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As this publication goes to press, E/V Nautilus is standing down at the University of South Florida's marine facility in St. Petersburg, undergoing its fifth round of improvements. Thanks to friends of the Ocean Exploration Trust, it will involve the complete renovation of the ship's Data Lab and Satellite Room to create a new 167-square-meter (1,800-square-foot) Data Processing & Visualization Laboratory.

In 2008, the Ocean Exploration Trust acquired Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus, formerly the East German hydrographic vessel Alexander von Humboldt. Since then, the Trust has made annual investments in upgrading the ship and its technology with a view toward transforming Nautilus into a state-of-the-art vessel of exploration.

Volcanic activity in the Lesser Antilles island arc (West Indies) produces large quantities of ash, pumice, and rock that are delivered to the shallow and deep marine environments of the western Caribbean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. On the island of Montserrat, in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted frequently since 1995 (Figure 1). About 1.1 km super(3) of andesitic magma (Wadge et al., 2010) has erupted, and much of this material has been transported into the ocean as pyroclastic fows[mdash]hot avalanches of rocks, ash, and gas that travel at speeds in excess of 160 km per hour (Wadge et al., in press). In addition, mud flows (lahars) carrying volcanic debris wash into the ocean during periods of intense rain.

Kick'em Jenny is the only known active submarine volcano in the Caribbean Sea (Devine and Sigurdsson, 1995). It is located on the western flank of the Lesser Antilles arc just offshore of the island of Grenada (Figure 1). The volcano was discovered in 1939 when numerous earthquakes were felt and accompanying tsunamis affected Grenada, the Grenadines, and as far away as Barbados. There have been at least 11 eruptions since that time, with the last event occurring in 2001. Explosive eruptions can pose a hazard to local island populations (e.g., Dondin et al., 2012) when they breach the sea surface, and shallow-water explosions or edifice collapse can potentially generate tsunamis (Lindsay et al., 2005).

Mid-Cayman Rise objectives were built on exciting results from a flurry of recent expeditions that investigated hydrothermal sites in the region (German et al., 2010, 2012). The 2013 E/V Nautilus cruise explored oceanic core complexes (OCCs), tall, smooth-sided hills that rise from the seafloor on the flanks of some mid-ocean ridges. Dives (Figure 1) explored the full extent and nature of life around the Von Damm hydrothermal field, previously discovered there, as well as the geology to further understanding of the vents' origins, and to survey the OCC summits that had never before been investigated by a deep diving vehicle. This 2013 study was the first Nautilus cruise to have more scientists participating in the expedition from locations on shore than from the ship, tripling the size of the science party.

In the Colorado Front Range Kobresia bellardii distribution is restricted to alpine meadows which are neither extremely wind exposed nor buried under snow in winter. This study examined reasons for such a limited distribution by comparing the behavior of undisturbed Kobresia with that of transplants into alpine habitats with less and more winter snow accumulation. Kobresia's success in snow-free meadows was related to rapid summer growth and to its use of an extended period for development, from about 1 April to 20 October. New leaves began elongation in the autumn and completed growth the following summer. Most carbohydrates were stored as oligosaccharides in the shoots. During periods of relatively warm weather (>-4@?C) in winter, when soil water potential (@J\"s) rose above -2.0 MPa, leaves elongated slightly; they died back when cold, windy weather resumed. Kobresia did not survive in a fellfield primarily because of mechanical damage by windblown snow and sand. Low @J\"s led to leaf wilting in summer and winter. Shallow snow cover (@?15 cm) that melted early permitted extensive April leaf elongation in saturated soils. The prematurely developed leaves apparently lost frost hardiness and were injured in late spring freezes. In sites of moderate (@?75 cm) and deep (@?140 cm) snow accumulations, autumn dieback was incomplete when drifts first formed in September and October. Winter freezing destroyed the apparently unhardened leaf tissues and meristems, resulting in loss of carbohydrate reserves. In the moderate snow accumulation sites, leaf elongation was delayed until snowmelt was complete in late June or early July. Interspecific competition appeared unimportant in determining Kobresia distribution. Flower and seed production were reduced up to 99% by habitat alteration. Kobresia may not be reproducing by seed in the Front Range at the present time.