Image Archive

Removing the pins holding the descent weights onto the HPIES platform at Axial Base. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF, Dive 1739, V14

The HPIES (Horizontal Electrometer Pressure Inverted Echosounder) instrument on the seafloor at Axial Base site (2600m depth). Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF, Dive 1739, V14

APL/RSN engineer Eric Boget gently lowers the deep profiler package into the water during the mooring deployment. Photo Credit: Ed McNichol, Mumbian Enterprises, Inc.

APL/RSN engineers attaching the deep profiler vehicle to the mooring line during deployment at the Axial Base site. Photo Credit: Ed McNichol, Mumbian Enterprises, Inc.

The deployment of the HPIES (Horizontal Electrometer Pressure Inverted Echosounder) instrument off the fantail of the Thompson at the Axial Base site. The instrument was designed to freefall to the seafloor from the surface, and did so successfully. Photo Credit: Ed McNichol, Mumbian Enterprises, Ltd.

ROPOS removing the bungee cords holding the slack cable of AXVMW4 onto the ROCLS sled. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF, Dive 1737, V14

Junction box LJ03A cabled to the low-voltage node LV03A at the Axial Base site. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF, Dive 1736, V14

An overhead shot showing the spatial relationship between junction box LJ01A and low-voltage node LV01A at the Slope Base site. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive 1735; V14.

ROPOS lifting the broadband hydrophone mast on LJ01A into position. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive 1735; V14.

Low Voltage node LV01A on the seafloor at Slope Base, as surveyed by ROPOS. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive 1734; V14.

The port arm of ROPOS reaching for the connector in a flange box on the seafloor at the Slope Base site. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive 1734; V14.

The port arm of ROPOS seating the plug connector of RS01W6 to J1 on Low Voltage node LV01A at the Slope Base site. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive 1734; V14.

A large school of fish near the surface at the Slope Base site. They may be Pacific Sand Lance. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive R1733; V14

A larvacean (the small, white, peanut-shaped object) inside its mucus house, feeding on marine snow at 700m depth at the Slope Base Site. Photo Credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF; Dive R1733; V14

A McLane wire-following profiler, modified to add inductive charging and communications, and holding a CTD, dissolved oxygen, fluorometer and 3D single point velocity sensors. Photo Credit: Kendra Daly, USF

The R/V Thomas G. Thompson docked in Newport between Legs 1 and 2 of the VISIONS '14 cruise. Photo credit: Michael Vardaro, Oregon State University

R/V Thompson docked in Newport between Legs 1 and 2 of the VISIONS14 cruise. Photo credit: Michael Vardaro, Oregon State University

Keith Shepherd, ROPOS Operations Manager, and ROPOS Pilot Kim Wallace, guide the R/V Thompson into position to deploy the ROCLS drum onto the seafloor at 5000 ft water depth to begin installation of the 4.6 km extension cable. ROPOS later will latch into the ROCLS drum and begin the cable lay. Photo credit: Mitch Elend, University of Washington, V14.

The broadband seismometer (left) and low frequency hydrophone (right) are installed on the floor of Axial Seamount at the Central Caldera Site. The 7-function manipulator of ROPOS is connecting the extension cable to the medium powered junction box. The white bags inssulate the broadband from acoustic "noise" associated with curents flowing over the instrument.

A bottom pressure-tilt instrument is installed at the Eastern Caldera Site on the summit of Axial Seamount. Image Credit: VISIONS'13, UW/OOI/CSSF; Dive R1617; V13.

Panoramic view of the R/V Thompson fantail as it departs for Axial Seamount on the VISIONS'14 OOI expedition. Green-sided frames are junction boxes that will be installed at the volcano and they willl host myriad instruments. The central drum holds yellow extension cable that will connect one of the juction boxes to  Primary Node 3B, providing power and bandwith to this subsea observatory. Photo credit: Skip Denny, University of Washington, V14

Mobilizing ROPOS at Pier 90 in Seattle, July 11, 2014 Photo credit: Debbie Kelley, University of Washington

This full-sized Junction Box frame was sucessfully deloyed and recovered in the International District Hydrothermal Field at Axial Seamount using the ROV ROPOS during the August 2011 VISIONS '11 expedition. During the VISIONS'13 cruise two fully built out medium-power J-Boxes will be deployed here that will provide power and communications to extension cables and sensors deployed at the vent sites. The sensors will include a digital still camera, mass spectrometer, fluid and DNA samplers, bottom pressure and tilt sensor, a temperature-chlorinity probe to measure boiling fluids exiting the vents, and a short-period seismometer.