High time for high sea trip to ‘see’ below quakey seafloor

Our first postcard from the ANU science crew on board the RV Investigator as they depart from Hobart on Friday 9 October 2020. From left to right: Dr Xiaolong Ma, Thuany Patricia Costa de Lima (PhD student), Prof. Hrvoje Tkalčić, Dr Thanh-Son Pham, …

Our first postcard from the ANU science crew on board the RV Investigator as they depart from Hobart on Friday 9 October 2020. From left to right: Dr Xiaolong Ma, Thuany Patricia Costa de Lima (PhD student), Prof. Hrvoje Tkalčić, Dr Thanh-Son Pham, Sheng Wang (PhD student). Image: Rajesh Erigela

Just over a year ago, an international team of scientists prepared to explore Macquarie Ridge — a unique underwater geological landscape that evolves where tectonic plates converge and shake vigorously. And then COVID-19 hit.

Today, with rigorous health protocols in place, the Australian portion of the scientific team finally departs from Hobart on board the RV Investigator to collect important earthquake data to create an image of earth below the quakey Ridge. And, they are taking us along with them, providing postcards here across the next three weeks of the journey. Keep an eye out here or on Twitter for updates!

Featured
Prof Hrvoje Tkalčić upon entering quarantine:
Prof Hrvoje Tkalčić upon entering quarantine:

“….as the time of our long-anticipated research voyage to the Southern Ocean is approaching, we should be exuberant that this voyage will happen after all, given the times we live in.

A bit over two weeks remain before we sail towards the Macquarie Ridge on Research Vessel Investigator. So here I am, with an open bottle of this superb Tasmanian sparkling delivered on the first day to my tiny quarantine room, courtesy of my friend, Mike Coffin, from whom I will soon be learning the ropes on my maiden research voyage.”

Admiring the RV Investigator
Admiring the RV Investigator

CSIRO’s flexible platform that enables multidisciplinary teams of researchers to voyage into the region's oceans to undertake full ocean depth oceanography, map and study the geology of the seafloor, collect data to monitor and better understand our fisheries, and, study weather patterns, large ocean processes and climate change. See where she is now.

Undergoing a sea-going induction
Undergoing a sea-going induction

Thuany Patricia Costa de Lima (PhD student) expertly demonstrates the immersion suit experience.

Ride the waves in real-time
Ride the waves in real-time

CSIRO invites us to visit the ship experience from the deck in real time. Jump over here to check it out!

Hrvoje deploys the first seismometers:
Hrvoje deploys the first seismometers:

“Despite a continuously strong wind of about 30-40 knots and gusts up to 60 knots (like today), yesterday, we found a window of opportunity, and successfully deployed the first two ocean bottom seismometers, one of each kind.

The first one was sunk on a wire, to the depths just about 100 m above the ocean floor. The depth precision is critical, so before each deployment, we had to measure the speed of sound in the ocean at each location to avoid underestimating the distance between the acoustic release depth of the instrument and the ocean floor.

This instrument was then released to free fall and it finally landed at the depth of 4525 m.“

 
 
 

AN UNFOLDING STORY…
Please keep an eye out here or over on Twitter for postcards from the voyagers!

AUTHORS
Jo Condon, AuScope and
Prof Hrvoje Tkalčić, Australian
National University

EISAuScopeDLT, Collab