I have been invited to sail as a microbiologist and observatory scientist on the 2012 RV Merian cruise with ROV Jason-II to visit the North Pond subsurface observatories installed during IODP Expedition 336 (see letters of support from Dr. Katrina Edwards and Dr. Wolfgang Bach). The purpose of this expedition is to service CORK observatory systems in the ‘North Pond’ location of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge for coupled hydrogeological, geochemical and microbiological analysis. I sailed as a microbiologist and observatory scientist on IODP Expedition 336 and was responsible for assembling the subsurface and seafloor microbial colonization experiments that were a central feature of the observatories. During the 2012 RV Merian cruise, I will be integrally involved in the assembly and installation of seafloor microbial observatory components for these CORKs and also with the collection and processing of sediments and rocks sampled during the cruise. I was chosen for this position based on my previous history of designing the observatory components and participation in 7 research expeditions to deploy, recover, service and analyses these instruments.
