Seeking the Seeps
USGS Research Cruise Studies Methane Seeps along the Cascadia Margin
Science Center Objects
From June 12 to July 3, 2019, the USGS sailed onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor with several other partners, seeking methane seeps along the seafloor of several underwater canyons off the coast of Oregon and Washington. On this cruise, USGS scientists will seek to understand how much methane is coming out of these seeps, how it travels through the water column, and its ultimate fate in the ocean. Scientists will also study the living communities and rock formations that accompany and underlie these methane seeps.
Sunset from the R/V Falkor during the #HuntingBubbles expedition.
(Credit: Alex Demas, USGS. Public domain.)
R/V Falkor deploys the CTD, short for Conductivity, Temperature and Depth. The instrument measures the conductivity in water, which is a good proxy for what the water has dissolved in it like salt, as well as the temperature and depth of the water where the instrument currently is. That information is then paired with any other data to give environmental context.
(Credit: Shelton Du Preez, Schmidt Ocean Institute. Courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute)
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Date published: May 27, 2021Status: ActiveEcosystems: EXPRESS
The continental shelf and slope offshore California, Oregon, and Washington are home to deep-sea corals, chemosynthetic communities, and other sensitive habitats that could be impacted by the development of energy and mineral resources. The EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean...
Contacts: Danny Brothers, Nancy Prouty -
Date published: May 27, 2021Status: ActiveEXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope. EXPRESS data and information are intended to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.
Contacts: Danny Brothers, Nancy Prouty -
Date published: October 15, 2018Status: ActiveU.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrates Project
The USGS Gas Hydrates Project focuses on the study of natural gas hydrates in deepwater marine systems and permafrost areas. The primary goals are:
- Evaluate methane hydrates as a potential energy source
- Investigate the interaction between methane hydrate destabilization and climate change at short and long time scales, particularly in the Arctic
- Study the spatial ...
Collecting a Push Core
ROV SuBastian inserts a push core into the seafloor sediments of Astoria Canyon off the coast of Oregon. These sediments will be analyzed for what creatures live in the sediments, as well as geochemical information.
Analyzing Sediment Samples
USGS scientists Jennie McClain-Courts and Penny McCowen analyze sediment samples recently collected by ROV SuBastian from the seafloor of Astoria Canyon off the coast of Oregon.
Amanda Demopoulos Stands on the R/V Falkor
USGS Scientist Amanda Demopoulos watches as the R/V Falkor sets sail to begin a survey of methane seeps off the coast of Oregon and Washington.
Scientists and Crew of the R/V Falkor Prior to Launch
The science party and crew of the R/V Falkor as we prepare to set sail.
Seeking the Seeps
We're setting sail onboard the R/V Falkor for 21 days of deepsea science. Lead scientist Amanda Demopoulos shares what she's excited about as we head out into the Pacific.
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Date published: July 3, 2019Bringing the Bubbles Home
As our cruise ends, lead scientist Amanda Demopoulos brings it all together and charts the path forward
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Energy & Wildlife, Energy Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: July 2, 2019Voyage of Luck
I cannot believe how lucky we’ve been.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Energy & Wildlife, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 30, 2019Bringing the Lab to the Field
Usually when scientists do research, they go into the field, take samples, then bring them back to the lab. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research engineer Howard Mendlovitz, working with Professor Chris Martens wants to reverse that.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 25, 2019Mapping by Moonlight
Every successful expedition has a skilled pathfinder who points the way. Meet ours.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 21, 2019Unexpected Pathways
We've learned about the creatures, the bubbles, and the rocks of the seeps. Now, let's take a look at the gas itself, and a few unexpected surprises await us.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 19, 2019Source of the Seeps
BGS Scientist Diana Sahy and USGS Scientist Nancy Prouty give us the low-down on where these rocks we've been seeing are coming from and, in the process, reveal where the seeps themselves originate.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 19, 2019WaterWords–Chemoherm
Keep up to speed with our Falkor research cruise with this latest seafloor syntax!
Attribution: Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 18, 2019WaterWords–Hydrothermal Vent
Keep up to speed with our Falkor research cruise with this latest seafloor syntax!
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 17, 2019WaterWords–Continental Margin
Keep up to speed with our Falkor research cruise with this latest seafloor syntax!
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center -
Date published: June 16, 2019The Secret Life of Bubbles
GEOMAR experts Jens Greinert and Tim Weiss provide a more complete picture of undersea bubbles than you ever thought possible.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center