{"id":15,"date":"2018-07-05T11:20:08","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T15:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wpdev.whoi.edu\/lab-migration10\/?post_type=fl-builder-template&p=15"},"modified":"2020-03-03T15:24:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-03T19:24:32","slug":"welcome","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www2.whoi.edu\/site\/ladder\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Welcome to the LADDER Project web site<\/h1>\n

What is LADDER all about?<\/h3>\nLADDER stands for Larval Dispersal on the Deep East Pacific Rise.\u00a0 It is an interdisciplinary research project investigating larval dispersal and physical oceanography at a mid-ocean ridge.\u00a0 The Principal Investigators are Lauren Mullineaux<\/a> (WHOI), Andreas
\nThurnherr<\/a> (LDEO), Jim Ledwell<\/a> (WHOI), Dennis McGillicuddy<\/a> (WHOI) and
\nBill Lavelle<\/a> (NOAA\/PMEL). The project is funded by NSF Grant
\nOCE-0424953. (View Proposal<\/a>)\nThe primary objective of the LADDER project is to investigate oceanographic and topographic
\ninfluences on larval retention and dispersal in hydrothermal vent communities.
\nThe focus is on processes occurring on relatively short spatial O(10-100km) and
\ntemporal O(1month) scales, corresponding roughly to invertebrate larval life
\nspans.\u00a0 In addition to the primary
\necological goals, the LADDER project also addresses issues of interest to the
\nphysical oceanography community, in particular horizontal and vertical
\ndispersal (both advective and eddy diffusive) near the ridge crest.\n

The specific questions we are asking include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What are the influences of advection and eddy diffusion on the
    \nmaximal dispersal distance of vent species with given larval life spans?<\/li>\n
  2. How do the flows influence the probability of a larva being retained at or returned to its natal site?<\/li>\n
  3. What are the effects of ontogenetic changes in larval behavior
    \n(i.e., vertical positioning) on species’ retention or dispersal distances?<\/li>\n
  4. How are the probabilities that larvae will be lost from the
    \nridge system influenced by topography and flow? Might the axial summit
    \ntrough inhibit off-axis transport of larvae, and serve as a conduit
    \nbetween habitable vent sites?<\/li>\n
  5. What are the mean and temporally varying flows in the vicinity of
    \na mid-ocean ridge crest, and what is their spatial structure and
    \ncoherence?<\/li>\n
  6. What is the magnitude of the diapycnal diffusivity near the ridge crest?<\/li>\n
  7. How rapid is lateral dispersion, and how effective is lateral homogenization by eddy diffusion near the ridge crest?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"DSC_1435_web_72704.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\tGlass floats ready for deployment on LADDER-2 cruise\n (photo by S. Mills)\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"AD4271_tracer_01_small_63941.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\tThe Deep-Sea tracer injection system, mounted on submersible Alvin, and flanked by proud inventors Jim Ledwell, Brian Guest and Ryan Jackson\n (Photo by L. Mullineaux)\n\t

    Related Files<\/h3>\n