Welcome aboard SOLACE!
The Southern Ocean Large Areal Carbon Export voyage aboard Australia's RV Investigator was successfully completed on Friday, 15 January 2021.
The six week voyage was aimed at developing an approach to quantify the changing effectiveness of CO2 sequestration by the ocean's biological pump using remote-sensing by satellites and autonomous vehicles.
The images & stories below are by the scientists & crew on board.
The SOLACE project includes contributions from CSIRO, the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), the Australian National University (ANU), Curtin University and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP).
VOYAGE BLOG
Scientists capture detailed snapshot of Southern Ocean’s role in carbon uptake
Australian researchers today returned from a six-week marine science voyage investigating the critical role of ocean life in capturing atmospheric carbon.
SOLACE team arrives back in Hobart after a successful 6 week voyage
After a 1000 nautical mile steam from polar waters, the SOLACE voyage finishes today, as we dock in Hobart.
Our seabird entourage
Unlike whale-watching, birding never fails to deliver.
At War with a Machine to Measure Life from Gas
The delicate balance of the natural world – what’s being created and what’s being lost – can largely be traced through the signature of the gas that’s left behind.
24 Hour Party Plankton
They are microscopic, exhibit funky shapes and wear many different colours. Welcome to the amazing world of phytoplankton!
Gels reveal particle types exported to the Twilight Zone
Polyacrylamide gels are providing a sneak peek at who’s responsible for exporting carbon to the ocean’s interior.
CTD profiles and Triaxus sections set the scene for SOLACE sites
Two of the main workhorse instruments on board are the CTD and the Triaxus. The information obtained by these two instruments helps the SOLACE team make important calls on the suitability of a site for a longer term multi-week occupation.
A Whale of a Christmas Tail
Christmas on the SOLACE research voyage turned out to be a real cracker.
5 things I didn’t know as a first time voyager
An IMAS PhD student and first time voyager gives an honest and up front account of her first three weeks on board RV Investigator.
Home
A nomadic scientist’s reflections of home, from the remote Southern Ocean.
PHOTO GALLERY
