25th of August, 2024:
This morning, I had the chance to sleep in a bit since there were no Jason deployments scheduled after the last one, which took place at midnight. I will miss the Jason van and the charming atmosphere that each dive brought. As we transited back to Newport to dock at the NOAA Marine Operations Center – Pacific, watching the R/V Atlantis approach the dock while the mountainous horizon framed the beautiful day was one of the most wonderful moments of the day.
Roy An and I have decided to collaborate on a physical oceanography project. We brainstormed several ideas and created slides to present during our weekly science meeting. Our first idea was to examine fluid oscillations throughout different periods at Axial Seamount. The second idea involved measuring various fluxes near the seamount and hydrothermal vents. Lastly, we considered studying the effects of Axial Seamount on passing eddies. We received valuable feedback from the group and plan to apply it to finalize our project once we have the necessary data.
After the meeting, we had the afternoon free. I spent some time working on blog posts before we decided to venture out of NOAA and cross the bridge into Newport for dinner. We enjoyed a delicious sushi meal, and afterward, we strolled around the town for a bit. We ended the outing with a visit to the beach, where the sunset was spectacular. I hadn’t seen a sandy beach in quite a while, and it was refreshing to listen to the waves while watching the sun set below the horizon.
Upon returning, we ended off the day with a Mamma Mia movie night. ABBA’s music has been an earworm throughout this trip, so watching the film while enjoying ice cream felt like the perfect way to end the night.
This VISIONS cruise has been a pivotal experience for me, both personally and academically. I’ve gotten to know new people and deepened connections with those I already knew. I’ve witnessed different aspects of oceanography and science working in unison. This experience has given me invaluable sea time, which I will cherish for the rest of my life and I hope I get more opportunities like this. Farewell VISIONS’24!
24th of August, 2024:
Started my morning Jason shift with the dive objective being to survey a location.
After this, we took a tour of the bridge, which was a really awesome area of the boat. Upon entering the bridge, we noticed the red lights, which are crucial for maintaining the crew’s night vision when coming out of the bridge at night. The bridge had a fantastic view, surrounded by many windows, and it showcased a lot of impressive technology used on the R/V Atlantis.
Later, I practiced more knots, including the monkey’s fist knot. Although my attempt was not uniform, I realized I need more practice. I plan on carrying a rope with me everywhere to continue learning and perfecting different knots.
In the wet lab, I assisted with packing up and worked on some water samples. In one procedure, we added a weak acid to the water sample to convert sulfide into gas. By shaking the vial and releasing the gas, the sulfide smell was supposed to be removed from the water. Some samples, however, contained a lot of sulfide and took more than 40 minutes to process.
To take a break, we watched the sunset, which was a great experience. I will miss the Pacific sunsets and the bright moonlight. Afterward, I did some additional lab work and then shifted focus to preparing for a project idea presentation with my project partner, Roy An. We also helped Alex Rose in the biology lab by labeling hundreds of sample vials, which was made enjoyable with ABBA playing in the background.
Finally, we took a moment to stargaze under the clear sky. It was a lovely view and a peaceful way to end the day.
23rd of August, 2024:
During my morning shift, the agenda for the dive was to go down to the seabed and conduct a survey dive. The goal was to capture pictures every four seconds to create a mosaic that Mitch Elend would later compile into an OOI book. We encountered some issues with the vidgrabber software not adjusting to the timer, but thankfully, the Jason crew was able to assist us.
After the dive, I was informed that there might be a CTD deployment in the morning. I was quite excited because the CTD rosette included 24 Niskin bottles. Unfortunately, I missed the deployment, which was quite disappointing.
At one point, a land bird unexpectedly landed on the deck while we were far from shore. We captured the bird and provided it with shelter and food until we returned to Newport. This type of occurrence apparently happens fairly often.
In the Wet Lab, I assisted Dr. Laura Lapham and Anna Hildebrand with distributing their push core samples into various containers for processing. We sectioned the core tubes into 3 cm intervals and collected samples for methane, porosity, microbiology, hydrogen, and centrifuge tube analysis. Although the sulfide smell varied from core to core, the process was enjoyable due to the lab’s organization and meticulous labeling.
For my night shift, the dive continued the same survey work from the morning, focusing on completing the mosaic. The lengthy process was surprising, but the results were impressive. Afterwards, I helped Julie Nelson with oxygen titrations from the CTD water samples which was fun.
22nd of August, 2024:
The morning shift of my Jason watch involved working on the PIA and SPA units on the main float. We had attempted this task during a previous dive, but strong currents had thwarted our efforts. Thankfully, this morning, the Jason team successfully completed the task both efficiently and effectively.
After finishing my morning shift, I assisted Dr. Laura Lapham and Anna Hildebrand with their wet lab work from the previous night’s sample collection. We stored the sediment in the walk-in refrigerator, cleaned out the old core tubes, and prepared them for the next dive. The lab had a strong sulfide smell, which was expected due to the sediment samples. It was fascinating to see that some of the samples still had visible methane bubbles.
During my leisure time, I practiced tying knots and learned a new one called the Alpine Butterfly Loop. We also had an engine room tour in the afternoon, which was awesome.
The night shift involved the deepest dive we’ve attempted so far. Jason descended for two hours to reach a depth of 2900 meters. The goal was to reach the Deep Profiler Dock to test the DP Cable, but unfortunately, this effort did not achieve the desired results.
21st of August, 2024:
My morning shift began with the Mosquito deployment, which I was thrilled to see. It was fascinating to watch the bungee working and the needles rapidly penetrating the seabed. We deployed three non-cabled instruments: the Mosquito, the Osmo, and the Cat. We put out the new ones and recovered the old ones.
After the recovery, Roy An and I started cleaning out the tool basket used for the instruments. We removed fastening belts, zip-ties, strings, and other items to prepare it for the next Jason dive.
In the biology lab, we worked on last year’s recovered instruments. We assisted Alex Rose and Andrew Paley in disassembling the instruments, collecting samples, storing various items, cleaning reusable parts, and documenting our work. It was a great but messy experience. I enjoy hands-on work and find it rewarding to contribute when I’m not on shift. Working with the team is always a pleasure, and I learn something new each time.
During my night shift, the objective was to collect sediment push cores for Dr. Laura Lapham and Anna Hildebrand’s project. They retrieved two baskets of sediment, totaling around 18 tubes, and collected rock and live clam samples. As Jason was recovering, the sediment tubes were releasing methane gas in the form of bubbles. Although it was fun to observe, it meant that the methane levels in the research samples might differ from the actual samples. Dr. Lapham informed me that they take account for this discrepancy in their calculations.
20th of August, 2024:
The morning shift consisted of the R/V Atlantis en route relocating to another location. This process occupied the entire length of my shift, and as a result, we didn’t engage in any activities or Jason dives during the morning hours. To pass the time, I kept myself occupied by offering help to others and taking film pictures with my camera. I particularly enjoy capturing oceanic fieldwork as it is a infrequent occurrence to capture.
During the day, I had the opportunity to learn about and observe the deployment of an Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT), an old-school probe used to measure temperature throughout the water column, the copper wires attached to it transmit the temperature data back to the ship where it is recorded for further analysis. To me, older instruments often seem harder to technically comprehend, especially with their simpler systems in comparison to high level technology in the modern day. Later, we conducted profiling with a multibeam sonar system, which maps seafloor topography by recording the echoes of beams bouncing off the seabed. It was captivating to hear the beeps around the ship while profiling was in progress, and we found a heart-shaped topographic area with the multibeam. Another XBT was deployed, and I assisted with this second deployment, which was fun.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed “cheese thirty,” a term coined by Elena Calderon for the snack hour between lunch and dinner. The chefs put out a cheese board, which was a delightful highlight of the day, accompanied by some caffeinated tea.
Before dinner, we decided to watch a movie in the lounge. We watched Deadpool & Wolverine, and some of the ship’s crew joined us for the movie while eating their dinner. It was a pleasant leisurely time.
During the night shift, Jason had a long dive lasting over six hours. I served as the video logger for the first time, which was enjoyable as I took pictures of interesting marine life and equipment. I took a break to view the orange moon, which was incredible and unlike anything I’d seen before.
When my shift ended, the next team was supposed to deploy the Mosquito, and since I had helped assemble it, I was curious about its deployment and launch. I decided to take a nap and return to the Jason van to observe the deployment. However, at 03:00, I discovered that they weren’t deploying the Mosquito during that shift, so I went back to sleep feeling a bit disappointed.
19th of August, 2024:
Today marked my first morning shift on the Jason watch during dive J2-1627. We deployed Jason, and it descended to around 500 meters. We started our shift late because the R/V Atlantis was in motion, the shift was relatively brief.
Afterward, I worked on assembling the Mosquito with Alex Rose and Andrew Paley. The Mosquito, which stands for Multi-Orifice Sampler Quantitative Invasive Tracer Obtainer, required setting up a tube with an osmotic pump and connecting the necessary tubing. We made sure to secure the tubes in the proper orientation to keep everything balanced. Additionally, we measured the needles and inserted them into the rubber attachment to position them correctly in the middle of the Mosquito body. The assembly of the Mosquito took over 4-hours, although throughout the process, some good music.
During the night shift, we focused on the recovery of Jason from dive J2-1627 and the subsequent deployment for dive J2-1628. The objective was to work on the PIA and SPA units on the main float. However, the currents were too strong for Jason to effectively work on the float. Although we had an interesting encounter with a shark, but we decided to recover Jason shortly after due to the unfavorable conditions.
18th of August, 2024:
Our day began with essential safety training, which included a fire and evacuation drill. We practiced donning survival suits and life jackets in under two minutes and navigated the escape scuttle from our berthing.
At 12:30, we departed aboard the R/V Atlantis. The weather was quite rough, with strong winds and large waves crashing against the shore. Although I missed a whale sighting, I’m hopeful for another chance during this leg of the research cruise. As we left the shore, I witnessed a fascinating pilot exchange between a small boat and the R/V Atlantis, executed excellently.
Next, we visited the ROV Jason for a tour. Seeing Jason in person was impressive—it’s much larger than I had anticipated, towering over me. The piloting station and controls in the Jason van were especially intriguing with their advanced design. I witnessed the first Jason dive of the leg via the live feed.
Later, Alex Rose introduced Leo Couchon and me to the biology laboratory, where we learned about the osmotic pump. This device consists of a tube with a semi-permeable membrane, which allows fresh water to move through from one side to the saline water on the other. Our task was to release a bubble from the tube to help the operation continue.
I started my first Jason watch shift at 20:00, logging environmental data and monitoring Jason’s operations during dive J2-1623. I took a short break to admire the bright, yellow moon. During the dive, we fired two Niskin bottles. With the help of Julie Nelson, Alex Rose, and José Cornejo, we collected various samples from these bottles. We also commenced dive J2-1624 as my shift ended, just before the second group of watchers took over at midnight.