Endeavour

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.  T.S. Elliot.

Recued Storm Petrel

Marine birds called “Petrels” often lose their way at night.  Confused and blinded by the lights of the Research Vessel Thompson, they hit the side of the ship landing on the deck hopefully to be revived by a passerby seeing them in distress.  During my first few day’s aboard a crew member found a disoriented Petrel and held it in the lining of her coat for three hours to keep it warm and perhaps calm it,  letting it go at dawn’s first light.  The blinding metaphor is a bit cliché, but humans are certainly blinded by many things most aptly stated by Aldo Leopold as he described our “Abrahamic Concept of Land” that gave us license to own the Earth and plunder its resources.

Tempo-mini at the hydrothermal vents.

So much of our time at sea is about making connections with the wires, instruments, and nodes on the ocean floor.  The complexities of each dive plan might seem to be the largest challenge that we face, but the greater obstacle is to connect science to the public.  It is easy to do so on R/V Thompson.  Science on such a grand stage is compelling for most.  Too often, science has become an instrument of propaganda used when convenient and discarded when inexpedient.  As scientists and educators we need to be equal to the task, not only seeking to explain the world, but communicating our findings with the public at large as if our survival depends upon it. 

Sunset at sea

We have reached the conclusion of this expedition, arriving at the place we started knowing more than we did at the start.  What did we bring back?  First, science is difficult.  The challenges presented this expedition pushed the crew and the scientists to their very limit.  It’s when you find humanity at its finest working together to solve problems.  Second, nothing ever goes as planned.  When faced with this reality it’s your attitude that will shape the outcome.  Third, we have only begun to understand the marine environment or our world in general, there is so much left to explore.  Since the sea is our original source of life, can it be our salvation as well?  It is going to require us to consider the way we use our resources, our relationship with science, and what sort of actions we need to take to apply our knowledge to every endeavor.

Marty Momsen