Southampton

Hosted by the research ship the RRS Discovery, the latest in the Autosub series of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), Autosub Long Range, has successfully completed its first set of sea trials in a location in the deep Atlantic Ocean, 300 miles south-west of the Canary Islands.

Autosub Long Range is a new type of AUV developed…

Ongoing climate-driven changes to the Arctic sea-ice could have a significant impact on the blooming of tiny planktonic plants (phytoplankton) with important implications for the Arctic ecosystem, according to new research conducted by scientists at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC).

“Ice-edge phytoplankton blooms in the Arctic Ocean…

Scientists at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) will participate in an international effort to assess the efficacy of ocean iron fertilisation (OIF) in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, as well as its potential impacts on marine ecosystems.

Members of the In situ Iron Studies (ISIS) consortium have…

The construction of a state-of-the-art research ship for UK marine science reached a significant milestone in Vigo, Northern Spain, this week with the keel-laying ceremony for the new RRS Discovery.

A replacement for the Natural Environment Research Council’s 50-year old Royal Research Ship, also named Discovery, the new vessel will be…

Vent Discovery in Adventure Caldera

Friday night in the SHRIMP* van and we have been videoing the seafloor for three hours inside the Adventure Caldera, which geophysicists from the British Antarctic Survey discovered in 2010.

Leigh Marsh, Graduate School NOCS marine biology PhD student was leading the watch in the van…

Coring at night

We have videoed the many different areas of venting at the seafloor in the base of the Kemp Caldera and now are spending a cold, snowy night coring the mud from the seafloor. Our night shift work is to collect mud from around the areas of diffuse hydrothermal flow.

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Sampling the Kemp Caldera

Our final site in the East Scotia Sea is an 8 km-diameter caldera on the flank of a shallow seamount at the southern end of the South Sandwich Island Arc.

The vents in the centre of the caldera are sulphur rich and are surrounded by huge numbers of clams, seven-armed sea stars, anemones, sponges…

Analysis of a comprehensive database has revealed strong links between biological productivity in the surface oceans and patterns of biomass and abundance at the seafloor, helping to explain large regional differences.

The research was conducted by an international, multi-institutional research team including scientists from the National…

Saturday 19 March 2011
10.30am – 4.00pm (last admission 3.30pm)

National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (Dock Gate 4)

Ocean and Earth Day 2011 comes at the start of Climate Week, the UK’s first week dedicated to understanding and tackling climate change. Visitors to the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (…

Geochemistry sampling at the East Scotia Ridge

Our first task at the East Scotia Ridge is to re-occupy the hydrothermal sites studied last year. A cluster of chimneys which vent at temperatures over 380°C produce a buoyant plume of warm water and particles which are dispersed laterally a few hundred metres above the seafloor.…