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Sponsored by the University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies, WHYY TV, and the National Science Foundation

 

Check out these videos and photos,
which have been transmitted to the
University of Delaware from the R/V Atlantis
through the efforts of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Be sure to also visit Woods Hole’s Dive and Discover Web site.

 

 

On Dive 3517, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Don Nuzzio, and Pat Hickey found many beautiful sulfide structures, including the one that looks like a beehive that you’ll see in this video. It is 2to 3 meters tall, and clear hydrothermal fluid with measured temperatures up to 303° C (572° F) can be seen flowing out of its spongy surface. Alvinellid worms live on the surface of the beehive in places where the temperatures are cooler, about 30 – 50° C (86 – 122° F).

Later in the dive, they discovered a very tall chimney, over 25 meters tall, that had many overhanging ledges. Because of the ledges, also called flanges, the structure looks like a Japanese pagoda, and that is why it is named “Pagoda Vent.”





Today’s sunrise on January 14th. The beautiful reddish colors common to Baja sunrises are due to small particles of dust in the air.





Alvin is lowered into the water while the swimmers steady the lift line. The port manipulator can be seen on the front of the sub.




As soon as Alvin is in the water, the swimmers release the main lift line. The driver of the Avon watches to make sure that nothing falls off the sub's basket and that the swimmers are safe.




Dave Olds releases the tail line, setting Alvin free of the ship, while Ken Kenerson keeps a lookout.





After opening the vent valve so Alvin can take on water and descend, and turning on the emergency light, the swimmers make a final check before jumping off and swimming to the Avon.





Alvin is pulled toward the stern of the ship so that the swimmers, Carl Wood and Pat Hennessy, can reach the main lift line.





Jeff Benitz chips paint from a rail while sitting on a bosun’s chair suspended from the ship's crane. Jerry Graham paints a bulkhead below him.





George Luther prepares chemical sensors for the next day's dive.





Alice Ortmann watches videotapes of tubeworms at the vents made on
Dive 3516 and takes notes.




Hydrothermal vents are hot! In this photo, you can see black burn marks on the gray plastic sample box and the wooden core holder.





The microbiologists work together to take and catalog samples from the hydrothermal sulfides collected on Dive 3517. These will be used to culture microbes in the lab.





Luis Hurtado uses tweezers to pick up small segmented worms collected during the dive.





Tim Shank sorting a bucket full of tubeworms collected on Dive 3517.





Alison Sipe storing sulfide samples for DNA extraction that will be analyzed after the cruise.