Short descriptions of the members of the research crew
Leanne Armand: Macquarie University
Leanne Armand is a Southern Ocean phytoplankton specialist from the Department of Biological Sciences and Climate Futures at Macquarie University. On this voyage, Leanne’s main research aim is to record the diatoms species present in the water column and from the sea floor. Further information can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/tottenexpedition/science-people/australian-scientists.
Glenn Clark: Parishville-Hopkinton Central School
Glenn Clark will the be the teacher on board sponsored by PolarTREC. His role is to work side by side with the scientists in all capacities. When not assisting the scientists and crew he will be disseminating the information back to the general public about the research and expedition life. Glenn’s website can be found on polartrec.com.
Paul Clark: Texas A&M University
Eugene Domack: University of South Florida
Gene Domack is a Professor of Geological Oceanography at the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science. He is a glacial geologist with expertise as a sedimentologist and geochemist. A major focus of his research is on understanding how Antarctica’s climate has varied over time. He also conducts work on Neoproterozoic “Snowball Earth” rocks in Namibia, Svalbard and Greenland, Late Paleozoic rocks in Tasmania, and glacial sediments in the northwestern and northeastern US.
Rodrigo Fernandez: University of Texas, Institute for Geophysics
Rodrigo Fernandez will work as part of the geophysics group from the University ofTexas Institute for Geophysics, studying the glacial and post-glacial sedimentary structures of the area. Rodrigo will contribute to the understanding of the glacial history and the retreat of the Totten Glacier using marine seismic data. Further information can be found at the UTIG website: http://www.ig.utexas.edu/people/staff/r.f/ , and at http://montesellsworth.blogspot.com/.
Bruce Frederick: University of Texas, Institute for Geophysics
As a PhD candidate at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Bruce Frederick is working with Dr. Don Blankenship to assess the character and extent of expansive subglacial sedimentary basins extending across Wilkes Land, East Antarctica. The Totten cruise will test onshore potential fields models and hypotheses about Aurora Basin development with associated offshore sedimentary basin geology and geophysics data. Relevant tasks while aboard the NBP will include assistance with multichannel seismic, multibeam, and chirp acquisition and processing, marine gravity and magnetics surveys, and geologic core sample collection and processing. Further information can be found at http://www.ig.utexas.edu/people/students/bruce/.
Jamin Greenbaum: University of Texas, Institute for Geophysics
Jamin Greenbaum’s primary responsibility will be the setup and maintenance of the instruments measuring Earth’s gravity field in fine detail. He will also process and analyze the resulting data, allowing the team to infer the presence and geophysical properties of deep geological structures throughout the expedition but especially where transects contain concurrent seismic and magnetics data. Jamin will also assist with seismic and oceanographic data acquisition/processing.
Michelle Guitard: University of South Florida
Michelle Guitard is a Master’s student working with Amelia Shevenell on the marine geology portion of the cruise. She will be helping to collect, log, and samples cores, as well as helping to run the lab during her shift. Further information can be found at Amelia Shevenell’s website, http://ameliashevenell.wordpress.com .
Sean Gulick: University of Texas, Institute for Geophysics
David Gwyther: University of Tasmania/ University of Texas, Institute for Geophysics
David Gwyther is a University of Tasmania PhD candidate currently completing a Fulbright scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin. He is particularly excited to be on this cruise, as his research focuses on simulating ocean circulation and melting of the Totten ice shelf.
Bruce Huber: Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Division of Ocean and Climate Physics
Bruce Huber is a physical oceanographer whose research onboard will focus on ocean circulation near Antarctica, particularly the interactions between the ocean, the atmosphere and the cryosphere. Bruce will also be part of a team measuring and recording ocean temperature, salinity and currents.
Caroline Lavoie: Universidade de Averio
Caroline Lavoie uses multibeam swath bathymetry processing and Geographic Information Systems to study Marine and Quaternary Geosciences. Caroline is an Assistant Researcher in sustainable use of Marine Resources- MARES- for CESAM & Department of Geosciences at the University of Aveiro, in Portugal.
Amy Leventer: Colgate University
Amy Leventer is a Professor of Geology at Colgate University. Her research expertise is with polar marine diatoms. Diatoms, single-celled algae with siliceous shells, are excellent proxy recorders of past oceanographic conditions.
David Paul Morgan: Hamilton College
David Morgan is an undergraduate student who will operate as a lab scientist and technician working for Eugene Domack. During the cruise, David will assist with the retrieval, logging, processing, and analysis of sediment cores. This will include photographing, writing about, and analyzing Antarctic ocean mud. More information can be found at David’s website, http://davepmorgan.tumblr.com/.
Alejandro Orsi: Texas A&M University
Alix Post: Geoscience Australia
Alix Post works as a marine geoscientist in the Antarctic Geoscience group at Geoscience Australia in Canberra. Her work during this voyage will involve analysing the images of the seafloor that we collect to better understand the types of sea life living in different parts of this environment.
Mikhaila Redovian: Colgate University
Mikhaila Redovian is currently an undergraduate student studying geology at Colgate University. She will be working with Amy Leventer and Kara Vadman to analyze diatom assemblages through quantitative microscopy, and will also be updating this blog throughout the course of the cruise.
Mark Rosenberg: University of Tasmania
Mark Rosenberg will be assisting with the oceanographic study. Mark will work closely with mooring deployments and retrievals, and CTD work.
Steffen Saustrup: University of Texas, Institute for Geophysics
Steffen Saustrup will be working with the seismic streamer, the Geode seismic recording instrument and software, the Hotshot seismic source firing instruments and software, processing the seismic data, and maintaining the Landmark seismic interpretation project. Steffen is a veteran of over 50 science cruises.
Amelia Shevenell: University of South Florida
Amelia Shevenell is an Assistant Professor of Geological Oceanography at the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science. Amelia studies the evolution of Earth’s climate system on sub-millennial to orbital timescales using geochemical proxy records derived from marine sediments. She employs inorganic and organic geochemical techniques and micropaleontologic analyses, a multi-proxy approach that enables her to address a broad range of climate and biogeochemical problems.
Catherine Smith: University of South Florida
Katy Smith is a graduate student of Geological Oceanography at the University of South Florida who works with Eugene Domack. They study paleoclimatology with the use of sediment cores, bathymetric data, seismic data and other proxies.
Tasha Snow: University of South Florida
Tasha Snow will work primarily as a Marine Mammal Observer for the duration of the cruise, ensuring minimal negative impacts on marine wildlife during research operations. Tasha is also a part of the marine geology team working to better understand East Antarctic ice shelves and their history. More information about Tasha can be found at her student website http://www.marine.usf.edu/PPBlaboratory/pages_students/Snow/Snow.html .
Kara Vadman: Colgate University
Kara Vadman is an undergraduate geology student at Colgate University. She studies assemblages of Antarctic marine diatoms preserved in seafloor sediment to reconstruct paleoceanographic conditions. Kara is working with Mikhaila Redovian and Professor Amy Leventer to contribute to this blog.
Andrea Walters: University of Tasmania
Andrea Walters’ role on the cruise is to maintain visual watches for marine mammals as the Protected Species Visual Observer on board. In addition to maintaining watches, species identification and number of individuals with the survey area will be completed to minimize the likelihood of adverse impacts of seismic operations on the mammals.
Kelsey Winsor: University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Geoscience, and Oregon State University College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Kelsey Winsor will complement the cruise’s proposed research through the use of various geochemical techniques that can be used to reconstruct paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic change. More information can be found at http://foramsetal.wordpress.com.
Natalie Jane Zielinski: Texas A&M University
Natalie Zielinski is currently pursuing a M.S. in Oceanography under advisement of Dr. Alejandro Orsi at Texas A&M University. Her focus on the cruise is to study new aspects of polar ocean currents and processes with significant influence to global climate change; particularly summer circulation and stratification of the continental shelf region off Totten Glacier System through an analysis of CTD surveys and short-term time series from moored instruments. Further information about Natalie can be found at http://ocean.tamu.edu/profile/NZielinski.
Exploring Totten 