Swirling, living ocean I used to think the ocean felt vast – an endless empty expanse of water, deep and unchanging. Within a month of starting my graduate degree at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, I had learned that the ocean is neither empty nor static. The ocean is teeming with life, and not just `charismatic mega-fauna’ like … Read More
Revelle: The Pulse of the Ocean
After several days of exploring nearby sites, we’ve turned attention to a small hill on the side of the continental slope where computer simulations have suggested that large internal waves and energetic turbulence would be found. Using the computer controlled guidance system in the ship, we’ve taken a number of repeated transects across the top of this … Read More
Falkor: Back from the Tasman Sea
After 26 days at sea, the T-Beam crew has sailed back into port along the Derwent Estuary, and tied up on land. We never expected this work to be easy – battling with the constant barrage of storms headed directly from the southern ocean – the Tasman Sea did not disappoint. We did, however, have a successful cruise. Our part … Read More
Falkor: Rollin’ in the Deep
This morning I was handed a small vial of water from the deepest reaches of the Tasman Sea (4800 meters deep, to be exact). So what, you ask? Well, this water has not seen the light of day for about 600 years. That’s right, 600 years ago this water became very cold, salty, and dense, gradually sank to the bottom … Read More
Revelle: Breaking undersea waves make you a fish sandwich
The giant subsurface waves the T-team are studying are triggered thousands of kilometers away. After beaming through the Southern Ocean, the waves break against the continental slope, mixing the deep ocean. But, like bath-time with a hyperactive toddler and an especially slippery rubber ducky, these waves occasionally slosh up and over the edge of the tub. In the relatively shallow waters … Read More
Falkor: Using Nebula to Solve Nebulous Problems
Out here in the Tasman Sea, chasing the internal tide involves a lot of detective work, piecing together clues from water velocity, temperature, and density to determine where exactly the tide beam is heading. Scientists know from 20 years of satellite altimetry (sea height) data where it is most likely to be, based on estimations of energy flux. But there … Read More
Revelle: Digging In
We shoved off from Macquarie Wharf in Hobart on Friday afternoon. Departure is always a bit spooky on the Revelle. There’s no roaring of diesels or shuddering of massive driveshafts. The Z-drive propellers are vectored, the electric propulsion motors are energized, and the dock silently recedes. We spent some time swinging the compass (swinging the ship to calibrate the compass), & … Read More
Falkor: Engineering a Career in Ocean Science
As you may have noticed, there is a lot of high-tech experimental equipment and instruments on an oceanographic research cruise. We are in an era of ocean exploration that sometimes rivals the technologies used in space exploration. While research scientists may be involved in the design or concept of research equipment, the majority of this design work, along with the … Read More
Falkor: It’s getting hot in here, let’s mix it up!
Last week, the great dark turquoise waves rolling past the ship in the dark looked impressive, at 15 feet tall or more, but they are nothing compared to their giant cousins below. As you know, the internal tide we are chasing across the surging Tasman Sea is hundreds of feet tall, heaving water deep below the ocean’s surface up and … Read More
Revelle: TTIDE Leg II shoves off
Well, Folks, We’ve just shoved off from Macquarie Wharf in Hobart The Captain is spending some time calibrating the ships compass. Then we’ll head down the Derwent Estuary and into the Tasman Sea. Matthew Alford and his Leg I Team brought the ship onto Hobart Tuesday morning. They had their gear well organized for offloading, and after a few hours of work by … Read More