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The red plumes of healthy tube worms wave in the warm, nutrient-rich fluids within the International District Hydrothermal Field.

A combination of satellite imagery and weather forecasts are critical information in our cruise planning.  

Sarah has spoiled all of us on the R/V Thompson with excellent food! and humor. Today, with calm seas and blue skies, she with help from  many of the crew took special effort to treat us to a barbacue.

Members of the science party enjoying a BBQ for dinner. Photo by Carlos Sanchez

Taking advantage of the sunny weather, we were treated with a BBQ Sunday night. Sarah playfully throwing burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Photo by Carlos Sanchez

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Rock fish at ~ 800 m water depth at the 60 m-tall carbonate site 'Pinnacle' at Southern Hydrate Ridge. Credit: UW/NSF-OOI/CSSF.

A beautiful colony of soft corals grow atop carbonate blocks at the Pinnacle on Southern Hydrate Ridge.

Summit of diffusely venting chimney in the International District.

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Collapse basin, which once contained molten basalt, host a small colony of tube worms. Molten 1200°C, basaltic melt commonly forms pools in the subsurface. The top of the lava-filled pool "freezes" and crusts over with crystalline material as it rapidly cools against the overlying 2°C ocean water. Bathtub-like rings form when the melt drains out to other areas on the seafloor. Following drain-backs the roof is not strong enough to support its weight and the roof collapses to the floor of the basin.

An ~ 7 m-tall, diffusely venting chimney in the International District Hydrothermal Vent Field supports dense biological communities of tubeworms, limpets and scale worms.

A rare treat of a perfectly clear day on August 14th during our surveys of Axial Seamount. Photo by Carlos Sanchez

Co-chief scientist, John Delaney, works with Jason pilot Scott Hansen to survey a sulfide structure during Jason dive J2-515. Photo by Carlos Sanchez

View of monitors in the ROV Jason control van during dive J2-515. Photo by Carlos Sanchez 

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Brett Dennis-Duke collects water samples from a CTD cast that will be used for microbiology analyses. Photo by Carlos Sanchez.

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A portion of the Beaufort Scale used to describe wind speed in the open ocean based on obervations.

While the weather is too rough to have the ROV Jason in the water, we continue to utilize ship time to conduct CTDs. Photo by Katherine Turner

Skip Denny keeps a close eye on the forecast. Photo by Katherine Turner

Shipboard Scientific Support Group member, Casy Canfield, helps with the CTD.

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Bob helps bring in the CTD after collecting water for shore-based genetic analyses of the mircroorganisms that thrive within the shallow ocean waters near Axial Seamount.

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