The VISIONS'05 Expedition

VISIONS'05

The VISIONS '05 expedition ended on 4 October 2005. The archived website is still available HERE.

Summary of VISIONS '05 Activities

VISIONS '05 was a highly interdisciplinary and complex cruise focused on the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the accretionary margin near the intersection of the Nootka Transform Fault, and the subduction zone off the west coast of Vancouver Island. The cruise was highly successful despite days lost to weather and equipment problems.

  • First live transmission of high-definition video imagery from the seafloor and the completion of three broadcasts.
  • Recovery and redeployment of an extensive suite of instruments along the Endeavour Segment, and sampling of water, sulfides, and microorganisms in three of the five hydrothermal fields; recovery of all instruments from the Keck proto-Neptune observatory in the Nootka study area.
  • The first use of an underwater “lightpost” that allowed stunning HD imagery to be taken of large sulfide structures.
  • Completion of a very high resolution map (~ 5 m) of the Endeavour Segment using the autonomous underwater vehicle ABE and SM2000 sonar system.
  • The first ABE dives concomitant with ROV Jason 2 operations.
  • Participation of 5 new teachers and 2 mentors as part of the REVEL Program.