The SO289 research cruise aboard R/V Sonne, which involves the trans-Pacific leg of the GEOTRACES program, is a 48-day expedition consisting of 48 planned CTD cast stations taken at approximately 1-3° intervals all the way from the coast of Chile to the South Fiji Basin (Figure 1). The chief objective of this research cruise is […]
Observations of surface ocean pH and pCO2, and (micro-)nutrient control of ocean productivity in the South Pacific Ocean
[deutsche Version unten] 5th Weekly Report SO289 Progress: We have had a successful last few days, following our unplanned detour to Tahiti. We commenced sampling again on Wednesday morning (March 23) just outside the EEZ of French Polynesia and have been able to conduct daily station occupations with CTD casts and in situ pump deployments. […]
Observations of plastic litter, underwater images with video camera and seafloor bathymetry
4th Weekly report SO289 (deutsche Version unten) Progress: We have had a successful week, and until Friday night (March 18), we were able to conduct daily station occupations with CTD casts and in situ pump deployments. We have made steady progress west towards Noumea along our 31.5°S latitude cruise track. Surface waters from the tow-fish […]
Biological nitrogen fixation across the subtropical South Pacific Ocean
(deutsche Version unten) This is the second scientific cruise that I joined since my arrival at GEOMAR in 2021. This time we flew to Valparaiso, Chile and boarded the German research vessel RV SONNE, and started our journey across the entire South Pacific to New Caledonia. On this cruise, SO289, which is part of the […]
Tracing water mass mixing and continental inputs in the south Pacific Ocean with dissolved neodymium isotopes
(deutsche Version unten) Neodymium (Nd) is one of the Rare Earth Elements (REE) and consists of seven isotopes. One of the isotopes, 143Nd, is a decay product of the samarium isotope 147Sm that also belongs to the REE with a half-life of 1.06×1011 years. Since the Sm/Nd ratio in rocks and minerals varies, there are […]
New data on plastics in the South Pacific
(deutsche Version unten) I came on board research vessel SONNE as a national observer from Chile. As we are sampling on national Chilean waters, I was inspecting that everything was done according to the permits, and I also have the responsibility to send a daily report to Chilean authorities. Besides that, the chief scientist offered […]
Sampling the hydrothermal plume on the East Pacific Rise and first results of our on-board analysis
Weekly Report / Wochenbericht SO289 (Deutsche Version unten) Progress: We have had a successful week, with daily station occupations with smooth CTD casts and in-situ pump deployments. We have made steady progress west towards Noumea along our 31.5°S latitude cruise track. We have speeded up progress by combining our CTD casst with in situ pump […]
Sailing on RV SONNE – a dream came true
(Deutsche Version unten) It all started in the hallway of the ICBM in Oldenburg. I studied environmental sciences in my bachelors and spent large amounts of my time in the building of the ICBM (Institute for Marine Chemistry and Biology). And there, in the hallway, I saw it. A small replica of the RV SONNE. […]
Towards the East Pacific Rise and assessing the efficiency of the biological carbon pump
2nd Weekly Report from the SONNE expedition SO289 (deutsche Version weiter unten) Progress: After a delay of nearly five days, we were able to leave the port of Talcahuano on February 22 and start the cruise SO289. We are now in international waters and will keep sailing west towards New Zealand and New Caledonia. We […]
Tracing particles through natural radioactivity
(deutsche Version unten) But to what do I personally lose my sleep exactly? Sinking particles! More exactly, determining the flux of particles, thereby transporting carbon down into the deep of the ocean. Relying on available nutrients and sunlight, phytoplankton flourishes in the upper layers of the ocean by converting CO2 in organic molecules such as […]