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Deep Sea exploration with the RV Southern Surveyor 11 January – 1 February 2008

Voyage 01/08 11Jan-1Feb 08 reports from the ship >view Exploring the Deep Sea Learn about the voyage objectives, meet the voyagers >more Seeing Underwater With the Autonomous Benthic Explorer (ABE) >more

Updates from members of the scientific and support crew on board. Report No 2: Surviving the "Zone of Death" 20 Jan 2008 The last few days have seen our first spell of good weather (defined as winds more or less consistently less than 20 knots) and we have used the time to do three ABE deployments. The first launch, in mid-day and good weather, was beautiful, with the vehicle slipping easily [...more]

For more information about this voyage download the Voyage Plan [PDF 332kb]

Near real-time data from the RV Southern Surveyor while she is at sea.

Post-voyage News

1 February 2008: Media Release: Ancient climate secrets raised from ocean depths

Exploring the Deep Sea

On January 11, Australia's Marine National Facility RV Southern Surveyor set out on a three week voyage to survey deep-sea coral beds in the Tasman Sea and Southern Ocean.

The composition of deep-sea corals is used to determine previous deep ocean conditions, such as temperature, salinity and the mixing of surface and deep water layers over a time scale of tens to hundreds of thousands of years. Using specialised remotely operated underwater vehicles, sampling will occur down to depths of 4000m – deeper than ever before in Australian waters.

The findings will contribute to models of regional and global climate change based on deep-sea circulation patterns in the Southern Ocean as well as documenting the biodiversity of life at extreme depths.

More information:

• Media Release: Submersible in 2.5 km dive for climate science
• Deep-sea corals provide key to climate change

About the voyage

The primary voyage objective is to identify areas of high quality live, sub-fossil and fossil
corals off south east Tasmania (to be sampled on the follow-up US vessel cruise). Three broad areas of interest have been identified: the Southern Seamounts, the Tasman Fracture Zone, and the South Tasman Rise. This objective will be met by deploying an Autonomous
Benthic Explorer (ABE), a non-tethered instrument specifically designed for survey work to depths of about 4000 m. 

The second objective is to document biodiversity of the deep-sea areas of the newly declared
South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network. High resolution video surveys and targeted benthic sampling will be conducted.

A third objective of the voyage is to collect surface plankton samples for invertebrate larvae while steaming across the shelf out of and back in to Hobart. 

Itinerary
Depart Hobart Friday, 11th January 2008
Return to Hobart Friday, 1st February 2008

Voyage Track
The map below illustrates the proposed voyage track for SS01/2008 to the Southern Seamounts, the Tasman Fracture Zone, and the South Tasman Rise.

Modified: 6/05/11

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