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Expedition Log

03.30.15

Gulf of California 2015, Leg 4 – Seafloor Biology- Log 5

A Glimpse into a Mysterious, Oxygen-limited World As a Ph.D. student in biological oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, I was thrilled to be invited by chief scientist Jim Barry to take part in the MBARI Gulf of California 2015 Expedition. For my thesis, I am working …

Expedition Log

03.29.15

Gulf of California 2015, Leg 4 – Seafloor Biology – Log 4

Diving in the Canyon off Cabo Pulmo We are off Cabo Pulmo, a Mexican national park with the most northerly tropical coral reef in the world. Cabo Pulmo was originally colonized by pearl divers. “Pulmo” refers to the breath-holding by the divers—pulmo is a Latin root for lung. Pearl divers were replaced with fishermen, who fished …

Expedition Log

03.27.15

Gulf of California 2015, Leg 4 – Seafloor Biology – Log 3

A Tour of the R/V Western Flyer Mariah Salisbury writes: Unlike a terrestrial vehicle, which you can just fuel up and drive, it takes a lot more for the Western Flyer to get underway. Lance Wardle, who is sailing as chief engineer on this leg of the cruise, tells me it’s more like running a self-contained city …

Expedition Log

03.25.15

Gulf of California 2015, Leg 4 – Seafloor Biology – Log 2

Murky Conditions in the Salsipuedes Basin ROV dives in the Salsipuedes Basin can be rewarding, yet challenging–no real surprise since Salsipuedes translates to “escape if you can”. The channel is known for its very strong tidal currents, due to the shape of the Gulf. Unimodal seiches commonly occur in the Gulf—it sounds technical, but just …

Expedition Log

03.22.15

Gulf of California 2015, Leg 4 – Seafloor Biology – Log 1

Observing the Seafloor Community We steamed for a day to arrive at Isla Tortuga—a small, rugged, and beautiful little island near the middle of the Gulf. Fortunately, the weather has been great, and everyone aboard seems to be feeling fine and in good spirits. A principal goal for the expedition is to increase our understanding …