Leg 5 Researchers
Click on any
name below to read an interview.
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Page)

Peter
Brewer
(top of
page)
MBARI Senior Scientist
Ocean Chemist
http://www.mbari.org/brewer-peter/

Lynne Christianson (top of
page)
MBARI Research Technician
/staff/lynne/

Steven Hallam
(top of
page)
MBARI Postdoctoral Fellow
What is your
role on this cruise?
I will be assisting in the collection of sediment samples for
microbiological and geochemical analysis.
What are your
primary goals?
Our hope is to link the vertical microbial community structure of
sediments with specific chemical profiles obtained from pore water
chemical analysis. We are specifically interested in a subset of
methanotrophic archaea that appear to mediate anaerobic methane oxidation.
Previous studies have indicated the presence of these microbes in Guaymas
sediments.
What do you
expect to find?
Expectations are hard to describe given that the most interesting science
often emerges from unexpected findings and events. However, we do expect
to identify specific microbial groups, including methanotrophs at sediment
intervals associated with sulphate and methane depletion.
What is your
favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
On long cruises, the ship can feel a little crowded. There is nowhere to
go for solitude except your bunk and that is not an option usually, given
all the work to do. In contrast though, interacting with all the people on
board is a wonderful experience because we share common goals and pool our
efforts together to achieve them. And of course, being on the seas, with
all that open space around you and the vast deep mystery below is a
powerful antidote for claustrophobic feelings.
Why did you decide to become a
scientist/engineer/etc? How did you become one?
It all started when I was a little kid turning over rocks and tree stumps,
stomping through puddles and picking apart owl and other pellets in the
woods near my house. It’s that same curiosity and wonder that continues
to pull me along now. It is curious and perhaps no accident that I am
still working with muddy sediments as an adult scientist. The actual
becoming part of scientific work took a lot of school and fieldwork and
continues to unfold.

Juan Carlos Herguera (top of
page)
CICESE
Rendy
Keaten (top
of page)
MBARI Research Technician
What is your
role on this cruise?
During the dives, I'll be doing one of several tasks in the control room—taking notes in the dive log, updating
the ArcView project with navigation information, taking video annotation,
or operating the acoustic release for the benthic elevator.
For each sample, the
notes include: the type of sample (core, rock, push core, or sediment
scoop), sample number, location the sample is placed onboard the ROV Tiburon
(along with a small sketch if it's a rock), depth of the site, time code
on the recording video, and GMT time. We do this so when the ROV comes
onboard the ship, we can get each rock correlated with a sample number as
we unload it. We also refer to the dive logs later to recall the sample
information.
As the samples are
unloaded from the ROV, the wet lab gets very busy. The main focus is to
get chemical composition of the water in mud samples. To do this, we have
to get the mud samples processing so the pore fluids aren't contaminated
by ambient water and atmosphere. We split the cores and put mud sections
in pressure squeezers to collect the water. The water samples are then
taken to the chemistry van to be analyzed onboard by Bill Ussler.
After the rock
samples come onboard, we wash, measure, and photograph them right away.
When we do two dives in one day, this has to get done quickly so we have
room to work with the next set of samples. We also cut rock slabs onboard
for microscope thin sections and, as soon as, they dry we pack them to be
shipped back to MBARI.
What are your
primary goals?
My primary goals are: to learn, for all the science equipment to work, to
get all the samples we need, and to walk off the boat with a good idea of
what the sulfate-methane boundary is like in the Gulf of California.
What do you
expect to find?
I expected basalts, some metamorphic rocks, faulting, deep basins, and
mud—hopefully lots of mud.
What is your
favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
I hope to see the green flash this time, so I'll try to watch the sunset
everyday. Seeing the topography of the ocean floor is always fascinating!
My least favorite part is being away from my family, cats included, and
green things.
Why did you decide to become a
scientist/engineer/etc? How did you become one?
I came to geology by way of civil engineering. I was working with an
engineering geologist and decided geology was much more interesting.
Bill Kirkwood
(top of
page)
MBARI Associate Director of Engineering
/staff/kiwi/
Debbie Meyer
(top of
page)
MBARI Communications Coordinator/
Research Technician

Patrick Mitts
(top of
page)
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
What is your
role on this cruise?
My primary responsibility on board the R/V Western Flyer will be as
a research technician for Charlie Paull's group. We will be collecting and
archiving rock and sediment samples collected by the ROV Tiburon
pilots during the dives. We will also collect and analyze pore water
samples from the vibracores for sulfate, chloride, and methane
concentrations, and we will collect sediments for future radiometric
analysis.
What are your
primary goals?
My primary goal of this cruise is to expand my understanding of
biogeochemical processes in methanogenic sediments.
What do you
expect to find?
I have found that it is better to go on a cruise without major
expectations, especially if you are not the P.I. It makes adapting to
unforeseen problems that can occur onboard ship during a survey easier. It
also allows analysis and interpretation of the data to happen with an
unbiased perspective.
What is your
favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My favorite part of MBARI's research cruises are knowing that what we are
viewing and studying are usually sites that have never been seen before.
When I see the monitors in the ROV control room, I realize that I am one
of a select few in the world that are lucky enough to do oceanography at
this level! It is very analagous to space exploration, which fascinated me
as a child!
My least favorite
part is getting someone to take care of my diabetic cat while I'm away.
Why did you
decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc? How did you become one?
Why...enquiring minds still want to know! LOL. I was lucky enough to have
a good astronomy/physics professor steer me in the right
direction...instead of toward law school!
Jill Dill Pasteris
(top of
page)
Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Washington University
http://eps.wustl.edu/people/Jill_Pasteris
What is your role on this cruise?
I am a colleague of Peter Brewer's. My research group collaborated with
Peter's in the development of the sea floor Raman spectroscopic system. I
will help interpret spectra that are collected during the cruise.
What are your primary goals?
1) To make new kinds of analyses with the underwater Raman system,
particularly on natural gas clathrate hydrates; 2) to test and extend the
analytical capabilities of the Raman system (which recently has been
upgraded by MBARI).
What do you expect to find?
I hope that I am present when some natural gas
hydrates are encountered. I hope that we are able to obtain good spectra
of the hydrates and that we can detect both methane (the major gas that is
trapped in these hydrates) and minor gases in the samples.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
Least favorite: getting seasick (but I'm
getting better!)
Favorite: the fresh air, scenery, and
excitement of the dives.
Why did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.?
Ever since I can remember, I have been
fascinated by "how things work." Part of this interest stems
from the fact that my father was an engineer, and he constantly asked us
as children to make observations and to explain what we saw. I loved doing
that kind of thing.
How did you become one?
I have loved rocks ever since I was a child. It
just seemed natural that I would major in geology in college. I had wanted
to be a teacher for many years, as well. That desire and a really keen
interest in geology caused me to go to graduate school and get my Ph.D. in
geology.

Charlie Paull (top of
page)
MBARI Senior Scientist
Geologist
/staff/paull/

Ed Peltzer
(top of
page)
MBARI Senior Research Specialist
/staff/etp3/
What
is your role on this cruise?
I
will be part of the "Greenhouse Gases Team" led by Dr. Peter
Brewer. My role on this team is to supervise the design and construction
of the gas sampling equipment, prepare it for use on the ROV, direct its
use by the ROV pilots during the dive, and collect and analyze the samples
after the dives. I also helped design and build the equipment for the gas
dissolution experiments. I will load the apparatus with gas before the dives and
process the digital imagery and CTD data after the dives. I have also
assisted with the development of the Laser Raman Spectrometer and provide
all of the thermodynamic calculations for our experiments.
What
are your primary goals?
(1)
To collect gas samples from gas vents, sediments, and sites of possible
hydrate deposits for compositional analysis by gas chromatography and
isotope analysis by mass spectrometry; and (2) to measure the rates of
methane and carbon dioxide dissolution at depth in the warm water basins
of the Gulf of California.
What
do you expect to find?
We
expect to find gases that are rich in methane and contain significant
amounts of ethane, propane, butane, and other heavier hydrocarbons due to
the thermogenic origin of the gases. We also expect to find that these
gases dissolve faster in the waters of the Gulf of California than at
similar depths in Monterey Bay.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
Least favorite: Preparing
packing lists and customs forms.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.?
When
I was growing up, I always had more questions for my science teachers than
they had answers. Once I discovered that doing the experiments to find out
new things was fun and that you could get paid for it, working for a
living at a "regular job" no longer seemed like the thing to do.
Later, when I learned that oceanographers get to travel to exotic places
and go to sea in ships, there really wasn't any question as to what I
wanted to do for my career.
How
did you become one?
Lots
of study and hard work: doing well in high school; 4 years as an
undergraduate studying chemistry (Bucknell University); then 5 years of
graduate school studying oceanography (UCSD/SIO). Lots of late nights and
weekends in the lab and the library. We had a saying at Scripps: "If
science were easy, everyone would be an oceanographer!"
Elena Perez
(top of
page)
CICESE
http://www.cicese.mx/

Bill
Ussler
(top of
page)
MBARI
Senior Research Specialist
/staff/methane/
What
is your role on this cruise?
My
primary responsibility is the operation of our portable chemistry lab van.
This 16-foot-long custom-built container contains a complete analytical
laboratory for the analysis of the fluids and gases contained in marine
sediments. There are 3 gas chromatographs configured to analyze methane
and the low-molecular hydrocarbon gases ethane, propane, butane, and
pentane, dissolved carbon dioxide, and dissolved hydrogen sulfide. Two ion
chromatographs comprise a system to analyze dissolved cations (sodium,
calcium, magnesium, potassium, strontium, and ammonium) and anions
(chloride, bromide, and sulfate) in sea water and pore waters extracted
from sediment cores. I will also collect and analyze large volume water
samples for the concentration of radium and radon isotopes which can be
used to trace fluid circulation through seafloor sediments.
What
are your primary goals?
My
main focus on this expedition is determining the chemistry of fluids and
gases contained in surface sediments and ocean waters within and adjacent
to the Guaymas Basin.
What
do you expect to find?
Because
the seafloor of the Guaymas Basin is a methane-rich environment, our
studies will focus on the geochemistry and microbiology of methane
production and its anaerobic consumption. There are large temperature
differences across the basin seafloor, and we expect to see comparable
spatial differences in the amounts of methane, dissolved inorganic carbon,
sulfate, and hydrogen sulfide, and in their stable isotopic values,
coupled with changes in the composition of sub-seafloor microbial
communities.
What
is your favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
My
favorite part of any research cruise is the discovery of new and
interesting facts about the ocean. My least favorite parts are finalizing
all the important details necessary for packing the equipment and
supplies; and feeling seasick while at sea.
Why
did you decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc? How did you become one?
I
have had a long-standing interest in the sciences since childhood,
especially chemistry and geology. Becoming a scientist requires
persistence, adaptability, inquisitiveness, and a willingness to learn and
do many, often mundane, tasks. Tenacity combined with many years of formal
education has allowed me to pursue a rewarding career in the Earth
Sciences.
I
have two suggestions for future ocean scientists: 1. obtain an
undergraduate degree in one of the core sciences (chemistry, physics, or
biology) in preparation for graduate work in the marine sciences; and 2.
develop technical and engineering skills that can be applied to the
development of new techniques and instrumentation.

Peter Walz
(top of
page)
MBARI Research Technician
/staff/wape/
What is your
role on this cruise?
I will support science
operations for Peter Brewer and Charlie Paull.
What are your
primary goals?
Successful deployment of
ROV equipment, collection of gas samples, high quality Laser Raman spectra
data.
What do you
expect to find?
Seafloor gas venting,
hydrate formations, previously undescribed seafloor chemistry and biology.
What is your
favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
Favorite: Working at sea with other scientists and technicians, problem
solving, enjoying the ocean environment, good (free) food.
Least favorite:
Separation from family and home, limited space for exercise, weight gain
from eating too much food.
Why did you
decide to become a scientist/engineer/etc.?
During my undergraduate and
graduate work, I met numerous research technicians/engineers and could
easily imagine following a similar "career" myself. It is
important to have role models and find other people that inspire you. In the best of all worlds, work should be fun and something
that you enjoy and enriches your life…and I was determined to never wear
a suit and tie five days a week.
How did you become one?
Interest in science and the oceans from an early age,
getting into good schools with opportunities for internships, volunteer
work, and being connected to the right people at the right time (i.e.
luck).

Sheri
White
(top of
page)
MBARI Postdoctoral Fellow
What is your
role on this cruise?
I'm basically in charge of maintaining and using our Laser Raman
Spectrometer (LRS)—the first one used in the deep ocean.
What are your
primary goals?
We plan to use the LRS to make in situ measurements of gas vents
and gas hydrates at the seafloor. To date we have used the LRS primarily
to look at standards that we deploy in the ocean—to test the ability of
the instrument to make quality measurements. The Gulf of California cruise
will be our first big test of looking at natural targets in the ocean.
What do you
expect to find?
Our main goal is to visit gas vent sites where natural gas bubbles out of
the seafloor and forms solid hydrates in the sediment. But if we have
time, I wouldn't mind seeing some hot vent sites where superheated,
chemically enriched fluid exits the seafloor and supports large biological
communities.
What is your
favorite/least favorite part of a research cruise?
I love being out where the water is a deep blue and the ocean rolls
beneath you. Sunsets and night skies are beautiful at sea. And with a good
group of people, being at sea can be like being at camp, even when you are
working hard the whole time. And if the cook is good, you get to eat well
and never have to do dishes!
Why did you decide to become a
scientist/engineer/etc? How did you become one?
At first I wanted to be an astronaut and explore outer space, so I got a
degree in engineering. Then I learned that there was still a lot of the
Earth that was undiscovered and exciting, so I got my doctorate in
oceanography. I kind of fell into it, but don't regret it one bit. I love
being able to go to sea, work with new instrumentation, and study areas of
the seafloor where few (if any) people have ever been.
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