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We are boldly exploring our unknown Ocean to excite interest and inform the wise stewardship of our planet.

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The Doldrums Fracture Zone
Our planet’s longest mountain range is located in the center of the Atlantic Ocean: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This submarine volcanic mountain chain stretches for more than 16,000 kilometers, shaping Earth’s geology where tectonic plates drift apart. As the plates separate, mantle material rises, partially melts, and generates magma that forms new oceanic crust. The movement of plates forms wrinkles and lines along the planet’s surface, known as fault zones, which tell the story of Earth’s tectonic history. These fault zones circulate water into the seafloor and through the crust, later releasing it with new chemical compositions— some of which feed deep-sea bacteria that fuel thriving ecosystems in the deepest, darkest parts of the Ocean. While chemosynthetic ecosystems are well documented along the ridge, little is known about what lives on the fault zones. The Doldrums Megatransform System is one of these fault zones formed where offset ridge segments are linked by transform faults as the Atlantic seafloor spreads apart. Here, tectonic plates scrape and slide past one another, creating fascinating geologic formations like fault scarps and sedimented basins, both of which can host areas of chemically altered seawater and deep-sea ecosystems. Dr. Aaron Micallef of MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) and the international team will travel to the Doldrums Fracture Zone to map and identify interesting geological features, and then use ROV SuBastian to visualize them. Key to their work will be The Childlike Empress AUV, which will both create high-resolution maps of the seafloor and use its sensors to sniff out interesting chemicals that indicate venting. This expedition marks the first time Schmidt Ocean Institute’s new AUV will be used for scientific research.
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In the coming years, our expeditions will explore understudied regions around all seven continents in our global Ocean.

Latest Expedition

See all

The Doldrums Fracture Zone
Our planet’s longest mountain range is located in the center of the Atlantic Ocean: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This submarine volcanic mountain chain stretches for more than 16,000 kilometers, shaping Earth’s geology where tectonic plates drift apart. As the plates separate, mantle material rises, partially melts, and generates magma that forms new oceanic crust. The movement of plates forms wrinkles and lines along the planet’s surface, known as fault zones, which tell the story of Earth’s tectonic history. These fault zones circulate water into the seafloor and through the crust, later releasing it with new chemical compositions— some of which feed deep-sea bacteria that fuel thriving ecosystems in the deepest, darkest parts of the Ocean. While chemosynthetic ecosystems are well documented along the ridge, little is known about what lives on the fault zones. The Doldrums Megatransform System is one of these fault zones formed where offset ridge segments are linked by transform faults as the Atlantic seafloor spreads apart. Here, tectonic plates scrape and slide past one another, creating fascinating geologic formations like fault scarps and sedimented basins, both of which can host areas of chemically altered seawater and deep-sea ecosystems. Dr. Aaron Micallef of MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) and the international team will travel to the Doldrums Fracture Zone to map and identify interesting geological features, and then use ROV SuBastian to visualize them. Key to their work will be The Childlike Empress AUV, which will both create high-resolution maps of the seafloor and use its sensors to sniff out interesting chemicals that indicate venting. This expedition marks the first time Schmidt Ocean Institute’s new AUV will be used for scientific research.
Read More

From grants for caregivers to an artist-at-sea residency, our programs strive to deepen knowledge and inspire a connection with our planet’s life support system.

Latest Expedition

See all

The Doldrums Fracture Zone
Our planet’s longest mountain range is located in the center of the Atlantic Ocean: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This submarine volcanic mountain chain stretches for more than 16,000 kilometers, shaping Earth’s geology where tectonic plates drift apart. As the plates separate, mantle material rises, partially melts, and generates magma that forms new oceanic crust. The movement of plates forms wrinkles and lines along the planet’s surface, known as fault zones, which tell the story of Earth’s tectonic history. These fault zones circulate water into the seafloor and through the crust, later releasing it with new chemical compositions— some of which feed deep-sea bacteria that fuel thriving ecosystems in the deepest, darkest parts of the Ocean. While chemosynthetic ecosystems are well documented along the ridge, little is known about what lives on the fault zones. The Doldrums Megatransform System is one of these fault zones formed where offset ridge segments are linked by transform faults as the Atlantic seafloor spreads apart. Here, tectonic plates scrape and slide past one another, creating fascinating geologic formations like fault scarps and sedimented basins, both of which can host areas of chemically altered seawater and deep-sea ecosystems. Dr. Aaron Micallef of MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) and the international team will travel to the Doldrums Fracture Zone to map and identify interesting geological features, and then use ROV SuBastian to visualize them. Key to their work will be The Childlike Empress AUV, which will both create high-resolution maps of the seafloor and use its sensors to sniff out interesting chemicals that indicate venting. This expedition marks the first time Schmidt Ocean Institute’s new AUV will be used for scientific research.
Read More

Experience the wonder of our global Ocean via immersive galleries of art, scientific discoveries, and film.

Latest Expedition

See all

The Doldrums Fracture Zone
Our planet’s longest mountain range is located in the center of the Atlantic Ocean: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This submarine volcanic mountain chain stretches for more than 16,000 kilometers, shaping Earth’s geology where tectonic plates drift apart. As the plates separate, mantle material rises, partially melts, and generates magma that forms new oceanic crust. The movement of plates forms wrinkles and lines along the planet’s surface, known as fault zones, which tell the story of Earth’s tectonic history. These fault zones circulate water into the seafloor and through the crust, later releasing it with new chemical compositions— some of which feed deep-sea bacteria that fuel thriving ecosystems in the deepest, darkest parts of the Ocean. While chemosynthetic ecosystems are well documented along the ridge, little is known about what lives on the fault zones. The Doldrums Megatransform System is one of these fault zones formed where offset ridge segments are linked by transform faults as the Atlantic seafloor spreads apart. Here, tectonic plates scrape and slide past one another, creating fascinating geologic formations like fault scarps and sedimented basins, both of which can host areas of chemically altered seawater and deep-sea ecosystems. Dr. Aaron Micallef of MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) and the international team will travel to the Doldrums Fracture Zone to map and identify interesting geological features, and then use ROV SuBastian to visualize them. Key to their work will be The Childlike Empress AUV, which will both create high-resolution maps of the seafloor and use its sensors to sniff out interesting chemicals that indicate venting. This expedition marks the first time Schmidt Ocean Institute’s new AUV will be used for scientific research.
Read More

Underway CTD’s - The Struggle is 'Reel'

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Although our expensive new robots can cruise underwater for days at a time, setting them up for their most scientifically valuable missions begins with compiling data to form a picture of the oceanic feature we are trying to study. Satellite altimetry shows us differences of tens of centimeters above or below the average sea surface height, which are usually indicators of eddy features. Crossing a suspected eddy using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) uncovers the ocean current speed and direction from the surface to over 100 meters deep. While the ADCP shows the spinning motion, a preferable study site also includes the vertical motion of water masses. Visualizing vertical shifts in salinity and temperature across sections of eddy’s hundreds of kilometers wide is the specialty of the underway CTD (uCTD).Where to Begin
We started at the southern edge of a cyclonic eddy on a cloudy afternoon. The ocean was rough and the initial deployments a flurry of activity. Every part of the devices serve an essential function; if one of them fails, we break out the toolbox. Through the night and into the early morning, we conducted 57 profiles as we steamed to the northern edge of the eddy. The entire trip took only 16 hours. To put that in perspective, an equivalent survey with a traditional CTD rosette would take nearly three days. The uCTD encapsulates scientific fieldwork: Each step is simple, but any lapse in attention at any point can result in damaged equipment, unreliable data, or loss of the CTD probe. After all, once something goes overboard, there is a chance it will not come back.

Results Worth the Trials
Despite the rain, sea spray, and hair-raising rolls, working in alternating pairs begot late night chats and fun exchanges of music. Time melts between spurts of intense focus and engaging banter. By the end of our transect, spirits were high and the results exciting.

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