ROPOS Supports BGR in the Indian Ocean

ROPOS supports BGR in the Indian Ocean

ROPOS identified two new vent fields along the Northern section of the Southeast Indian Ridge

From October 31st to December 18th, the CSSF team had the pleasure of working for the German Federal Institutes of Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in the Indian Ocean, on board the deep-sea research ship RV SONNE. INDEX2019 focused on exploring for new active and inactive polymetallic sulphide sites and on expanding the environmental baseline in BGR’s allocated lease clusters. During this 7-week period ROPOS conducted 18 dives and went to a maximum depth of 3,300 meters.

Expedition Update - Visions' 15

VISIONS' 15 Expedition

First maintenance expedition of the Regional Scale Nodes cabled ocean observatory

For 5 weeks, we were out at sea on-board the R/V Thomas G. Thompson with the University of Washington (UW) for the VISIONS '15 expedition which ran from the 4th of July to August 7th, 2015. For our fourth year with the project, our role shifted from the installation to the maintenance of the the secondary infrastructure of the OOI Regional Scale Nodes cabled ocean observatory with the UW Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI) team of oceanographers and engineers. On all fronts, this expedition was a resounding success and marked the first operational and maintenance expedition of the RSN's project, now called the Cabled Array. As always, CSSF and its staff enjoyed the many challenges brought forward by this ambitious project.

Deep-Sea Coral Research in Submarine Canyons

ROPOS collected data on the distribution, abundance and diversity of deep-sea corals for future MPAs

From 14-27 June 2019, the CSSF team joined chief scientists Drs. Martha Nizinski (NOAA) and Anna Metaxas (Dalhousie University) in support of their deep-sea coral research in submarine canyons off the Northeast Coast of the U.S. and Canada and in the Northern Gulf of Maine. The research team focused on filling data gaps in the distribution, abundance, and diversity of deep-sea corals to inform resource managers and aid in determining MPA boundaries and coral-closure areas on both sides of the border.

Expedition Update - INDEX 2015

INDEX 2015 Expedition

After four years of prospecting, INDEX 2015 was the first exploration cruise to locate and define active and prospective inactive sulfide sites.

From November 22nd to December 12th we had the pleasure of working in the Indian Ocean for the German Federal Institutes of Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) onboard the R/V Pelagia. This project had ROPOS diving as deep as 3400 metres in its “mid-depth” configuration but with its 5000 metre foam pack. This was our first time mobilizing on the R/V Pelagia, a vessel with a formidable crew operated by the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). The vessel was a great fit for ROPOS and we hope to be able to work onboard again in the near future.