Posted on Jun 30, 2022
Battling crabs 250 miles off the Oregon Coast, while studying an underwater volcano
1K
54
9
14
14
0
Being out on the research vessel Thompson in the middle of the ocean means never really hearing the ocean at all. There’s engine noise and exhaust blowers and climate control and winches and wind — but very few actual waves.
Being out on a research ship 250 miles away from land means the science never stops. It’s a 24-7 buzz of prepping, deploying and recovering geologic sensors trying to understand complicated questions about what makes volcanos tick — specifically the undersea Axial Seamount, which is about 250 miles west of Cannon Beach.
Being out on the research vessel Thompson also means witnessing firsthand a drama beneath the waves. It’s a story of human against nature, a battle of attrition, on the top of the Pacific Northwest’s most active volcano.
It’s a story I’ve come to call “The Spider Crab and the Seismometer.”
“We expect sabotage, crab sabotage. Because there’s obviously a battle going on between Jason and the crabs at Axial Seamount,” said Oregon State University volcanologist Bill Chadwick, the head scientist on the ship.
The saga starts on a Tuesday, our second day out at sea, and the ROV — which stands for “remotely operated vehicle” — called Jason is cruising along the ocean floor. It’s got these titanium arms with pincher hands that can pick up things off the bottom, move sensors around, maybe even play the violin if given the opportunity. It’s pretty impressive.
Being out on a research ship 250 miles away from land means the science never stops. It’s a 24-7 buzz of prepping, deploying and recovering geologic sensors trying to understand complicated questions about what makes volcanos tick — specifically the undersea Axial Seamount, which is about 250 miles west of Cannon Beach.
Being out on the research vessel Thompson also means witnessing firsthand a drama beneath the waves. It’s a story of human against nature, a battle of attrition, on the top of the Pacific Northwest’s most active volcano.
It’s a story I’ve come to call “The Spider Crab and the Seismometer.”
“We expect sabotage, crab sabotage. Because there’s obviously a battle going on between Jason and the crabs at Axial Seamount,” said Oregon State University volcanologist Bill Chadwick, the head scientist on the ship.
The saga starts on a Tuesday, our second day out at sea, and the ROV — which stands for “remotely operated vehicle” — called Jason is cruising along the ocean floor. It’s got these titanium arms with pincher hands that can pick up things off the bottom, move sensors around, maybe even play the violin if given the opportunity. It’s pretty impressive.
Battling crabs 250 miles off the Oregon Coast, while studying an underwater volcano
Posted from opb.org
Research
Science
Wildlife
Geology
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 6
8
8
0
7
7
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Now I've heard some stories about how someone got crabs, but this is the best story yet.
(7)
(0)
6
6
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Of course, on a boat full of scientists and engineers, not everyone was susceptible to such outlandish crab-based speculation.
I posed the prevailing crustacean-centered theory to Kocynski: “There’s a theory going around that the loss of your hood is crab-related, that it may have been an orchestrated effort by the crabs.”
“Nah,” he said.
He paused, shaking his head dismissively.
“It had to be the seal. Crabs are good – but they don’t have any strength. The seal, now, is a clever animal,” he replied.
But for Chadwick, all the proof he needed was at his instrument sites scattered underwater on the volcano.
“At the last benchmark, there was a crab waiting for us there…taunting us,” he said.
And listen all y’all: For this reporter’s money — it’s crabotage."
..."Of course, on a boat full of scientists and engineers, not everyone was susceptible to such outlandish crab-based speculation.
I posed the prevailing crustacean-centered theory to Kocynski: “There’s a theory going around that the loss of your hood is crab-related, that it may have been an orchestrated effort by the crabs.”
“Nah,” he said.
He paused, shaking his head dismissively.
“It had to be the seal. Crabs are good – but they don’t have any strength. The seal, now, is a clever animal,” he replied.
But for Chadwick, all the proof he needed was at his instrument sites scattered underwater on the volcano.
“At the last benchmark, there was a crab waiting for us there…taunting us,” he said.
And listen all y’all: For this reporter’s money — it’s crabotage."
(6)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google