Hi everyone! Note that I use the term "everyone" loosely because I'm sure it only includes my parents, siblings, boyfriend, and roommates... but I'm going to go ahead pretend I'm more popular than I actually am and that literally everyone wants to (and will) read this. That being said, I will almost certainly describe everything that happens to me on this trip in as much boring detail as possible, for "everyone"'s benefit.
A brief background of how I ended up interested in marine geophysics (how it all began...): I graduated from CU-Boulder with a bachelor's degree in geology (summa cum laude... ahem) this past December. My undergraduate research was primarily structural geology and tectonics (field area in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah), but I discovered that I really was interested in (and good at) geophysics when I took a geophysics class in spring 2010. I've also been involved in processing geophysical data with my job at NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) the past two years. Last summer, I was a volunteer and assisted in collecting geophysical data in the Bighorn Mountains (as a part of the Bighorn Arch Seismic Experiment (BASE), http://www.bighorns.org/). I've become increasingly interested in graduate school the past few years as I excelled in school, my undergraduate research, and at my job. Taking geophysics last spring cemented my intention combine interests and experience in geophysics, marine geology, and structural geology in graduate school by pursuing a higher degree in marine geophysics.
Why/how I am able to go to sea this June: Last December, I had the opportunity to go to the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco to present my undergraduate research. This was a great experience, but more importantly, I was able to meet with potential graduate advisers while at AGU. Dr. Sean Gulick, who will by my adviser at UT this fall, brought up the possibility of going to sea with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and his research group in June. I had been actively searching for an opportunity to go to sea before graduate school, so of course I expressed immediate interest in this. A month or so later, Sean called and confirmed that I was going to be a part of the Gulf of Alaska cruise in June! Of course, I was ridiculously excited. This was before I had even been accepted at UT for grad school, but he mentioned the possibility of using some of the seismic data we would collect for my graduate thesis, should I be accepted and decide to attend go to Austin. My graduate school decision ended up being quite a difficult one (between UT, UW-Madison, and the University of Rhode Island), but the overwhelming amount of resources and the prestigious geophysics program at UT won out in the end. Convenient that I picked UT, because now I get to start on my thesis before even beginning classes.
My research at UT will be as a part of the St. Elias Erosion/Tectonics Project (STEEP) research group (http://www.ig.utexas.edu/steep/). The overarching reason we are researching the tectonics in the Gulf of Alaska is to determine the uplift of the largest coastal mountains in the world, the St. Elias Mountains. This mountain range is interesting because it is located along an oblique collision zone, and the interaction between tectonics, glaciation, and sedimentation in the area (all within the past few million years, quite recent in a geologic timescale) is quite a unique phenomenon. In addition to obtaining a better understanding of oblique collision in general, there are a number of other applications of this research, including climatic implications (from climate-tectonic interaction). USGS is also interested in the area to determine the edge of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (http://continentalshelf.gov/). My research will certainly be on the tectonic side of things, and I'll keep you updated on geology of the area as we narrow down a more specific research focus for me. What my thesis is based on depends partly on what we find in Alaska on the cruise.
During the cruise, we will be collecting a variety of types of geophysical data, including multibeam swath sonar, gravity, magnetics, and active source seismic data. My understanding is that I'll primarily be working with the multibeam and the seismic data. I've worked with multibeam a little bit already at NGDC - this data gives you seafloor elevations, and you can use it to make pretty bathymetric hillshades of the seafloor, showing where seamounts and other morphologic features are. Seismic data, collected aboard an oceanic research vessel, involves sending pulses of sound energy toward the seafloor with airguns trailing off of the back of the ship (seriously). The airguns "shoot" loudly (I WILL be bringing earplugs) every couple of minutes or so, I believe, and reflect off of subsurface layers beneath the seafloor. The two-way travel time of the return signal tells you how far it is to these subsurface structures. After some amount of processing, you can actually create cross-sectional "maps" and images of the subsurface structure, and then interpret it to determine the geologic history of the area. I've never worked with seismic data before, but I'm sure I'll learn plenty while on board (and subsequently in school and in my research, as this will be a large component of my thesis). In case you are interested, here's a bit more information about the boat itself: I'll be sailing aboard the Marcus G. Langseth, which is a scientific research vessel owned and operated by Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Here's the website for the Langseth, specifically, which gives technical specs, capabilities, capacity, size, photos, etc.: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/fac/omo/index.html. I'll try to post photos and whatnot while on board, but the internet will be slow, so bear with me on that. Here's a blog from another graduate student who sailed aboard the Langseth, and he managed to post some photos (the rest of the blog is fairly interesting as well): http://highseastales.blogspot.com/2009/01/langseth-photos.html. I know that they have some surprisingly good amenities on board, including a movie room, game room, and fitness center.
It's about a week before the cruise (my flight to Kodiak is on Friday, June 3) and preparations are in full swing. I've had a number of meetings and phone calls with folks at my office and from USGS about what to pack, what to expect, and what life is like aboard a research vessel. I am definitely both nervous and excited to be going so soon! I feel as prepared as I could be, so far... I've gotten great advice from everyone. I have some hard core prescription medicine and lists of things to buy and pack, just a few things left to go get next week and I'm all set. While on board, I'll be working 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week, watching data come in and doing a bit of processing as well. They will be feeding me three meals a day (score) and I'll be able to do normal things like shower, laundry, etc. Doesn't sound all that bad to me! Certainly more details to come as I begin life on board!
I understand that I'll have internet access aboard the ship, though it'll be a slow connection and not constant (depending on weather and satellite coverage). I will be able to email every day or two and hopefully post on here at about the same rate. I will NOT have access at all to phone or instant messaging, and it's unclear how effective things like Facebook will be. But please email me or comment here! maureenl923@gmail.com. Next post I make, I'll be on board! Stay tuned!
