significance of the VIP project on a European scale, and even on an international
level, was quickly recognized.
In 1987 and in 1992, the F.S. SONNE carried out geophysical and geological
investigations of the Pitcairn and Easter Island hotspot chain. We continued our
collaboration during a study on ridge-hotspot interactions in 1995, 1997 and 2001.
This project was called the ‘‘Foundation Hot Line’’ and involved both the German
ship SONNE in 1995 (Leg SO 100) and in 2001 (Leg SO157) both of which legs
were organized by the University of Kiel in Germany, and also involved the
French vessel L’ATALANTE in 1997. The cruises carried out by the research
vessels SONNE and L’ATALANTE turned out to be very successful. During the
L’ATALANTE mission, a multi-disciplinary approach was adopted and the VIP
project assumed an even more international aspect than was originally expected.
Several scientists from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand
were involved in addition to our core team of French and German scientists.
There are a few differences between being on board a German or a French
oceanographic vessel, other than the languages spoken by the crew. For example,
on the German vessels, once the instruments had been launched at sea by the ship’s
crew, then the dredging or the deep-towed instrument operations were all conducted by the scientists. Dredging can be very tedious and usually three people
were assigned to work on each team. There was the person who was responsible
for the dredging operation, once the dredge was on the sea floor, plus two assistants who were expected to take notes with any pertinent information during the
operation, such as the amount of cable that had been let out, and the time that the
dredge remained on the bottom. We needed to note the information given by a
tension-meter with a pressure gauge, which was calibrated with the weight of the
cable plus the dredge. The gauge gave a constant reading of the tension felt on the
cable as it pulled the dredge along the ocean floor, or should it become snagged on
something on the bottom.
The reason for choosing the Pacific ocean for our project on hotspot volcanism
was because only a few scientific expeditions had been carried out on the seafloor
of this large ocean, which covers one-third of the Earth’s surface. The Pacific
Ocean is also one of the most volcanically active regions and consequently has the
largest amount of hotspot volcanoes. Furthermore, the South Pacific region was
also selected because of the proximity of Tahiti for the logistics of moving
scientists and material on and off the research vessels.
Polynesian Hotspots
The term Polynesia literally means ‘‘many islands’’ in Greek. James Cook and
other explorers had discovered that despite the large variety of islands and their
distance from one another, the inhabitants all seemed to speak a similar language.
French authorities subsequently limited the term ‘‘Polynesia’’ to the islands where
French–German Cooperation: The ‘‘Volcanisme Intra-Plaque’’ Program
307
level, was quickly recognized.
In 1987 and in 1992, the F.S. SONNE carried out geophysical and geological
investigations of the Pitcairn and Easter Island hotspot chain. We continued our
collaboration during a study on ridge-hotspot interactions in 1995, 1997 and 2001.
This project was called the ‘‘Foundation Hot Line’’ and involved both the German
ship SONNE in 1995 (Leg SO 100) and in 2001 (Leg SO157) both of which legs
were organized by the University of Kiel in Germany, and also involved the
French vessel L’ATALANTE in 1997. The cruises carried out by the research
vessels SONNE and L’ATALANTE turned out to be very successful. During the
L’ATALANTE mission, a multi-disciplinary approach was adopted and the VIP
project assumed an even more international aspect than was originally expected.
Several scientists from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand
were involved in addition to our core team of French and German scientists.
There are a few differences between being on board a German or a French
oceanographic vessel, other than the languages spoken by the crew. For example,
on the German vessels, once the instruments had been launched at sea by the ship’s
crew, then the dredging or the deep-towed instrument operations were all conducted by the scientists. Dredging can be very tedious and usually three people
were assigned to work on each team. There was the person who was responsible
for the dredging operation, once the dredge was on the sea floor, plus two assistants who were expected to take notes with any pertinent information during the
operation, such as the amount of cable that had been let out, and the time that the
dredge remained on the bottom. We needed to note the information given by a
tension-meter with a pressure gauge, which was calibrated with the weight of the
cable plus the dredge. The gauge gave a constant reading of the tension felt on the
cable as it pulled the dredge along the ocean floor, or should it become snagged on
something on the bottom.
The reason for choosing the Pacific ocean for our project on hotspot volcanism
was because only a few scientific expeditions had been carried out on the seafloor
of this large ocean, which covers one-third of the Earth’s surface. The Pacific
Ocean is also one of the most volcanically active regions and consequently has the
largest amount of hotspot volcanoes. Furthermore, the South Pacific region was
also selected because of the proximity of Tahiti for the logistics of moving
scientists and material on and off the research vessels.
Polynesian Hotspots
The term Polynesia literally means ‘‘many islands’’ in Greek. James Cook and
other explorers had discovered that despite the large variety of islands and their
distance from one another, the inhabitants all seemed to speak a similar language.
French authorities subsequently limited the term ‘‘Polynesia’’ to the islands where
French–German Cooperation: The ‘‘Volcanisme Intra-Plaque’’ Program
307