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October 23 2007
IGPP Researcher Hubert Staudigel on FeMO2007 Cruise on Loihi Seamount to Study Fe-Oxidizing Microbes
 Hubert StaudigelHubert Staudigel of IGPP is part of an ongoing research expedition to Loihi Seamount that is using the remotely operated vehicle Jason II aboard the Research Vessel Kilo Moana to study iron-oxidizing microbes. Loihi is the youngest and still submerged active volcano in the Hawaiian island chain and will ultimately grow to become the next Mauna Loa or Kilauea. Eighteen scientists and a high school teacher are visiting this geologically very dynamic environment of pit craters and hydrothermal vents, diving to water depths ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 m. There, they study how microbial activity adjusts to extreme environmental conditions. At Loihi these microbes use energy from "rusting" basalt on the seafloor, without using any daylight, which is the main energy source for most of life on Earth.
Visit the cruise web site to read ongoing reports from the cruise. The goal of the FeMO2007 Cruise web site is to integrate data acquisition and research at sea with education, in a continuum, that serves scientists, educators and students alike. Videos, images, movies, reports, lesson plans and data are posted in almost real time, with only a short delay through onboard processing and satellite communications. The goal is to use activities at sea to develop educational contents and a scientific archive while reporting on cruise activities.
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