Cascadia Margin Sampling Technology
The dive objectives for the Cascadia Margin expedition were to find and explore regions containing methane seeps and hydrate. Additionally, scientists wanted to examine the seeps' surrounding ecosystems and take samples at each site. At the beginning of the expedition, ROV Hercules received some new tools to help with many unique sampling endeavors. The instruments aided in collecting samples of methane hydrate and gas bubbles, ocean floor strata, and the sounds of bubble streams. Hercules was equal to the task, using all of the equipment to obtain samples for scientists.
Contributed by Lead Science Communication Fellow Marty Momsen, and Science Communication Fellows Savanna Nilsen and Cassi Weathersbee.
Cascadia Margin
The main objectives of this expedition are to explore for methane seeps and hydrate sites and to characterize their associated ecosystems along the U. S. Cascadia Margin. Gas hydrates and gas-filled pockets present in sedimentary deposits provide large reservoirs for methane in the Earth’s crust, and the importance of methane as a potent greenhouse gas has been recognized in recent years.
