Investigating Earth's History: An Oceanographic Expedition in New Zealand

Interview with Jessi Robbins posted by Denise on 09 Feb 2005

Denise: I’m talking with Jesse Robins in the Hydro Lab and she’s taking some samples from the core we just brought up. Can you tell me what you’re doing right now?
Jessi: I’m bagging up the mud so that we can analyze samples for trace elements and an isotope of carbon. After I put them in the tubes the samples are frozen and taken back to the US.

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After the Work is Done posted by Denise on 09 Feb 2005

At the end of our 12-hour shift, once the cores have been cut, labeled and bagged and the lab has been cleaned – the time is ours to do with as we wish. First on the list is usually a shower to clean off the mud! Then one may wander down to the galley to find a snack. There are leftovers from dinner, cookies, crackers, ice cream, peanuts, M&M’s and more – a dangerous place if you are watching your weight! You may choose to relax in the lounge watching a movie on the big screen...

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View from space of ocean floor around New Zealand. The turquoise area is a narrow strip of shallow (<2000 m) ocean also known as the continental margin.

Although viewed by most as remote, removed, and perilous, the oceans are home to a world of deep beauty and are a great source of food and other natural resources (e.g., oil). In addition, they are a fascinating place to recreate and explore. Exploration and examination of the oceans is critical to finding new resources and learning about Earth history (and possibly the future). Furthermore, the oceans, which cover over two-thirds of the planet’s surface, are a processing factory for materials draining from land.

Ocean study is needed to understand how activities and events on land are processed and recorded in the sea, and this is the primary focus of our research in New Zealand. This research is funded by the Source to Sink - MARGINS program of the National Science Foundation.

Why the Waipaoa River in New Zealand?
Unlike the eastern coast of the United States (e.g., North Carolina) which has a broad coastal plain, many coastlines around the world have rugged mountains immediately next to the sea and lack bodies of water (e.g. Pamlico Sound) between rivers and the ocean. The northeast coast of New Zealand, where the Waipaoa River enters the sea, is one example. In these settings, materials from land can be rapidly transported to the ocean, and as a result sediments and dissolved material may quickly accumulate on the ocean floor and affect ocean ecosystems after river flooding. Also, the Waipaoa River discharges an incredible amount of sediment for a river its size. This is because of high rainfall in the area and its easily eroded landscape, which is made of sedimentary rocks. In fact, the Waipaoa River is more than 10 times smaller than the Potomac River but discharges 100 times more sediment!

Coordinating Institutions

National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research