Chris German
Chris has been involved in the original discoveries of the Rainbow vent-site in the 1990s including one of the first dives there when Alvin and Nautile dived together in 1997.
But after spending 6 cruises to the site between 1994-1998, mostly studying the chemical output of the site to the surrounding ocean he has not been back for 10 years.
On this trip, he is a co-PI on Jeff Seewald and Tom McCollom's project to investigate the origins of the organic species in the vent-fluids (read more about this project here...). He will also be involved in other projects, including:
a) to complete a thorough systematic mapping of the seafloor at the Rainbow vent-site to determine exactly which vents lie where, before we start the rest of our work at that site,
b) to collect particles rising up in the buoyant part of the hydrothermal plumes directly above active vent-sites, with Kaitlyn McCartney, using Chip Breier's new SUPR sampler,
c) to collect shrimp, with Tim Shank & Breea Govenar (WHOI) and their colleague Brandy Toner (U.Minnesotta) to study rates and nature of Fe-oxide formation in branchial chambers.
