I have had the privilege to sail twice on the JOIDES Resolution, with this being my second cruise, Expedition 402 Tyrrhenian Continent-Ocean Transition. The first time was with Expedition 393: South Atlantic Transect II. We aimed to study the age of the oceanic crust as we moved away from the mid-Atlantic ridge toward South America. You can see the expedition summary here.
At the time I had very little understanding of rocks and sediment besides what my oceanography class in college provided me. Most of my academic career was focused on the biology of organisms, so when I thought of rocks I thought of how they provided shelter and structure for the living things that I studied. For instance, rocks provided a hard surface for corals and algae to root themselves and sediment provided hiding spots for bottom dwelling fish. After a few days on Expedition 393, I learned that rocks and sediment can hold the history of our atmosphere, the history of our oceans, and the history of catastrophic events (big or small).
The rocks and sediment on both expeditions have been extraordinarily different. I cannot say that I have seen a similar core between the two, which makes sense because we are in drastically different areas. But again, I had the genuine thought, what could be different about the seafloor from one place to another.
Each expedition has different goals, and different operation expectations, however the methods we use to drill, make thin sections, make p-wave velocity measurements, and more tends to be relatively the same give or take some modifications. For example, thin sections can only be done by taking a small piece of hard rock, cut a thing slice from the top, then polish it down to the thickness of a hair strand. That process does not change because we found a rock in a different ocean. As someone who was returning to the JOIDES Resolution, I envisioned seeing similar gray rocks with some dark grays and browns, I envisioned seeing sediment that followed the color range of chocolates in a chocolatier shop. I figured I was going to be learning about the ocean floor from a different perspective guided by the different expedition objectives. Immediately, I was very wrong and it was thrilling. As Phillipe Pezard, our Downhole specialist, said on one of our first days: “I am a kid in a candy shop”. The ship is a candy shop and the scientists are the local kids who just got their weekly allowance.
Sediment in the Tyrrhenian Sea did not look the same as that of in the South Atlantic, nor did it seem to act the same way when we drilled into the seafloor in both locations.
As someone who does not immerse themselves in geology every day, I still was able to follow the science party as they explained their research goals and expectations from the scientific prospectus in the weeks leading up to expedition 402. Rationally it felt straightforward to understand that under different circumstances like temperature and pressure sediment and rocks react in certain ways. It felt straightforward to understand that these materials will undergo change, erosion, weathering, layering and more. But once I saw the actual cores a foot away from my face, it was a whole other beast. That is the value of field work and that is the value of this ship. You cannot learn more about this planet if you do not have access to it.
As I reflected on my two expedition experiences and saw the science crew experience a range of emotions as new cores were collected, I decided to go around and ask some people who have been on multiple expeditions for their perspectives.
“What has surprised you about the rocks and sediment you have seen across expeditions?”
Alejandro has sailed on 8 expeditions (or 6, he wasn’t entirely sure) and is sailing as the Physical Properties Lab Specialist. He is most surprised by the homogeneity (the sameness) and the gradual change in characteristics of the cores from the bigger oceans. When he was in the Pacific it took a few cores before you started to see a huge color change or texture change, while in the shallower basins the cores tend to be more heterogenous (varied) and have more rapid changes to their features. It always keeps him asking why.
Emily Estes has sailed on 4 expeditions with the JOIDES Resolution and is the current Expedition Project Manager. She is surprised that even when we have the prospectus identifying everything that we expect and understand to be in the area, we still find something different. Especially when the data in the prospectus is based on previous drilling sites in the area, one would think the core would bring few surprises. Though she does not think of these moments as bad surprises, but as opportunities to ask more questions. Most of her work and expeditions have been in larger oceanic basins where there are similar features throughout multiple cores before it starts to change, which is not the case for the shallower basins like the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Kevin Grigar has sailed on 24 expeditions and is the Operations Superintendent. Though his role is to check how well the cores are coming out to help determine with SIEM Offshore what could change about the drilling operations and procedures, he still gives the cores a look. What surprises him is the change in formations and color throughout the cores, sometimes within the same core and sometimes it is after a few ones. Either way he is amazed, and loves how pretty the changes can look.
James Kowalski has sailed on 3 expeditions and is sailing as the ship curator. He is surprised by the laminations (layering that happens in sedimentary rocks) and features that disappear quickly between cores. He finds that each core is so different and rarely sees similarity across expeditions. The variety is something that he enjoys and it keeps him on his toes.
Hearing their responses made me think of the cycle of scientific thinking (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j12BBcKSgEQ) and what one of our co-chiefs, Nevio Zitellini, said the other day “We start this expedition with a question, and we end this expedition with more questions.”
As we settle into week 3 of Expedition 402, I enter it even more consumed by two notions. First, that we still have so much to learn, and secondly, it seems that when I ask “how could rocks and sediment from one ocean to another be different” it is a question that scientists and the public, alike, share.
Between all the scientific work, we celebrated Easter on board, although the weather had other plans for us. Due to rough conditions, we weren’t able to carry out any CTD casts.
Easter itself was spent in a mix of rest and small celebrations. Some of us enjoyed a long Easter breakfast with traditional Easter bread, while others took the opportunity to sleep in. In the evening, we gathered with both crew and scientists for a small celebration. The ship’s cook even organized a quiz, and those who answered correctly were rewarded with Easter chocolate.
The next day, the weather improved, and we began early with the recovery of K1, a 3,495-meter-long mooring in the middle of the Labrador Sea.
We joined the nautical officers on the bridge before sunrise to search for it. Fortunately, K1 has a floating buoy with a light, so we were able to spot it even in the dark. The actual recovery started at first light, and it began to snow while we were working.
Amid all the CTDs and mooring operations, there was also a personal highlight: my (Sarah’s) birthday. Although I’ve spent birthdays away from home before, this one felt especially unique, being so far out at sea, with only limited internet contact.
Normally, I work the 4-8 shift, but my incredibly kind shift team gave me the morning off. That meant I could sleep in and even find time to call family and friends back home. In the afternoon, I was surprised with my favourite cake, baked by Julia.
Our work continued with the mooring array at 53°N, which consists of seven moorings. So far, we have recovered five (K7, K8, K9, DSOW1 and DSOW2), and three of them have already been redeployed (K7, K8 and DSOW1,).
Deploying K7 turned out to be particularly tricky. On our first attempt, sea ice drifted toward us faster than expected, forcing us to recover nearly half of the mooring again. While the ship itself can handle drifting ice, deploying a mooring is much more delicate: a long cable with instruments and floats is released behind the ship before the anchor is dropped, allowing the system to sink into place.
Two days later, we tried again and this time, the deployment was successful.
Afterwards, we moved closer to the sea ice, which was a highlight for many of us. Seeing the ice up close and even spotting a seal swimming nearby, made the experience unforgettable.
Due to the continuing harsh weather, the decision was made to return to K1 and make use of an upcoming weather window for deployment the following day.
German:
Zwischen Stürmen und Wissenschaft: Ostern in der Labradorsee (04.04.26 – 13.04.26)
Zwischen all der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit haben wir Ostern an Bord gefeiert, auch wenn das Wetter andere Pläne für uns hatte. Aufgrund der rauen Bedingungen konnten wir keine CTD-Messungen durchführen (Messungen von Leitfähigkeit, Temperatur und Tiefe im Ozean).
Ostern selbst war eine Mischung aus Erholung und kleinen Feierlichkeiten. Einige von uns genossen ein ausgedehntes Osterfrühstück mit traditionellem Osterbrot, während andere die Gelegenheit nutzten, etwas länger zu schlafen. Am Abend kamen Crew und Wissenschaftler*innen zu einer kleinen Feier zusammen. Der Koch organisierte sogar ein Quiz, und wer die Fragen richtig beantwortete, wurde mit Oster-Schokolade belohnt.
Am nächsten Tag besserte sich das Wetter, und wir begannen früh mit der Bergung von K1, einer 3.495 Meter langen Verankerung mitten in der Labradorsee. (Eine Verankerung ist eine lange, am Meeresboden befestigter Draht, der mit Instrumenten ausgestattet ist, um über längere Zeit Ozeandaten zu messen.)
Noch vor Sonnenaufgang gingen wir mit den nautischen Offizieren auf die Brücke, um nach ihr Ausschau zu halten. Glücklicherweise verfügt K1 über eine schwimmende Boje mit Licht, sodass wir sie bereits im Dunkeln entdecken konnten. Die eigentliche Bergung begann bei Tagesanbruch und es begann sogar zu schneien.
Zwischen all den CTD-Einsätzen und Verankerungsarbeiten gab es auch ein persönliches Highlight: meinen (Sarahs) Geburtstag. Obwohl ich schon öfter Geburtstage fernab von zu Hause verbracht habe, war dieser besonders, so weit draußen auf dem Meer und mit nur eingeschränktem Internetkontakt.
Normalerweise arbeite ich in der 4-8 Uhr Schicht, aber mein unglaublich nettes Schichtteam hat mir den Morgendienst freigegeben. So konnte ich etwas länger schlafen und hatte sogar Zeit, mit Familie und Freunden zu Hause zu telefonieren. Am Nachmittag wurde ich dann noch mit meinem Lieblingskuchen überrascht, den Julia für mich gebacken hat.
Unsere Arbeit ging weiter mit dem Verankerungs-Array bei 53°, das aus sieben Verankerungen besteht. Bisher haben wir fünf geborgen (DSOW1, DSOW2, K7, K8 und K9), von denen drei bereits wieder ausgebracht wurden (DSOW1, K7 und K8).
Das Ausbringen von K7 erwies sich als besonders schwierig. Beim ersten Versuch trieb das Meereis schneller auf uns zu als erwartet, sodass wir fast die Hälfte der Verankerung wieder einholen mussten. Obwohl das Schiff selbst gut durch treibendes Eis navigieren kann, ist das Ausbringen einer Verankerung deutlich anspruchsvoller: Dabei wird ein langer Draht mit Messinstrumenten und Auftriebskörpern hinter dem Schiff ausgesetzt, bevor am Ende der Anker gelöst wird und das gesamte System absinkt.
Zwei Tage später versuchten wir es erneut, diesmal mit Erfolg.
Anschließend fuhren wir näher an das Meereis heran, was für viele von uns ein besonderes Highlight war. Das Eis aus nächster Nähe zu sehen und sogar eine Robbe in der Nähe schwimmen zu beobachten, machte das Erlebnis unvergesslich.
Aufgrund der weiterhin rauen Wetterbedingungen wurde schließlich entschieden, zu K1 zurückzukehren, um ein bevorstehendes Wetterfenster für die Ausbringung am nächsten Tag zu nutzen.
Between Storms and Science: Easter in the Labrador Sea (04.04.26–13.04.26)
Ocean Acidification
Humans Just Flew Around the Moon This Week. But Would Babies Born There Ever Truly Feel Gravity? Ask Jellyfish Babies.
This week, NASA’s Artemis II crew made history by flying around the Moon and returning safely to Earth, the first human journey to the Moon’s vicinity in more than 50 years. It was a stunning reminder that humanity is no longer just dreaming about living beyond Earth. We are actively rehearsing for it.
And that leads to a much stranger, deeper question: even if one day we build skyscrapers on the Moon, raise families there, and turn space into a place to live, will babies born away from Earth develop a normal sense of gravity? Or will their bodies learn the universe differently?
To explore that question, NASA once turned to an unexpected stand-in for human babies: jellyfish babies. On the STS-40 mission, scientists sent thousands of tiny jellyfish polyps into space because jellyfish, like humans, rely on gravity-sensing structures to orient themselves. The experiment asked a simple but profound question: if a living body develops in microgravity, will it still know how to handle gravity later?
The answer was both fascinating and unsettling. The jellyfish developed in space in large numbers, but once back under Earth’s gravity, the ones that had developed in microgravity showed far more pulsing abnormalities than the Earth-grown controls. In other words, their bodies formed, but their sense of balance did not seem to work quite the same way.
That is why this old jellyfish experiment still matters today. Before we imagine lunar cities, schools, nurseries, and generations born off-world, we need to ask not only whether humans can survive in space, but whether developing there changes how the body understands something as basic as up, down, and movement. Jellyfish babies cannot tell us everything about human children, but they may have given us one of the first clues that life born beyond Earth might not come home unchanged.
Reference: https://nlsp.nasa.gov/view/lsdapub/lsda_experiment/0c10d660-6b12-573d-8c3b-e20e071aed3b
Image: GEOMAR, Sarah Uphoff
After a slight delay of the Maria S. Merian caused by late-arriving containers our research cruise MSM142 finally got underway. By last Tuesday (24.03.2026), the full scientific team had arrived in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and the ship reached port on Wednesday (25.03.2026) morning. That same day, scientists and technicians moved on board and immediately began preparations, assembling and testing our instruments. Although the mornings on Wednesday and Thursday were grey and overcast, the afternoons cleared up beautifully. This gave us valuable time to organize equipment on deck and store empty boxes back into the containers before departure.
Given the forecast of harsh conditions outside the fjord, we carried out the mandatory safety drill while still in harbour. This included practicing emergency procedures and boarding the lifeboat. After completing border control, we were finally ready to leave Nuuk. We set sail on March 27th, heading into the Labrador Sea to begin our mission. Even before starting scientific operations, we tested the setup for deploying our gliders without releasing them during the transit out of the fjord. Once we reached open waters, we were met by high waves the following morning. For some on board, this was their first experience under such rough sea conditions. Seasickness quickly became a challenge for a few, while scientific work had to be temporarily postponed due to the strong winds and sea conditions. Together with the crew, we discussed how best to adapt our measurement plans to the given weather conditions. On March 29th, we were finally able to begin our scientific program with the first CTD deployment. A CTD is an instrument used to measure conductivity, temperature, and depth, which are key parameters for understanding ocean structure.
During the following night, we continued with additional CTD stations and successfully recovered two moorings: DSOW 3 and DSOW 4, located south of Greenland. These moorings carry instruments at various depths that measure velocity, temperature, and salinity. DSOW 4 was redeployed on the same day, while DSOW 3 followed the next day. In addition, the bottles attached to the CTD’s rosette can be used to collect water samples from any desired depth. These samples can be used, for example, to determine the oxygen content, nutrient levels, and organic matter.
Both are part of the OSNAP array, a network of moorings spanning the subpolar North Atlantic. On these moorings are a few instruments, for example microcats which measure temperature, pressure and salinity.
We then conducted around 25 CTD stations spaced approximately 3 nautical miles apart across an Irminger ring identified from satellite data. This high-resolution sampling was necessary to capture the structure of an Irminger Ring, which had a radius of about 12 km wide.
The days leading up to April 2nd were marked by very rough weather conditions. Life on board became both challenging and, at times, unintentionally entertaining sliding chairs were not uncommon. During the night from April 1st to April 2nd, winds reached 11 Beaufort with gusts up to 65 knots, forcing us to pause our measurements. Fortunately, conditions improved by morning, allowing us to resume our work. As well as with the help of the crew we had to adapt to the harsh weather conditions to continue our scientific work. On the 3rd of April, we were able to deploy a few gliders and one float. An ocean glider is an autonomous underwater Vehicle, which you can steer remotely and send to different locations, while it is measuring oceanographic key parameters.
This research cruise focuses on understanding small-scale processes in the ocean and their connection to the spring bloom, an essential phase in marine ecosystem in subpolar regions. Despite the challenging start, we have already gathered valuable data and look forward to the weeks ahead in the Labrador Sea.
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