The mapping continues.
In the middle of the night we made it to the southern end of our initial
route for multibeam mapping and turned around after collecting data at
Mysterious Bank to head back north for the second pass. The science party continued 2-hour data
processing shifts continuously as the equipment beneath the boat continued to
collect more raw data. Data processing
is an important precursor to mapping and planning tomorrow’s ROV dives.
On the R/V Falkor, the multibeam data collection equipment
is housed in a gondola (basket-like attachment) fixed 50 centimeters beneath
the hull. The equipment includes a
transmitter that sends out several acoustic signals (“multibeam”) that are
reflected off the seafloor and captured by a transducer. Based on the time the acoustic signal takes
to bounce off the bottom and return to the mother vessel, the depth at an exact position
can be calculated. The resulting
high-resolution depth, or “bathymetry,” data describe the seafloor at a very
fine scale, which allows scientists to create 3-D imagery of the sites.
When not processing data, scientists continued to record wildlife sightings (dolphins, sea turtles, flying fish, and sea birds) from the observation deck. Additionally, the scientists started a Science at Sea
Seminar (SASS) series in the library.
Dr. André Droxler kicked off the SASS series with a talk about
geological origin of the South Texas Banks.
Dr. David Hicks (UT Brownsville) on observation deck.
Image credit: Harriet Nash
Dr. André Droxler (Rice University) kicks off SASS series in library.
Image credit: Maureen Trnka
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