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Our eyes and hands on the seafloor

WHOI Associate Scientist Maria Pachiadaki with her instrument miniSID, which can perform experiments at hydrothermal vents while on the seafloor. (Photo by Hannah Piecuch ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Q&A with WHOI marine microbiologist Maria Pachiadaki on sampling the deep ocean with Jason   WHOI Associate Scientist Maria Pachiadaki studies the deep ocean, focusing on zones…

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The team is everything

Jason Expedition Leader Chris Judge (left) acting as deck boss for a Jason deployment. Also pictured (left to right): R/V Thompson AB Kate Varberg and Jason Team members Hugh Poponoe, Akel Kevis-Sterling, and Antonella Wilby. (Photo by Hannah Piecuch, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) An interview with Jason Expedition Leader Chris Judge   Chris Judge is…

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The possibilities are endless

 ROV Jason first impressions with early career scientists (Left to right): Texas A&M graduate student Kayla Nedd, WHOI Guest student and Scripps Institution of Oceanography postdoc Emilie Skoog, and Texas A&M graduate student Alexis Adams processing fluid samples just procured in the deep ocean. (Photo by Hannah Piecuch ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Touching down When…

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The coolest job in the world

Jason Team MATE Intern Sarah Sergent preps ROV Jason for a dive to the hydrothermal vents at Axial Seamount during PROTOTAX23. (Photo by Hannah Piecuch, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Sarah Sergent is a MATE intern at sea with the Jason Group during PROTOTAX23. She is a new graduate of the Marine Technology Program at Northwest…

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Life and dinner among the microbes

The science party on PROTATAX23 with the SUPR Sampler installed on the remotely operated vehicle Jason. Left to right: Texas A&M professor Sarah Hu, MBL scientist Joe Vallino, WHOI Engineer Kaitlyn Tradd, WHOI Scientist Julie Huber. Photo by Hannah Piecuch, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Welcome to the PROTATAX23 expedition to Axial Seamount. On board the…

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Increased bandwidth on UNOLS fleet

Aerial view of R/V Atlantis and R/V Neil Armstrong at sea together. Photo by Kent Sheasley © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Aerial view of R/V Atlantis and R/V Neil Armstrong at sea together. Photo by Kent Sheasley © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Both R/V Neil Armstrong and R/V Atlantis will have expanded bandwidth at sea for the rest of 2023. The faster upload and download speeds are part of a fleetwide trial, funded by the Office…

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Going with the flow

Science at sea-part two In the spirit of adjustment, I asked scientists on the expedition how their goals and approaches have evolved since we’ve been underway. Here is a sampler of what they said: Isaac Keohane (University of South Carolina) brought two computers and an external hard drive on the expedition for redundancy. As luck…

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The importance of having a plan B (and C, D, E, and F)

The successful recovery of Medea after a ship-wide power outage. Jason, which can be seen floating at the end of the tether cable, was recovered shortly after. Photo by Zachary Clayton.

While power outages aren’t excessively common on research cruises, this event does encapsulate the nature of conducting science at sea: anything that can go wrong might go wrong at any given moment and—as happened today—without any prior warning. Chief Scientist Chris German’s mantra is to treat every day at sea like it may be your last day for conducting science, which is why he always has a plan B (and a plan C, D, E, and F if it comes to it).

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