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To the Seafloor and Back

WHOI geochemist Mark Kurz couldn’t be happier, even after being doused in ice-cold seawater. Though Kurz has worked at WHOI since 1983, this spring he experienced his first Alvin dive during an expedition to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. And in keeping with the tradition for first time Alvin divers, shipmates poured buckets of cold water over Kurz’s head upon his return to the ship. On the Popping Rocks expedition, Kurz and his colleagues used Alvin to look for volcanic rocks containing unusual amounts of carbon dioxide-rich gases. When brought on deck, the rocks “pop” as the gases escape due to the pressure difference between the seafloor and sea surface. (Photo by Maris Wicks, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)