-1367 commenced shortly after 2200 hrs. This dive will unplug the cable from the Deep Profiler Mooring allowing it to be recovered the next day.

August 19, 2021 20:40  local (Pacific): 
We currently remain on weather hold as the winds continue to confuse the sea state and make timing the ROV entry into the water amongst the swell waves difficult. We will do another weather check at 2200 local.

August 19, 2021 16:30 local (Pacific): 
We have arrived at the Slope Base site after an ~5 hour transit. We are currently experiencing heavy seas with 12′ peak wave heights and winds averaging 16-18 kts with gusts over 20 kts. We are currently on weather hold for diving with the ROV and will be reevaluating conditions every 4 hours.

August 19, 08:26 2021  local (Pacific): 
Yesterday, the RCA Team spent the day preparing for the deck operations that will allow the Deep Profiler Mooring Recovery tomorrow. After a safety meeting for the new science team members onboard, there will be a fire drill. We will leave the NOAA dock today at 1115 local and begin the ~5-6 hour transit to the Slope Base site. Weather permitting, the ROV Jason will dive to disconnect the mooring from the cabled network. Weather forecast for the site is 6-8′ swells and combined seas of 8-11′, which could significantly impact our ability to complete our operations.

August 18, 09:35 2021  local (Pacific): 
All the equipment we need to turn the Deep Profiler mooring at Slope Base was loaded onto the ship yesterday. The RCA Team members will soon begin to prepare the winch and block in the A-frame for the deployment operations. We are still scheduled to depart tomorrow. We are also keeping a wary eye on the weather forecast as the predicted 10-11′ combined seas could impact operations.

August 17, 09:50 2021  local (Pacific): 
We tied up at the NOAA Dock in Newport, OR yesterday at 0832 (local time). We are currently loading the ship with the shore crane in preparation for Leg 3. At the current time, Leg 3 is still scheduled to begin on August 19th, with the primary mission of turning the Deep Profiler Mooring at Slope Base.

August 15, 2021 20:19 local (Pacific): 
Unfortunately, due to some technical issues that require shore repair, we are heading into Newport a day early, cutting Leg 2 a little bit short. Plans for Leg 3 remain in effect.

August 15, 2021 02:09 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1365: Jason is on the way to the seafloor at Southern Hydrate Ridge (775 meters) with an undervator (a basket held below the vehicle) full of uncabled instruments. These devices measure fluid flow at the sediment-water interface, which is important in understanding the biogeochemistry of seep sites like this one. Once the instruments are in place, we will do a final photo and video survey of the site before heading back to the surface.

August 14, 2021 10:56 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1364: We are now towards the end of our second dive at Southern Hydrate Ridge to deploy a 4K camera and CTD tripod for a PI at MARUM in Germany. The camera was placed in front of an active methane bubble seep, and the CTD (conductivity, temperature and pressure sensor) will be plugged into the junction box to provide data on local seawater conditions. The next dive will deploy three uncabled instruments that measure the flow of seawater into and out of the sediment.

August 14, 2021 08:56 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1363: Jason is now diving at Southern Hydrate Ridge to swap out the digital still camera. Our long-term study site – Einstein’s Grotto has collapsed and there’s nothing much there now, so we are searching for another site with active methane venting.

August 14, 2021 02:42 local (Pacific): 
All of our operations at Oregon Shelf are complete, and were 100% successful! We got extremely lucky with the weather and visibility (at 80 meters there are often a lot of waves and stirred up sediment), and replaced the node, the camera, the BEP, and the bioacoustic sonar (used to look at fish and zooplankton in the water column). We are now on our way back to Southern Hydrate Ridge for the next set of deployments. ETA: 05:30 local (Pacific).

August 13, 2021 18:48 local (Pacific): 
The prodigal sheep has returned! Secondary Node MJ01C, which has been on the seafloor at 80 meters since 2014 and was heavily biofouled with white plumose anemones (thus "the sheep"), was just brought onboard. It is now being cleaned by VISIONS students and we’re preparing for dive J2-1361 to swap out the digital still camera.

August 13, 2021 11:12 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1360: The Thompson is now at the Oregon Shelf site and Jason is diving to swap out the junction  box we fondly call "the sheep" as it is completely encased in plumose anemones. During the prior couple dives, the Shelf BEP was installed and the digital still camera at Oregon Offshore was swapped out.

August 12, 2021 23:10 local (Pacific):
Dive J2-1358: We successfully deployed the Oregon Offshore BEP during dive J2-1357, and Jason is currently in the water recovering and replacing the digital still camera. Once this operation is complete, we will head to Oregon Shelf for a set of four dives, if the weather cooperates.

August 12, 2021 18:37 local (Pacific):
We have arrived at the Oregon Offshore (600 meter) site, and the weather (although foggy) is looking good for a BEP deployment. The Jason crew are prepping the ROV for a dive and we should be in the water in about 30 minutes! 

August 12, 2021 17:05 local (Pacific):
The Thompson is now headed for the Oregon Offshore site to do a weather check and ideally complete the last two dives at that site: a BEP deployment and a camera swap. We should arrive at ~1800.

August 12, 2021 13:41 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1356 Jason is now diving at Southern Hydrate Ridge (SHR) with the a ~ 10 ft tall multibeam sonar latched to its underbelly. The sonar, when installed, will image all the methane bubble plumes issuing from the summit of SHR. This work is funded by MARUM Germany. When we return, Jason will conduct an annual survey of the summit to document how this dynamic environment has changed during this past year.

August 12, 2021 03:31 local (Pacific): 
Unfortunately, the swell continues to roll through the area, and we can’t launch the ROV when the wind, current, and waves are moving in three different directions. We will conduct another weather check at first light, and continue running EM302 multibeam surveys across the ridge until then.

August 11, 2021 22:40 local (Pacific): We are about to recover Jason following dive J2-1355. The LV01A swap was successful, but an unexpectedly large swell made the recovery of the old node impossible, so we had to leave it on the seafloor. We’ll come back for it soon, but in the meantime we will continue operations with a multibeam survey to look for methane bubble plumes at Southern Hydrate Ridge.

August 11, 2021 15:00 local (Pacific): Jason just launched on dive J2-1355 at the Slope Base site to swap out the low voltage junction box LV01A. It will take approximately 2 hours to descend to the seafloor at 2900 meters.

August 11, 2021 13:48 local (Pacific): Jason came aboard and the R/V Thompson is now steaming to the Slope Base site to swap out the low voltage junction box LV01A. Perhaps the weird fish will visit us again.

August 11, 2021 12:09 local (Pacific): Following a very long night of operations, the Primary Node is now ready for recovery. Jason should be lifting off shortly from dive J2-1354.

August 10, 2021 21:50 local (Pacific): 
We have arrived at the PN1B site and are coordinating with the IT International Telecom Inc. cable ship Integrity. The two ships will conduct a delicate operation that involves lowering a heavy line to the seafloor and then Jason hooking it to the Primary Node recovery bridle (which was attached during Leg 1 dive J2-1343). They are scheduled to launch momentarily.

August 10, 2021 12:25 local (Pacific): 
The Thompson is now fully mobilized and ready for Leg 2! The VISIONS students are getting oriented, and we are preparing to sail out of Newport today to head back to Primary Node PN1B to continue recovery and repair operations.

August 9, 2021 10:25 local (Pacific): 
Today we are offloading gear from Leg 1 and mobilizing another full deck of equipment to be installed on Leg 2, which departs tomorrow. Another group of VISIONS’21 students will join the ship today.

August 8, 2021 13:09 local (Pacific): 
We have now completed all Leg 1 cruise activities! We also were able to recover both of the benthic experiment packages (BEPs) on our way in, saving us some time and deck space on later legs. Next stop: Newport, for demobilization of Leg 1 and mobilization for Leg 2!

August 8, 2021 08:34 local (Pacific): At the Oregon Shelf site – sun peeking through and calm seas. Hoping to recover the BEP, but at this site it is difficult to know what is going on at 80 m regarding visibility.

August 8, 2021 05:15 local (Pacific): We have started our ~3 hour transit from Oregon Offshore to the Endurance Shelf site.  Once on station we will evaluate the weather and sea state, and if conditions are favorable we’ll dive to recover the shelf Benthic Experiment Package (BEP) from 80 meters.

August 8, 2021 02:20 local (Pacific): We are currently on station at the Oregon Offshore site, and have successfully completed 3 dives to swap out the platform and science package on the Shallow Profiler. Our next task is to recover the Benthic Experiment Package (BEP) from the seafloor, to be replaced with a new package on Leg 2 of this cruise.

August 7, 2021 20:48 local (Pacific):
Jason dive J2-1351 is almost complete, and we will bring aboard the assembly that used to contain the profiler pod (it was removed and recovered last year, following the Southern Cable power failure). The last profiler dive will be to deploy the new profiler assembly, and then we will recover the Benthic Experiment Package (BEP) which is on the seafloor at 600 meters.

August 7, 2021 12:43 local (Pacific):
We just completed a multibeam sonar survey (to look for naturally venting methane bubble plumes) between the Slope Base and Oregon Offshore sites. Jason is now about to launch on the first Shallow Profiler turn at this 600 meter (~1900 feet) site.

August 7, 2021 01:08 local (Pacific):
Jason just launched for the last dive at Slope Base during this part of the cruise. They will be locating an instrument called HPIES (which we just released over the side to free-fall to 2900 meters), using an acoustic beacon. Then they will carry it over to the deployment site and plug it into a nearby junction box. Once they return to the ship, we’ll be on our way to the Oregon Offshore site (600 meters deep).

August 6, 2021 20:16 local (Pacific): Jason is currently plugging in all of the instrument and power cables to the new medium-power junction box MJ01A that replaces the one installed at Slope Base in 2016. We also saw a (potentially) resident snailfish, the bizarre Genioliparis ferox!

August 6, 2021 14:54 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1348 – Jason is soon to go into the water to turn the medium power junction box MJ01A that was installed in 2016. The dive will be deep at 2900 m (during the dive, D on the upper part of the screen is depth, H is the vehicle heading)

August 6, 2021 08:05 local (Pacific): We have just reached the bottom in our first of 3 deep dives to install instruments on the seafloor at Slope Base. This first dive will focus on work to swap out the CTD-DO-OPTAA tripod, as well as taking some verification water samples with the Niskins onboard Jason.  During the next two dives we’ll swap out the medium-power junction box and the Horizontal Electrometer Pressure-Inverted Echosounders (HPIES) instrument.

August 6, 2021 00:15 local (Pacific):
We are now about halfway through the turn of the Slope Base Shallow Profiler mooring. Jason dive J2-1345 involves installing a new Platform Interface Assembly (PIA) in the 200 m platform, and then recovering the science pod. There is one more profiler dive, and then we’ll start installing instruments on the seafloor, 2900 meters below.

August 5, 2021 16:22 local (Pacific): The R/V Thompson is now working at Slope Base. They will conduct a shallow CTD cast to 200 m, followed by a Jason dive to recover the Platform Interface Assembly from the Shallow Profiler Mooring.

August 5, 2021 10:55 local (Pacific): Dive J2-1343 – Jason is now working at Primary Node PN1B to attach the recovery frame onto the node.

August 5, 2021 06:10 local (Pacific): We’re partway through the first of two dives to prepare the Primary Node PN1B for recovery. Once the second dive is complete we’ll move to the Slope Base Shallow Profiler site to conduct two CTD casts for data verification, and then start a series of dives to swap out the instrumentation on the Shallow Profiler.

August 4, 2021 15:46 local (Pacific) The R/V Thompson is expected to arrive at the Primary Node PN1B site at ~ 2330-2400 tonight. Once on site, Jason will dive to prepare the node for recovery later in the cruise.

August 4, 2021 10:50 local (Pacific) The R/V Thompson is transiting to the Cascadia Margin ~ 18 hr transit, to begin work at Primary Node PN1B.

August 4, 2021 02:40 local (Pacific) – Dive J2-1341: Jason is on its way back to the surface, carrying a low-voltage node that we just replaced (it had been continuously deployed since 2014) underneath the vehicle, and a CTD tripod held in the manipulators. After this dive we will do a CTD cast for data verification, and then start an 18-hour transit to primary node PN1B for maintenance operations.

August 3, 2021 22:27 local (Pacific) – Dive J2-1341: Jason is continuing seafloor operations at Axial Base (2600 m), swapping out instrumentation and reconnecting the electro-optical cables that provide power and return data to shore.

August 3, 2021 15:17 local (Pacific) – Dive J2-1341: Jason is latched into LV03A to turn the low voltage junction box installed in 2014. Jason should reach the seafloor (2600 m) in about 80 minutes.

August 3, 2021 13:01 local (Pacific) – Dive J2-1340: The ROV Jason just came aboard after completing turning of the instrumented platform interface assembly and winched science pod at Axial Base.

Dive J2-1341: Jason will soon dive at the two junction boxes MJ03A and LJ03A (~2600 m), to deploy a pressure sensor and CTD-O2 instrument, respectively.

August 3, 2021 09:47 local (Pacific): We’re starting the last of 3 dives to swap out instruments and infrastructure at the Axial Base Shallow Profiler.  After these dives we’ll deploy a pressure sensor for a year-long equilibration on the seafloor and a CTD/DO/OPTAA tripod.

August 2, 2021 19:14 local (Pacific): We arrived at the Axial Base Shallow Profiler site, and have begun operations! We put a CTD rosette into the water to collect water samples for verification of instrument data, and the first Jason dive will begin in the next few minutes.

August 2, 2021 09:54 local (Pacific): The R/V Thompson is steaming towards Axial Seamount with an expected arrival of ~ 1800. Once onsite, the team will conduct a CTD cast, followed by the first Jason dive on the Axial Base Shallow Profiler mooring.

August 1, 2021 11:15 local (Pacific): The R/V Thompson left the fuel dock and is heading out of the sound, on our way to the open ocean. Next stop: the Axial Base shallow profiler mooring (in about 40 hours).

July 31, 2021 20:39 local (Pacific): The R/V Thompson left the UW dock and has passed through the Ballard Locks on the way to the fuel dock. We’ll take on all the fuel needed for the expedition, and soon we’ll head out to sea, on our way to Axial Seamount!

July 22, 2021 15:18 local (Pacific): The RCA team is busy finishing up final testing, inventories and packing in preparation to begin our mobilization on July 30 onboard the R/V Thompson.