NeMO 2004 Cruise:

R/V Thomas Thompson
September 18-October 1, 2004
Seattle, Washington - Newport, Oregon

The NeMO 2004 program will use ROPOS to recover and deploy seafloor instruments and to take a suite of chemical, biologic, and geologic samples. The NeMO Project was conceived as a long-term study of the interactions between geology, chemistry, and biology on a dynamic part of the mid-ocean ridge system, using state-of art technology. The goal is to make multiple observations at one location over several years to document changes in interrelated systems. Hence, the need for a multi-year seafloor observatory. The focus since 1998 has been to sample and observe the system in the aftermath of a major eruption at the summit of the volcano. The remotely operated vehicle ROPOS is used as the primary sampling and mapping system.

Scientific operations at Axial Volcano in 2004 include:

1. Biologic/chemical sampling at hydrothermal vents with the ROPOS ROV,
2. Deployment and recovery of temperature sensors at vents with ROPOS,
3. Annual seafloor pressure measurements with ROPOS to look for volcano inflation,
4. Deployment of a RAS chemical sampler and a bottom pressure recorder as part of the NeMONet real-time communication system,
5. Deployment of the NeMO Net buoy which will relay data from seafloor instruments to PMEL and the Internet via acoustic modem and satellite, and
6. Recovery several long-term thermistor/current meter moorings