Successful Science Verification for HOV Alvin | August 2022
The human-occupied submersible Alvin is ready to return to scientific research at its newly certified maximum depth of 6500 meters (4 miles). That’s the conclusion of a team of scientists who have spent the past three weeks taking the iconic sub through its paces at locations at the Puerto Rico Trench and Mid-Cayman Rise, testing its scientific and engineering systems to ensure they are capable of supporting the demands of deep-sea sample and data collection.
This expedition overview video was filmed, edited, and produced by ML Parker Media.
Celebrating World Ocean Day | June 2022
The ocean is a wild, dynamic, and fascinating force of nature — and so are the people who dedicate their lives to better understanding it. They are scientists, engineers, artists, journalists, activists, students, and maritime professionals.
And they never cease to amaze me.
This short video features a selection of footage I have shot during various field work projects and research expeditions over the past four years, from the the Antarctic Peninsula to the Florida Keys to the North Pacific.
This compilation video was filmed, edited, and produced by ML Parker Media.
Welcome to the Ocean Twilight Zone | May 2021
In May 2021, I joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Ocean Twilight Zone team as we braved the rough seas of the Northeast Atlantic aboard the Spanish research vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa. Our mission: locate the spring phytoplankton bloom and measure how carbon moves through the mysterious mid-ocean “twilight zone.”
This expedition overview video was filmed, edited, and produced by ML Parker Media.
Mobilizing for Deep Sea Science | May 2021
In this short timelapse video, members of the OTZ team unload equipment shipped from Woods Hole, Massachusetts to Vigo, Spain. These state-of-the-art tools and technology enable them to conduct research in the turbulent waters of the North Atlantic.
This behind-the-scenes video was filmed, edited, and produced by ML Parker Media.
Exploring the Remote Pacific Marine National Monument | August 2019
In the late summer of 2019, I had the pleasure of working aboard the E/V Nautilus as a Video Engineer. Our team sailed from Apia, Samoa to Honolulu, Hawaii, making periodic stops along the way to conduct sea-floor mapping and collect deep sea samples using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). As a video engineer, my responsibilities included operating the cameras on our ROVs.
This short video includes some of my favorite shots. Learn more about our expedition and the unique deep sea science operations conducted by E/V Nautilus at nautiluslive.org.
This compilation video was filmed, edited and produced by ML Parker Media.
Hawaii Ocean Time-Series Cruise 313 | July 2019
Since 1988, researchers from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa have been collecting data from a time-series station in the northeast Pacific Ocean (33'N, 139'W). The Hawaii Ocean Time-Series program has facilitated thousands of hours of critical oceanographic research over the past three decades. This short video highlights just a few of the processes included in one of the most recent cruises. Learn more at http://hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/intro.html
This expedition overview video was filmed, edited, and produced by ML Parker Media.
Backyard Deep Expedition | October 2018
Produced for the Schmidt Ocean Institute, this video highlights the accomplishments of the Girguis lab during their three week expedition off the coast of California. In addition to capturing deep sea footage with ROV Subastian, the team successfully deployed a NASA lander to the seafloor. The new insights and perspectives gained from this expedition may be applied to efforts to explore ocean worlds beyond our planet in the future. Learn more here.
This expedition overview video was filmed, edited, and produced by ML Parker Media.
Conserving Corals in the Florida Keys | February 2019
Over the past 40 years, coral coverage in the Florida Keys has been declining at an alarming rate - from over 90 percent in the 1970's to roughly 2 percent today. Kate Gould, a PhD student in the Bruno Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill, is researching methods to help bring new life and vitality back to these degraded reefs. This video highlights the first phase of Kate's project. With the transplantation process complete, Kate will spend the next year monitoring these corals in their new habitats. To support Kate's research and conservation efforts, visit her website.
This research highlight video was filmed, edited, and produced by ML Parker Media.
In Search of Minkes
In February and March of 2018, a team of marine biologists (led by Ari Friedlaender, Dave Johnston and Jeremy Goldbogen) traveled to the Antarctic Peninsula to gather data on humpback whales and minke whales. With an unprecedented approach and ambitious goals, they deployed drones, underwater video tags, and echo sounders to collect data on 42 whales.
Reef. Sleep. Repeat.
In December of 2017, two graduate students from the UNC Department of Marine Sciences spent 10 days transplanting corals on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in southern Belize. Justin Baumann, the lead scientist, asked me to come along to document the project.
This piece originally appeared on endeavors.unc.edu. and is republished here with permission.
The Doing of It
It all started when I e-mailed Jon back in February. "Mt. Shasta this May," I said. "Just an idea." That idea turned into a two week road trip through the Cascades, starting in Seattle and ending in San Francisco. Along the way we visited four national parks, hiked over 50,000 feet of elevation change, and reached the summit of two snow-covered volcanoes. The idea of alpine climbing is one thing. The doing of it, we learned, is another thing entirely.
To the Heart of the Earth
In January, 2015, a team of researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill, Boise State University, Georgia State University, and Michigan State University, set out to complete an expedition on one of South America's most active volcanoes.