The expedition

The research vessel Falkor(too)The Sublife Expedition takes place at the 9° North vent field at the East Pacific Rise, from 28 June until 28 July 2023.

Ship: Falkor (too) of the SOI – Schmidt Ocean Institute
ROV: SuBastian

During the expedition everyone will be able to follow the scientists on YouTube, where the dives to the hydrothermal vents will be broadcasted. 

Open the live stream during ROV dives (and view finished dives)

1 August 2023

I just arived home yesterday. It was a hectic second half of July with many long dives and amazing new discoveries. We were amazed to find tube worms living in cavities under the surface - they live under ground!

Watch the video Schmidt Ocean made of our discoveries at 2.500 meters depth.

10 July 2023

For several days we have visited this vent site known as Tica. The team collected rock, fluid, and animal samples from the surface and fluid samples from the cracks in the rocks, using the ROV SuBastian’s pumps and robotic arms. You can see all back in the live streams on YouTube.

Then, we have covered the surface with the mesh box staining gadget; a special staining box custom-designed by NIOZ. Under the box we have stained all the remaining animals with a harmless colloring agent. We left the mesh box for several days to allow larvae and small animals from the subsurface to settle in the mesh box. We have made a video to explain our work.

In a few days we will collect fluid in the mesh box and rocks up to 10 cm below the seafloor. It will allow us to distinguishing between previously stained and newly settled unstained animals on the rocks to examine the communities living in fissures in the earth’s crust.

4 July 2023 - Watch live through the eyes of ROV SuBastian

In the early evening (around 17h Dutch time) we had a live-stream with the ROV. Actually all dives will be live-streamed and anyone can ask questions in the chat. Open the video of the dive.

Afterward today's dive, we watched the kids experiments live as well.

The ROV pilots are ready for today's dive.

ROV SuBastian is ready for launch. On the back ground the dark sky of early morning July 4th.

Watch back the live feed of today's dive.

3 July 2023 - Online tour from on board the ship

TODAY we had a very nice ship to shore call – I just sent you a picture that shows me on screen in the Barbaraschool. We had a one-hour long call where I showed groep4-groep7 from the Barbaraschool what we do on the ship. We walked around the ship and showed the ROV, ROV mission control room, the labs where we work, but also where we sleep on board and where we eat. The kids asked all kind of different questions.

Sabine Gollner live on screen in the Barbara school, from the Falkor(too) in the Pacific Ocean.

22 May 2023, visit to the Barbaraschool

TODAY I introduced the Sublife expedition to schoolkids in Bunnik, the Netherlands. We discussed the amazing biodiversity at hydrothermal springs in the deep sea. Hydrothermal springs are oases in the oceans, with exotic creatures such as giant tubeworms.

I have also invited the kids to join my expedition via a video call in July and by designing an experiment which I can do in July when I'm on the Sublife Expedition in the Pacific Ocean.

Sabine Gollner speaking at the Barbara school in Bunnik, the Netherlands.

Black smoker - hydrothermal spring in the deep sea. (Photo MARUM)