R/V Maria S. Merian cruise underway at Logatchev hydrothermal vent field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Cruise MSM 10/3 on board R/V Maria S. Merian is underway from 11 Jan - 13 Feb 2009, with scientists from Germany and France, led by Chief Scientist Nicole Dubilier (InterRidge Steering Committee Member). This cruise is part of the German Science Foundation’s Priority Program “From Mantle to Ocean” (SPP 1144) in which scientists are working together to better understand the geology, chemistry, and biology of hydrothermal vents on the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Scientists are using the ROV Kiel 6000 to investigate the Logatchev hydrothermal vent field at 14°45’ N, 44°58’ W.
For weekly cruise reports, check the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology website:
http://www.mpi-bremen.de/en/Cruise_reports_from_Maria_S._Merian.html