Dr. Marsh Youngbluth received his Master's degree in Zoology in 1966 from the University of Hawaii, and his Ph.D. in Biology in 1972 from Stanford University. He is a Senior Scientist with the Division of Marine Science at Harbor Branch Oceanographic institution. He has served as a visiting scientist at the University of Bergen, Norway, the Japanese Center for Promotion of Science, and National Center for Scientific Research in France. Dr. Youngbluth has also served as NSF Biological Oceanography Program Director, and as Program manager for the NOAA National Undersea Research Program.

Dr. Youngbluth's research in the field of biological oceanography is currently focused on in situ investigations of mesopelagic zooplankton, particularly gelatinous fauna. With respect to siphonophores and medusae, Dr. Youngbluth is interested in their ecological roles as predators in deep-water coastal regimes. Other active projects include studies of large appendicularians as mediators of particle flux and transport in midwater and benthic boundary habitats.

Much of Dr. Youngbluth's work employs the Harbor Branch JOHNSON SEA-LINK research submersibles. A firm believer in employing "the right tools for the job," Dr. Youngbluth continues to utilize innovative technologies in the ongoing exploration of the mid-ocean realm.

Professor Per Flood received his Doctorate in 1966 from the University of Bergen, Norway. Dr. Flood served as Professor at the University's Institute of Anatomy from 1966 to 1992, and as Professor in the Department of Zoology from 1992 to 1997. Currently, he is principal research scientist for Bathybiologica A/S.

Dr. Flood first described the structural characteristics of appendicularian feeding filters in a 1973 publication. Since then, he has made significant contributions to the understanding of appendicularian feeding house architecture and function, mucus production and histo-chemistry, and bioluminescence. In a 1992 publication in Nature, Dr. Flood and colleagues documented the ability of appendicularians to filter colloid-sized dissolved matter from seawater, strongly suggesting that the animals may be able to use dissolved organic compounds as a food resource.

Dr. Flood co-authored a chapter on the structure and function of appendicularian houses, and a second chapter on appendicularian bioluminescence in a 1998 volume entitled The Biology of Pelagic Tunicates (Bone, ed.).

Dr Francesc Pages received his doctoral degree Biology (Ecology) from the University of Barcelona (1991). Subsequently, he had postdoctoral appointments at the Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar Biology in Bremerhaven; Germany and the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Kyoto, Japan. He is currently a Regular Scientist at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Barcelona, Spain. Francesc is a world-renowned expert on the ecology and taxonomy of gelatinous mesozooplankton, especially siphonophores, ctenophores and medusae, in shallow and deep-water environments. He has extensive sea-going research experience in the Benguela Current off Western Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, the Humboldt Current of Peru, and the Weddell Sea of the Southern Ocean. His interests include: spatio-temporal distributions of gelatinous fauna in relation to water masses and physical factors; trophodynamics and predatory impact of planktonic cnidarians on other zooplankton populations; and symbiotic associations involving gelatinous zooplankton. He is currently studying how El Nino 1997-98 affected the gelatinous zooplankton in an upwelling area off northern Chile.

Dr. Chuck Jacoby received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biology from Illinois State University in 1974 and 1976, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University in 1980. Since then, he has held research positions at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, the University of Queensland in Australia, and the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Dr. Jacoby joined the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia, where he led research teams for a decade and provided expert advice in four multi-million dollar, multidisciplinary, environmental studies. Dr. Jacoby is currently an estuarine and coastal specialist in the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida.

Dr. Jacoby has investigated estuarine, coastal and deepwater marine systems in the tropics, subtropics and temperate zones of the United States, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand. His scientific pursuits have appeared in peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on sediment porewater, water quality, benthic microalgae, seagrasses, saltmarshes, zooplankton, meiofauna, macroinvertebrates and fishes.

Dr. Jacoby has collaborated with Dr. Youngbluth since 1980. They have conducted studies of gelatinous zooplankton, particle flux and demersal zooplankton. Dr. Jacoby plans to continue ecological work on gelatinous zooplankton to quantify their roles in offshore and inshore ecosystems.

Aino Hosia is a doctoral candidate in the Marine Biology Research Group at the University of Bergen, Norway working with Professor Ulf Bamstedt. She graduated from the University of Helsinki, Finland in 2000 with a Master's degree in Hydrobiology. She is also trained in scientific diving. Her current research is focused on the ecology and diversity of gelatinous zooplankton in Norwegian fjords and coastal waters.

Helen Mayoral is a recent (2003) graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Science degree (Marine Biology). Helen is interested in the ecological aspects of marine science. She has volunteered to join this cruise in order to broaden her experience and to learn more about life in the midwater depths of the ocean.

Brian Ortman is a PhD student at the University of New Hampshire under the direction of Dr. Ann Bucklin. Brian received his Bachelor of Science degree (Marine Biology) in 2000 and a Master of Science (Biological Sciences) in 2003 from the University of Southern Mississippi. Currently his research pursuits are two-fold. First, he is looking for molecular characters that can be used to identify gelatinous zooplankton at the species level. Secondly, he plans to apply population genetic techniques to study interrelationships between gelatinous zooplankton populations in order to determine the causes and consequences of episodic blooms of these fauna.

Nicole Shach is a senior at Florida Atlantic University and plans to graduate in 2004 with a degree in Marine Biology. Her biological interests have focused mainly on marine mammals, but she is keen to learn more about other life forms in the sea! She has volunteered to participate in this expedition to assist with all the projects.

Whitley Saumweber is Ph. D student in Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island under the direction of Dr. Edward Durbin. Whit received a Bachelor of Arts degree (Biology) at St. Mary's College of Maryland in 1996. During this cruise he will conduct experiments to determine the respiration rates of diapausing copepods (Calanus finmarchicus) from various basins in the Gulf of Maine.

Brennan Phillips is currently a Senior studying Ocean Engineering at the University of Rhode Island. His interests include both marine biology and underwater robotics, particularly ROV's. He has participated in several research cruises, including a two-week dive cruise to collect and study epipelagic gelatinous zooplankton along the East Coast of the United States. His participation in this cruise will broaden his experience in marine research operations and technology, and introduce him to the mesopelagic realm in biological oceanography.

Harry Breidahl is an Australian marine educator and author. His passion for the sea began as a child with carefree summer days spent at his grandparents' beach house near the Australian city of Melbourne. This childhood fascination led Harry to train as a biological scientist and educator. After a few enjoyable years as a high school science teacher, he began writing natural history articles with the Gould League, a conservation education organization. Over the past 15 years Harry has worked freelance, combining writing with a range of projects for government conservation agencies, part-time teaching and lecturing in education at Monash University. His current marine-related activities are focused on the development of a southern Australian marine monitoring program and web site at www.southernshores.auz.info and the design and construction of a marine science laboratory at a local high school. Harry is a founding member of the Marine Education Society of Australasia (MESA). His association with MESA involves the development of an international job-sharing network for marine educators and an annual marine awareness program called Seaweek. Go to www.mesa.edu.au for details of both projects.