Image Highlight of the Week: The R/V Roger Revelle's Homecoming
Roger Revelle Research Vessel to Embark on Major Oceanographic Expedition
The research vessel Roger Revelle, stationed at the Nimitz Marine Facility pier in San Diego Bay, is set to depart next week for a month-long cruise. The vessel, named after the renowned oceanographer Roger Revelle (1909-1991), will gather data on the California Current Ecosystem during its upcoming mission.
This mission is part of the California Current Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research (CCE-LTER), a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The research is being led by biological oceanographer Mark Ohman and a team of other Scripps researchers.
The Roger Revelle has been carrying out scientific missions around the Pacific and Indian oceans since early 2013. However, its upcoming mission, tentatively scheduled as P04E in March/April 2026, is noteworthy as it is part of the international GO-SHIP network, a long-term ocean and climate monitoring initiative funded by the National Science Foundation and NOAA.
The P04E cruise using Roger Revelle is one of the missions supported by the U.S. GO-SHIP program, which focuses on physical oceanography, carbon cycling, marine biogeochemistry, and climate observing. The data collected during this mission will contribute to a better understanding of the California Current Ecosystem.
It's important to note that this mission is not related to Thailand, Australia, or the Indian Ocean. The Roger Revelle will also support a series of projects on the Cascadia subduction zone, the Juan de Fuca seafloor spreading center, and the Ocean Observatories Initiative, an NSF-funded cabled ocean observatory offshore Washington and Oregon.
The Roger Revelle recently underwent a mid-life refit involving advanced design planning and technical upgrades, ensuring it remains well-equipped for ongoing and future oceanographic research. The vessel has been away for more than four years and is only home for a brief stop before embarking on its next mission.
Roger Revelle, the namesake of the research vessel, served as the director of the organization from 1951 to 1964. His vision and energies led to the establishment of the UC San Diego campus in 1960. Despite not being directly involved in the current research mission, Revelle's influence continues to be felt in the field of oceanography.
References: 1. US GO-SHIP Program 2. California Current Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research (CCE-LTER) 3. Scripps Oceanography 4. Ocean Observatories Initiative
- During its upcoming mission, data-and-cloud-computing systems onboard the Roger Revelle research vessel will likely be utilized to store and analyze the vast amounts of scientific data gathered.
- As part of the international GO-SHIP network, the upcoming mission of the Roger Revelle research vessel will contribute to data collection in technology-driven fields such as physical oceanography, carbon cycling, and marine biogeochemistry.
