{"id":178220,"date":"2023-05-25T10:57:12","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T20:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=178220"},"modified":"2023-05-25T10:57:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T20:57:12","slug":"in-memoriam-loren-kroenke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/05\/25\/in-memoriam-loren-kroenke\/","title":{"rendered":"In memoriam: Loren Kroenke, ‘iron man of UH<\/abbr> expeditionary marine research’"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"two
From left: Robert Scott and Loren Kroenke aboard D\/V Glomar Challenger (ship), 1978.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loren Kroenke, emeritus faculty researcher in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a> (SOEST<\/abbr>), died on May 17, at the age of 84.<\/p>\n

As a geophysicist at the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute of Geophysics and Planetology<\/a> (HIGP<\/abbr>) in SOEST<\/abbr> since 1963, Kroenke focused his research activities on understanding Pacific Plate motion, hot spot volcanism, and the formation and history of the Ontong Java Plateau, a massive oceanic plateau that represents the largest volcanic event of the past 200 million years.<\/p>\n

Kroenke joined UH<\/abbr> Mānoa after HIGP<\/abbr> Director George Woollard selected him as a sea-going colleague. Kroenke was appointed into a faculty position of junior geophysicist, and came up for tenure while still a graduate student in geology and geophysics.<\/p>\n

\"man
Loren Kroenke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“As the story goes, he was denied tenure in 1971 because he didn\u2019t have his doctoral degree,” wrote UH<\/abbr> Mānoa oceanographer David Karl in his book, UH<\/abbr> and the Sea<\/em>. “The following year, he completed all graduation requirements and was reinstated in good standing.”<\/p>\n

From February 1962 to June 1963, Kroenke participated in eight back-to-back National Science Foundation-sponsored legs of the USNS<\/abbr> Eltanin<\/em>, from Bayonne, New Jersey to Deception Island, Antarctica to Talcahuano, Chile, and many ports in between. After his arrival in Â鶹´«Ã½,<\/span> Kroenke conducted research on board UH<\/abbr> research vessels. He served as chief scientist, or co-chief scientist, on many expeditions including Glomar Challenger<\/em> leg #59, and Joides Resolution<\/em> leg #130.<\/p>\n

Kroenke played a key role in a 17,000 nautical mile expedition aboard the UH<\/abbr> research vessel Mahi<\/em>, dubbed the “monster cruise.” This cruise made history when UH<\/abbr> scientists conducted the first ever joint oceanographic study with Soviet scientists aboard their vessel, Vityaz<\/em>. The researchers conducted a two-ship, collaborative operation north of Marcus Island in the western Pacific Ocean in fall 1970.<\/p>\n

Kroenke is the namesake of Kroenke Canyon<\/a>, which he first identified in his dissertation research, on the flank of the Ontong Java Plateau, where he focused much of his career. His PhD<\/abbr> dissertation, “Geology of the Ontong Java Plateau,” was completed in 1972, and remains an essential reference for all students of the feature.<\/p>\n

“During his more than four decades of expeditionary marine research, Kroenke logged in excess of four and one-half years at sea, rightfully earning the title of ‘iron man of UH<\/abbr> expeditionary marine research,’” wrote Karl in UH<\/abbr> and the Sea. “Few, if any, other scientists at UH<\/abbr>, with the possible exception of Don Hussong and Fris Campbell, can match his remarkable achievements of dedication and endurance.”<\/p>\n

Portions of this content are reprinted with permission from “UH<\/abbr> and the Sea” (2004) by David Karl<\/em>.<\/p>\n

–By Marcie Grabowski<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Loren Kroenke, emeritus faculty researcher in the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, died on May 17 at the age of 84.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[378,173,170,756,92,9],"class_list":["post-178220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-geology-and-geophysics","tag-geophysics","tag-hawaii-institute-of-geophysics-and-planetology","tag-in-memoriam","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t