 |
   |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography are teaming up on the Hawaiian Research Vessel
Kilo Moana to study the Samoan Hotspot. They named their expedition ALIA after the ancient twin-hulled canoe that Samoan Warriors used to explore the SW Pacific. The Kilo Moana will leave Pago Pago on April 4 with a crew of science warriors with an ambitious plan to study active and extinct underwater volcanoes along the
chain of Samoan of islands. The ALIA expedition will study previously uncharted seamounts and the submarine portions of some islands, scattered over almost 600 nautical miles, from its most recent and quite active Vailulu’u submarine volcano in the east to Combe Island in the west.
The data and rocks collected during the ALIA expedition will be used to explore the hotspot model, which predicts that ocean island and seamount chains are formed on moving lithospheric plates by stationary hotspots in the Earth’s mantle. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Ancient beliefs, Contemporary Facts & Amalgamation
This discussion embodies the realms of knowledge and understanding
between the old and new worlds of Samoa. It emphasizes the genesis
of the Samoan islands as inferred by ancient and modern scientists
respectively, specifically in the context of human-environment
relationships. Please read on to follow this report by International
Observer Shaun Williams on the existent similarities between these
two cultures. |
|
 |
Mapping the Sea Floor
Mapping the Ocean Floor is a complex process, but thanks to modern
sonar arrays it has been made relatively easy, and incredibly
accurate. Learn how scientists chart the 75% of the earth that is
relatively unknown. |
|
 |
Mechanics of the CTD
A CTD is device which is lowered into the water and relays back
information about the water it is passing through. They are
lowered through a depth range and the data collected is used to
create a water profile of that range. Most CTD’s are also equipped
with Niskin bottles that can be triggered to collect water samples
at different depths. |
|
 |
Interview with the Captain of the R/V Kilo Moana
The captain of the ship, Bryon Wilson, is in charge of all aspects
of the ship, an responsible for the operation of the vessel. Learn
more about this critical person and how/why he came to be captain of
a research vessel, and a twin-hulled one at that. |
|
 |
Interview with Stan Hart, Co-Chief Scientist
Co-Chief Scientist Stan Hart is from Woods Hole Institute of
Oceanography. Find out what it is like to be a professor and chief
scientists aboard a research cruise. |
|
 |
PISCES 5 Dive 609: Vailulu’u Seamount NW breach and Nafanua
Volcano
The goal of this dive was to explore the NW breach of Vailulu’u and
the recently discovered Nafanua cone in the western portion of the
crater. Several instruments and exposure experiments were to be
deployed in the crater, and in the spillway of water from the NW
breach to a channel north of Nafanua volcano. Read a quick report
here and view some exiting underwater video coverage. |
|
 |
PISCES 5 Dive 610: Vailulu’u Seamount NW and W breaches and
Nafanua Volcano
The goal of this dive was to explore the western summit, the SW
basin and Nafanua shield volcano. We were to deploy a current meter,
exposure experiments, temperature loggers and MAPRs on the
western-most summit. Also we took samples on sites including
Lefaleleilagi, the SW upper terrace, on the recently discovered
Nafanua shield volcano in the western portion of the crater, and
below and at the NW breach. Read a quick report here. |
|
 |
Ta’ū through the Hourglass: An alternative look ...
If you look closely at the morphology or shape of Ta’ū Island, one
may notice a pronounced variation from how it looks in the present
day and how it appears on the maps published by the Scottish
Geographical Magazine in 1889. From a more circular volcanic cone,
this island appears to have changed to a horseshoe shape with its
opening facing south. Read here an account on the fascinating
explanations on this morphological observation. Report by Shaun
Williams. |
|
 |
Nafanua -- A New Volcanic Cone in the Vailulu'u Crater
At 8 inches per day a new volcanic hyaloclastite cone has been growing
inside the crater of Vailulu'u. During our last DeepFreeze
expedition onboard the US Coastguard vessel the Polar Star in May
2001 the crater floor was consistently about 1,000 meters deep, yet
over the last 4 years, a 290 m high volcanic cone, named Nafanua, has
sprung up filling in the west portion of the crater. |
|
 |
Fanuasā o Tagaloaolagi: In Retrospect
Shaun Williams is our Samoan international observer joining the ALIA
expedition. Read his take on the importance of this cruise to the
Samoan people, the integration of science in their culture and the
importance of teaching about volcanic hazards. |
|
| View News Archive | Participants |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
ALIA Expedition Info
 Abstract
Related Publications
ERDA Data Files
Participants
News Archive
R/V Kilo Moana |
|
 |
Vailulu'u Web Page
To the Eastside of Ta'u Island an active underwater volcano, named Vailulu'u, is present. This unique seamount already has been the subject of three previous seagoing
cruises. Read more about the outcome of these cruises ... |
|
 |
Seamount Catalog
The Seamount Catalog is a digital archive for bathymetric seamount maps that can be viewed and downloaded in various formats. Visit this online catalog to find grid and multibeam data files, as well as user-contributed files,
from the Samoa Hotspot trail. |
|
WHOI | SIO | EarthRef.org Links
Sponsored by
NSF and
NSDL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Day 24 Image Gallery and Daily Report
Tisa's
son is cleaning off a grapefruit with a cut-off can (hopefully
not, but probably Starkist). |
|
 |
Day 23 Image Gallery and Daily Report
How to
pile the pile of rocks? A puzzle that requires at least six
brains ... |
|
 |
Day 22 Image Gallery and Daily Report
Today was an eventful
day, for life on a ship. Today was the first day that any
shipboard videoconferencing happened... |
|
 |
Day 21 Image Gallery and Daily Report
Dredging off the Wallis Island, we watched as dredge 127 picked
up rock after rock... |
|
| View All Galleries | Daily Report Archive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
The Rock
Saw
Anthony gets to work
cutting the rocks from dredge 127. Each sample has to be cut
into various shapes for processing, and this is the saw we use to do
it. |
|
 |
Slicing
through the Clear Waters
The
clear water around Wallis island makes it easy to see the unique
shape of the Kilo Moana's bow. |
|
| Video Archive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here's the scoop: We, Ryan Delaney, Daniel Staudigel and Blake
English, are high school students from High Tech High in San Diego. We were invited to join the ALIA Expedition aboard the R/V Kilo Moana, to report on the daily occurrences on the expedition. These reports are meant to give our perspective on the cruise (sometimes differing from those of our two Fahrt Leiters,
i.e. Chief Scientists in German) and they represent a mixed bag of personal impressions from our travels as well as some interesting science tidbits, as we see
or learn of them. We're also responsible for much of the content that you see on this site, and in addition to our daily updates, there are certain topics which were too interesting to leave unshared. Please join us as we spend a month at sea in the South Pacific studying oceanography. |
|
Note: Just so you know we're roughing it, the water here is 85 degrees
Fahrenheit. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 22 -- 25 April 2005 -- Our Final Full Day
at Sea