See below for two opportunities to sail on research cruise in 2023

Early Career Scientists are strongly encouraged to apply - Applications open to all!

Near Trench Community Geodetic Experiment Cascadia expedition

Sailing in and out of Newport, Oregon

When: July 2023

Research vessel: R/V Thomas G. Thompson

Application deadline: Feb. 1, 2023

Apply here

Please consider joining us this summer for the 2023 Near Trench Community Geodetic Experiment Cascadia expedition! We will be departing from Newport, OR aboard the RV Thomas G. Thompson to deploy GNSS-Acoustic sites in Cascadia. This cruise will also feature the ROV Jason performing operations related to seafloor optical fiber strainmeters as well as GNSS-A sites. This is a shorter cruise – only 7 days in early July – which makes it a great opportunity for those who wish to try a research cruise but have never been to sea.

Graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to apply, so please spread the word to your students. Lots more info about the cruise can be found at the top of the application. If you miss this opportunity, don’t worry, there will be more opportunities to sail with the Near Trench Community Geodetic Experiment in future years.

The Near Trench Community Geodetic Experiment PI team (Mark Zumburge, Noel Bartlow, David Schmidt, Andy Newman, Spahr Webb, Surui Xie, and Donna Charlevoix)

Marine seismic cruises on Carolina Trough and Blake Plateau

Sailing in and out of Jacksonville, Florida

Application deadline: March 1, 2023

When: July 9 – Aug 14: Multi-channel seismic reflection imaging (MCS) cruise; Aug 17 – Sept 10: Refraction imaging cruise with ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) the ship schedule is still tentative, so changes are possible

Research vessel: R/V Marcus Langseth

We are soliciting applications to participate in either a multi-channel seismic (MCS) reflection imaging cruise, or an ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) marine seismic refraction cruise in the western Central Atlantic Ocean. This marine seismic experiment, on board the US seismic vessel R/V Marcus Langseth, is part of an NSF-funded investigation of the rift dynamics during the formation of the Carolina trough and Blake Plateau, offshore the southeastern United States. The resultant seismic images will give insight in the feedbacks between mechanical extension and magmatism during the early Jurassic opening of the Atlantic Ocean.

Sailing in and out of Jacksonville, Florida, we will first gather long-offset 2-D MCS data along several profiles across the continental margins of the southeastern United States and on the adjacent Mesozoic Atlantic oceanic crust. Besides the acquisition and QC of the incoming seismic data, we will carry out preliminary seismic data processing at sea. This MCS ship cruise will be approximately 37 days long. In the second cruise (25 days long), we will deploy 39 short-period ocean-bottom seismometers of the US national facility (OBSIC) to record wide-angle seismic data along key profiles of this study.

The responsibilities of the science party will include rotating 8-hour watches to assist in real-time monitoring of seismic reflection data acquisition, or with the deployment and recovery of the OBSs on board the R/V Marcus Langseth. Cruise activities will further include preliminary data analysis, science overviews, and reading and discussion of science papers relevant to the project. The geophysical data gathered during these two cruises will in due time be archived for open-access distribution to the scientific community.

We encourage applications from students, underrepresented minority scientists, and early-career scientists. We do not require applicants to have experience with marine geophysical data acquisition. Our goal is to provide an opportunity for young scientists interested in geodynamics, tectonics and marine geology to become familiar with data acquisition at sea. Funds to support the travel to and from the port (current expected to be Jacksonville, Florida) will be provided for US-based students and researchers.

To apply, please assemble an application package (two-page CV and a one-page statement of interest) and submit it by email to Harm Van Avendonk by March 1, 2023.

Applications from graduate students and post-docs also require a letter of support from the graduate advisor or supervisor. The ship schedule of the R/V Marcus Langseth is subject to change, but we expect to firm up the dates in the next few months. Please feel free to forward this advertisement to interested colleagues and students. Preliminary inquiries with questions are welcome too.

Best regards, 

PIs: Harm Van Avendonk and Nathan Bangs (UT Austin) and Anne Bécel (LDEO).