Ben Larson

Ben Larson is a graduate student in chemical oceanography at the University of Washington in Marvin Lilley's lab group. He will be working on shipboard gas chromatographic analysis of volatile concentrations in the sampled fluid. He will determine the amount of dissolved H2, CH4, and N2O in the fluids. The chromatographic data collected at sea is not as detailed as the information that can be obtained from a more advanced land-based apparatus, which can measure the concentrations of a greater number of the dissolved volatile components. However, it is an important component of an exploratory cruise because it yields information about the fluids within a day of their collection. This information is critical in determining where to explore for new hydrothermal venting sites.