Leg 2 Researchers
Click on any
name below to read an interview.
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Page)

Albert Bradley (top
of page)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Principal
Engineer
http://www.whoi.edu/
What
is your role on this cruise?
I'm here to assist Dr. Margaret Tivey and to make sure her instruments
work correctly.
What
are your primary goals?
Keep scientists happy.
What
do you expect to find?
If we knew, we wouldn't need to come out to sea!
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
Favorite: working with a batch of really fantastic people.
Least:
not getting enough sleep!
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.?
a) I am genetically compelled to build things (an engineer)
b)
I saw Cousteau's 1st movie, Silent World, and Disney's version of Verne's
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at age 11. I spent the rest of my youth
trying to build submarines.
How
did you become one?
Starting with Tinkertoys, Erector sets, electronics kits, I just kept
making things. Now, here I am.
Brief
bio: Al Bradley was born near Philadelphia in 1944. He was educated by his
parents and a long series of exasperated teachers including those at
Cornell (where he received a BS and MS in Engineering Physics in ‘66
& ‘67) and at MIT where he received his PhD in Ocean Engineering in
‘73. After a brief post doc position at MIT, he came to the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution in '74 where he is currently classified as a
principal engineer. His research interests include acoustic systems, ocean
sensor systems and platforms, control systems and autonomous research
vehicles. He distrusts any computer that has more than 64 Kbytes of
memory.
Paul Emsbo (top
of page)
U.S. Geological Survey

Randolph
A. Koski (top of page)
Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey
http://minerals.usgs.gov/west/
What
is your role on this cruise?
During the cruise, I will participate in the surveying and sampling of the
seafloor surrounding high-temperature vent sites. I will prepare samples
of hydrothermal deposits and sediment for analytical work following the
cruise. I will examine hydrothermal precipitates and sediment for
hydrocarbons, and I will collect gases from sediment cores. After the
cruise, I will be responsible for petrographic and microanalytical
investigations of low-temperature and weathered mineral deposits, bulk
chemistry of hydrothermal and sediment samples, and analyses of
hydrocarbons.
What
are your primary goals?
We would like to develop a video mosaic of the vent field that will serve
as a geologic map. With this map and additional survey and sample data, it
is our goal to develop a unified 3D model for hydrothermal,
sedimentological, and biogenic processes at the scale of the vent field. I
want to learn more about the distribution of hydrocarbons and linkages
between fluid flow, hydrothermal petroleum, mineral deposits, and
microbial habitat.
What
do you expect to find?
Based on previous cruises to Guaymas Basin, we will find hot fluids with
temperatures near or somewhat above 300°C venting from high-rise mineral
towers with a spectacular variety of shapes. The mineral deposits will be
surrounded by discolored sediment, mineral crusts, and white to yellow
bacterial mats. Large tubeworms and clams will inhabit sites where
low-temperature fluids seep through the sediment. It will be colorful.
There will be some surprises.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My favorite part: The observation of ocean floor never seen before; also,
the recovery of the vehicle and the first direct look at the samples. My
least favorite part: Lost time due to bad weather.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.? How did you become
one?
I grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and spent most of my youth outdoors and
literally "in the field." I have always been excited by
exploration and travel. In college, I was inspired by several geology
professors-they were "different" from other teachers. They went
(exploring!) on field trips to mountains and rivers, to all kinds of
places I had never been before. After two or three geology classes, I was
hooked.
Later,
I became interested in the geology of all kinds of mineral deposits, but
especially deposits formed by hydrothermal processes. Ocean ridges are
great natural laboratories for studying hydrothermal phenomena, and I was
fortunate, in the early 1980s, to have an opportunity to participate in
the discovery of active vents, mineral deposits, and amazing biology on
the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The exploration continues.

Paul McGill (top
of page)
MBARI Electrical Engineer
/staff/mcgill/
Alejandro
Ortega-Osorio (Alex) (top
of page)
Associated Researcher, Mexican Petroleum Institute
Co-instructor of Chemical Oceanography at the Graduate School, UNAM
What
is your role on this cruise?
Scientist in the field of Marine Geochemistry
What
are your primary goals?
Full characterization of suspended particulate matter associated
to natural emissions of hydrocarbons in the Gulf of California.
What
do you expect to find?
This research will help to better understand fluid migration in
marine sediments. Besides, if distinct particulate matter were found, we
would tell more about the formation of hydrocarbons and their relationship
with the marine sediments.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My favorite part of being in a cruise is: Being in the middle of
the sea.
The
worst part of any cruise is to get seasick and realised is still a month
to be back on land.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc?
Well, likewise many others, myself fell in love with the sea as
well. As a child, I always wondered how this big reservoir, called
“ocean”, contained so much water and why was so salty? So then, it
took me some years to be able to understand the answers...
How
did you become one?
I studied Chemical Engineering at the National University of
Mexico, after that I did a Master degree in Chemical Oceanography at the
Marine Sciences Institute of the UNAM.
Then,
I decided to apply and to enroll into the Graduate School at the
University of Toronto, Canada, so I spent some years at the Marine Geology
Research Laboratory and I obtained my Ph.D. in 1996.
Antoine Page
Ph.D. Student
Portland State University
http://www.pdx.edu/
What
is your role on this cruise?
I will help to subsample and process sulfide mineral chimneys for further
microbiological analysis.
What
are your primary goals?
We want to understand how microorganisms distribute themselves in the high
temperature sulfide chimneys over space and time, as well as the abiotic
factors influencing this distribution (temperature, chemistry, and
mineralogy). Along with my advisor, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, I will be
responsible of identifying and quantifying the microorganisms in
subsamples collected across various chimneys.
What
do you expect to find?
I hope to observe clear transitions in the composition and abundance of
the microbial communities across the chimneys, and relate that to the data
obtained by the other scientists involved in the project. All together,
this study will help us to understand more about the constraints on
microbial diversity and succession in high temperature deep-sea
hydrothermal vent chimneys.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of e research cruise?
My favorite part is definitely to get to see the environment in which the
microorganisms I study live in.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc?
My dad is a geologist, and I have always been interested in science. I
like to understand more about biogeochemical systems and basically how
things are related to each other in nature. And then of course you get to
go in the field, to all these cool places you wouldn’t go to if you were
not a scientist.
How
did you become one?
I received a B.Sc. in Biology and a M.Sc. in Oceanography at the
University of Québec. Then I decided I wanted to move to another country
and keep working on the deep-sea vents. Anna-Louise’s work was
definitely a good incentive, and Portland appeared to be a city I would
like to live in.

Christina Preston (top
of page)
MBARI Research Technician
/staff/preston/
What
is your role on this cruise?
I am responsible for collecting sediment samples for microbial analysis on
this particular leg of the cruise.
What
are your primary goals?
We will be taking cores during transects from hot to cold sediments and
subsampling those cores to look at the diversity of microorganisms within
and between sites. Specifically, our lab is interested in looking for the
presence of microbes involved in the anaerobic oxidation of methane in hot
sediments. Intensive analysis of the chemistry and mineralogy of this
particular site is being done by other scientists aboard and thus may
allow us to make inferences regarding microbial processes occurring there.
Our
main goal on the ship is to retrieve samples. The analysis of the samples
will happen back at MBARI.
What
do you expect to find?
We expect to see differences in the microbial community structure between
hot and cold sediments, and hopefully we will find evidence of the
anaerobic oxidation of methane.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
The best parts are discovering something that no one has ever seen before
and traveling to new places. My least favorite part is getting used to the
motion of the boat.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc?
For me there isn't anything more interesting than learning about science.
I get to do what I love.
How
did you become one?
As an undergraduate I did a research project in a molecular microbiology
lab and found my niche. Since then, I've had a lot of opportunities to do
research in interesting areas in amazing places.

Tony
Ramirez (top
of page)
MBARI Research Technician
What is your role on this cruise?
My primary role on this cruise is using ArcNav to supplement the Western
Flyer’s ROV navigation by projecting the ROV position over bathymetric
data. ArcNav is an extension for ArcView developed within MBARI that
imports the shipboard navigation data into the ArcView display. This
enables the science party to tie geologic observations to locations on the
bathymetry in real-time, and assists the ROV pilots in navigating through
steep or difficult terrain. Apart from my ArcNav duties, I also photograph
shipboard operations and rock samples collected, and assist with Vicki
(the video recording and annotation system) and other control room duties
when needed.
What
are your primary goals?
My primary goals during a research cruise are to facilitate the
science in any way I can and to provide support when needed for all
science party operations. By using ArcNav for real-time mapping of the
seafloor I’m able to create maps for subsequent dive planning during the
cruise, and visually present the accomplishments of each dive. During
previous cruises on the Western Flyer, these maps greatly assisted the
assimilation of the data collected. My ultimate goal is to expand the
ability of the scientists to extract the data collected and make it more
easily digestible.
What
do you expect to find?
Good weather, calm seas, active hydrothermal venting, and hopefully
some pretty rocks to collect.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My least favorite part of being at sea for extended periods of time is
being gone from my family. To work around this I generally have my family
meet me in port stops and see me on and/or off the research vessel. This
is actually one of my favorite aspects of a research cruise since it
enables additional family vacations to sometimes beautiful and exotic
locations. To me, the best part of being a member of an ocean research
cruise is working with other scientists with diverse research goals. This
gives me exposure to research outside my field of interest, a variety of
other research techniques and some very colorful people, which are
generally great.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc? How did you become one?
My favorite place to be is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The variety
of rock types and exposed structures in the higher terrain has inspired me
to pursue a career focusing primarily on the geological sciences. I’m
currently a research technician for a lead scientist at MBARI. Through her
support and the support of the institution my progress in becoming a
scientist is continuing through education, training and these research
cruises.

Anna-Louise
Reysenbach (top of page)
Portland State University
http://www.pdx.edu/
What is your role on this cruise?
I am one of the microbiologists who will be on the cruise, processing
samples for microbes and molecular biology. I will be working with the
other scientists dissecting
and analyzing the chimney samples we retrieve.
What are your primary goals?
Our primary goal is to understand when microbes colonize the chimneys,
whether the kinds of microbes change as the chimneys get older, and
whether there are clear relationships between the types of minerals and
the kinds of microbes we find in the chimneys.
What
do you expect to find?
Gosh, hopefully we will find many surprises. If we go expecting to find
something, we might not see the surprises.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of a
research cruise?
I really like doing research at sea, and don’t think there is anything I
really dislike. Well, maybe my least favorite thing is not being able to
go for a hike in the mountains. Perhaps my most favorite thing is the
excitement of the unknown discoveries we might make on a dive.
Why did you decide to become a
scientist/engineer/etc.? How did you become one?
I was always interested in science as a child. My parents stimulated my
interest in the natural world, and our vacations were always filled with
hiking, sailing and exploring nature. In college I learned to scuba dive
and realized that I wanted to have a career where I could combine my love
for scientific research with my love for the ocean and water sports. So I
chose a research career that helps me stay near water and outside.

Jeffrey
Seewald (top of page)
Associate Scientist
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
http://www.whoi.edu/
What is your role on this cruise?
I am responsible for the collection and analysis of hydrothermal vent
fluids
What are your primary goals?
To determine the amounts of organic compounds and dissolved gases in
fluids venting at the seafloor. This information will be used to
characterize the chemical environment inhabited by vent organisms.
What do you expect to find?
We expect to find very high concentrations of dissolved organic
compounds, hydrogen, and methane due to the abundant organic detritus in
the sediments. Guaymas Basin is unique because the heating of sediments by
the hydrothermal activity generates petroleum in real time. This oil is so
abundant that it oozes directly from the sediment into the water column.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of a
research cruise?
My favorite part of being at sea is the opportunity to focus on a
particular research objective with essentially no external distractions. I
also enjoy the routine nature of life onboard ship that is occasionally
punctuated by moments of extreme excitement. My least favorite part is
when things go wrong due to mechanical failures or bad weather. Packing
gear after a cruise is also not particularly enjoyable.
Why did you decide to become a
scientist/engineer/etc.?
I have always been interest in science and things technical. Oceanography
is a great way to utilize several different scientific disciplines to
provide an understanding of natural processes on earth. The
cross-disciplinary aspects and real world issues are what I find most
intriguing about the field.
How
did you become one?
I studied geology as an undergrad before attending the University of
Minnesota for a graduate degree in geochemistry. I came to WHOI as a
Postdoc and subsequently joined the Department of Marine Chemistry and
Geochemistry.

Debra Stakes
(top of page)
MBARI Geologist
What
is your role on this cruise?
I am the chief scientist for the cruise. Much of my precruise
responsibilities revolve around coordinating the tools and strategies for
this highly ambitious effort. Many of the participating scientists bring
years of submersible experience to this cruise. I want to be sure that we
take advantage of all this accumulated wisdom in planning each dive. How
much we accomplish will be determined by the quality of our precruise
planning among ourselves and with the personnel in Operations who will
make it happen.
After
the cruise, my role will change to that of a geochemist working on the
mineralogy, petrology and chemistry of the sulfide chimneys that are
collected. My specialty will be to collect information on both mineral
chemistry and isotopic compositions of sulfur, oxygen and carbon.
What
are your primary goals?
My primary goals for this cruise are to successfully obtain complete
carbonate-sulfide hydrothermal chimneys from the Guaymas hydrothermal
site. We want the precipitates to enclose our instrumentation so that we
can capture the thermal and chemical changes that accompany the formation
of the chimney walls. The temperatures measured by the thermocouple array
will then be compared to the predicted temperatures based on the mineral
chemistry and the isotopic compositions. We will also look in the
sediments and chimneys for evidence of microbiological precipitation of
minerals using the scanning electron microscope.
Of
course the most primary goal is for the entire scientific party to be
successful. This means also collecting sediments and fluids for different
but comparative studies.
What
do you expect to find?
There have been several submersible studies to this area before so we have
some idea of what scene will greet us on the first dive. We expect to find
pagoda-like structures of carbonate-sulfides towering 7-9 meters above a
flat sedimented floor. The ledges and summit of the pagodas should be
large enough for the ROV to sit on top. There will be jets of black
hydrothermal fluid exiting from the sides and top also, so we will need to
be careful where we decide to stop. The sediments in this area are very
unusual in that they are covered with thick bacterial mats and
hydrocarbons.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My answer to this question has not changed much in the past few years. My
least favorite part of the cruise is the last few weeks of preparation
(like now). There are so many details to fret over and so many questions
to be answered. Having to send all of our equipment to Mexico makes the
preparation a bit more complicated.
My
favorite part of the cruise is when we finally set sail. The planning is
finally over and we can just focus on each dive and each job at hand. When
you are at sea life becomes an intense but relatively uncomplicated
routine of managing the science program, archiving the samples and
planning each days work.
And
the most fun part is always celebrating your successes upon the return
into port.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.?
I decided to become a scientist in grade school because I was fascinated
with understanding the natural world and enamored with the thought of
being an explorer. I clearly remember a movie shown in my fifth grade
class that described "exploring the last frontier on earth" that
convinced me to become an oceanographer. Since coming to MBARI I have also
discovered that I enjoy the technical aspects of the field also. I may not
have made a great engineer but I do like working on development projects
to build new tools.
How
did you become one?
I became a scientist by staying in school until I had my doctorate degree.
No one could distract me from my goals. I think that sometimes it takes
being very determined. I took summer jobs working in research labs to hone
my basic skills. I worked for an organic geochemist and a paleomagnetist
at Rice University where I was an undergraduate. I also worked part-time
for two years at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This included very
interesting jobs like exposing plant cultures to lunar material to see
what would happen.

Margaret
K. (Meg) Tivey (top of
page)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Associate Scientist, Dept. of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry
http://www.whoi.edu/
What
is your role on this cruise?
I'm a co-Principal Investigator along with Debra Stakes, Geoff Wheat,
Randy Koski, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Jeff Seewald and Al Bradley. We're
all working together on a collaborative project (funding for me, JS, AB,
and ALR is through the National Science Foundation) to examine microbial
colonization as functions of temperature, chemistry, and time in Guaymas
Basin. We'll be using Tiburon and Jeff Seewald's isobaric fluid samplers
to sample vent fluids, and we'll be deploying thermocouple arrays,
designed and built by Al Bradley and colleagues, at the same vents. My
focus of this program is on the thermocouple arrays: using temperature to
determine how chimneys grow and change over time, and relating data from
any chimney material that grows within the array, and that we can recover,
to the temperature record.
What
are your primary goals?
The purpose of our study is to investigate the interaction of
microorganisms with their geochemical environment, specifically to: 1)
Trace the evolution of the thermal/chemical/physical environment within
newly formed chimney walls over time-scales of minutes to months, and
determine the distribution of microorganisms within this
temporal/chemical/thermal/spatial framework; and 2) Assess subsurface
geochemical processes responsible for the delivery of organic and
inorganic metabolic energy sources and nutrients from deep-seated reaction
zones to near seafloor environments.
These goals will be attained by identifying microbial
populations that inhabit well-constrained temperature and compositional
domains within the walls of newly formed and existing chimneys.
Temperature within the walls of newly formed chimneys will be monitored
using thermocouple arrays that are enveloped during chimney growth. The
new chimneys will subsequently be recovered and the solid material in the
immediate vicinity of each thermocouple used for enrichment cultures,
molecular phylogenetic approaches, and fluorescent in situ hybridization
with 16S rRNA-specific probes, while splits of the same material will be
fully characterized with respect to their mineralogic, chemical, and
isotopic composition.
My focus is on looking at the temperature records, and,
working with Debra and Randy, characterizing the mineralogic, chemical,
and isotopic composition of the chimney material. Vent fluids delivering
nutrients and chemical energy from deep-seated subsurface reaction zones
to the seafloor will be analyzed using a comprehensive analytical plan
that involves quantitative determination of the abundance of aqueous
organic, inorganic, and gaseous species.
What
do you expect to find?
We hope to characterize the conditions under which microorganisms live
within these chimneys. We expect to have new chimneys grow through our
thermocouple arrays, and are hoping that, when we recover the arrays after
a few days time, that we'll be able to bring back some very young chimney
material. There is a chance, however, that the chimney material will be so
fragile that it will crumble and disintegrate as we recover the arrays. In
that case we will still have excellent records of HOW the chimneys grow,
but we'll miss recovering the actual material. Our fallback plan if that
happens is to recover young chimneys after measuring the temperatures on
their inner and outer surfaces, and use these chimneys for microbial,
geochemical, and mineralogical studies. For example, we can then look for
good fluid inclusions in minerals of the chimney wall and use those to
collect data on the temperatures that were present when the chimney was
forming.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My least favorite part is during the planning stages: trying to get all of
the equipment ready, making sure we have everything we need, anticipating
possible problems and making sure we have contingency plans made. It is
especially difficult on a cruise like this where we are building and using
many new instruments.
The fluid samplers have been modified, the thermocouple
arrays are a new design, and the inductively coupled link is being used on
every dive and needs to work on every dive or else we cannot communicate
with the instruments. We'll also be working in a complex environment. It
would be hard enough to plan if we knew exactly what the vent orifices
looked like where we plan to put equipment. Instead, we have to try to be
flexible so that the instruments could sit in a number of places.
My favorite
part is during the cruise. Once you're out there on the ship, you just
work with what you have. If all your plans fall apart, then you wing it.
Everyone works together to get the best product possible with what we
have.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.?
A series of flukes: I went to college adamant NOT to be a
scientist/engineer (my dad was one). But after not taking any science my
first quarter, I really missed it. But the only course I could take (since
I was now out of sequence with everything else) was Geology. Five field
trips later, I was hooked. I decided it would be pretty nice to be able to
make a living doing what I liked to do in my spare time anyway (camping,
hiking, rock/fossil hunting).
How
did you become one?
I studied Geology in college, and then decided to see how I liked working
in that field. After a year and a half as a technician working at the USGS
(going to sea - again a fluke - the first job available was in the Marine
Branch so I took it, and found out I loved going to sea!) I decided that
my boss had the fun job - getting to figure out the puzzle based on data
that I supplied him with. So it was time to go back to school for my PhD.
After my PhD I applied and got a post-doc fellowship at WHOI, and then
applied for a job on the scientific staff. I've been here ever since.
Geoff Wheat
(top of page)
Institute of Marine Science
West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center
http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/directory/faculty/wheat/
What is your role on this cruise?
I'm
a co-Principal Investigator along with Debra Stakes, Meg Tivey, Randy
Koski,
Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Jeff Seewald, and Al Bradley. My focus is
sampling
and analyzing fluids from a variety of settings including hot (300°C)
and
warm (5° to 25°C) spring fluids, sediment pore waters, and spring fluids
collected
using continuous fluid samplers (OsmoSamplers).
What
are your primary goals?
My
primary goal is to deploy continuous fluid samplers into high temperature
hydrothermal
vents and collect fluids as the vent evolves and as a chimney
forms.
The significance of this effort is to obtain fluids from within the
chimney
wall where there is a potential for a warm (100°C) active biosphere.
These
deployments are a proof-of-concept that builds upon a successful
deployment
on Axial Seamount.
What
do you expect to find?
I
expect that we will be able to collect fluids from within the chimney
walls.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My
favorite part of the work is being at sea with a host of interesting
people
all
focused on completing the tasks at hand and each with their own
perspective
and expertise. My least favorite part is being away from my
family.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.?
As
a kid, I always like being on the ocean. I enjoyed sailing, swimming,
diving,
and fishing. The more time I spent near and on the ocean, the more I
wanted
to continue being near and on the ocean.
How did you become one?
I
studied mathematics at the University of New Hampshire and worked in a
chemical
oceanography laboratory. The work experience led to a desire to go to
graduate
school and maintain close ties to the ocean. After obtaining a PhD.
from
the University of Washington I worked at the University of Hawaii. I
accepted
my present position in 1995 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
where
I am an Associate Research Professor, Regional Coordinator for the West
Coast
and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center, and an adjunct at MBARI
where
I am located.
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