UTIG researchers and students Sean Gulick, Harm Van Avendonk, Brandon Shuck, Dominik Kardell, Steffen Saustrup, Marcy Davis and Dan Duncan are currently aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth off the coast of New Zealand working on the South Island Subduction Initiation Experiment (SISIE). They sent us this update on their work so far on their cruise. 

Ahoy from the Southern Ocean!

Researchers working on the South Island Subduction Initiation Experiment (SISIE) are aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. Our quick update is that we have been at sea now for 2 weeks since setting sail from Dunedin, New Zealand and have successfully deployed, shot to and recovered two Ocean Bottom Seismometer profiles. We got 42 of our 43 instruments back on board after deploying them at depths up to 5900 m (a UTIG depth record).

A week ago we took shelter from a storm behind Auckland Island for two days but otherwise the weather has been great for the Southern Ocean. We are now recording our second Multichannel Seismic Profile and are already seeing exciting results that will help us understand how subduction starts. We have been seeing an amazing amount of albatross, a few fur seals, and a nice rainbow. We are scheduled to return to port March 20th.