Hi Willie. The Kingdom would be Animalia, the phylum Annalida, the class is Polychaete. Thanks for the question and stay tuned for some exciting discoveries. Best, Dr. Cary

To date 3,827, so our first dive on Oct. 20th will be 3,828. Hope you will stay with us. Best, Dr. Cary

Hi Brenna! This depends on the cruise and where you are going. If the site is close to shore a cruise may only be 1-2 dives, but if it is a fair bit away (2-5 days steam), then there are usually 5 or more dives. It all depends on how many investigators there are on board for any given leg. Thanks for coming out with us. Best, Dr. Cary

Hi Rebecca. This is a question that I have not had before--a very good question. There may be no way to explain it because it is made up of so many emotions. Words that might describe it are excited, fortunate, intense, responsible, in awe, scared (a bit), wishful (that all of you guys out there join us on the web could be with me and see what I am seeing), and privileged. There really is not a way to put it into a single word. What I do know is that I have made 21 dives in my career and I feel the same each time. I guess it is the same whether you are soaring overhead in space or 2 miles down in the ocean--you are right at the edge of discovery. How can you beat that! Thanks for the great question Rebecca. Best, Dr. Cary

Hey Ashlie and Kevin great to have you with us! If there were to be a leak of any kind we would immediately surface. The sphere is only 6 in diameter and so would fill up fast. We do see water in the sphere on each dive but this is just the condensation building up and pooling where it can. We just wipe it up with tissues and enjoy the dive. Being in the sub is always a great experience I especially like to dive with another scientist that has never been down before this is one of my greatest joys.

Hi Bradley, well that is a big question but in a short reply it feels cold and is very dark. In the sub we wrap up in blankets and spend most of our time looking at the various monitors that show us what the pilot is doing and looking out of our own ports. The dive goes by very quickly the only disappointment is having to surface.

Hi Holly, we are very fortunate in the U.S. to have a government agency (The National Science Foundation) that sees the exploration of the deep sea as a funding priority. I always like to say this because without their assistance what we do would not be possible. I am fortunate in that the scientific questions we are trying to address are of interest to the scientific community enough to recommend NSF supports our work. We normally go to sea once a year for about a month it takes us the better part of the rest of the year at home to do the analysis and discover much of what we found.

Dear Dr. Cary,
I teach life science to 7th graders at Noble Jr. High in Berwick, Maine. We all wish we could be with you folks on your exciting expedition. We wish you luck for all activities. We have a question: How are samples of organisms such as the Pompeii worm collected and maintained since they are brought to the surface where the pressure is so much lower? Thanks and happy sailing!
-- Noble Jr. High

We will be bringing the worms up to the surface in several different ways, none of which will try to maintain deep sea pressure. We will bring worms up in small thermally insulated containers that will try to keep them cold until they get to the scientists on the ship. These coffins are designed to seal on the sea floor to prevent water mixing with water on the surface that might contaminate them. The boxes will come up either cold (2° C) with ambient deep-sea water, very cold because we sent the box down with ice in it, or with a chemical called RNAlater (Ambion Inc.) that will preserve the nucleic acids of the bacteria and worms as they were on sampling. In all cases the coffins will be sent down filled with sterile seawater to reduce sampling contamination.

I can’t imagine a more exciting career, imagine you are paid to explore!! The animals are amazing and I feel just as excited now as the first time I saw them more than 15 years ago. Each time we go down is new and we never know what we will find, and how it will effect the research we are doing. I love animals, always have, these are just unique.

I always knew I loved the ocean and sometime while in middle school I had a biology teacher that loved to talk about the ocean. I was soon hooked and knew this was what I wanted to do. I have that type of personality that when I set my mind on something I put every bit of effort necessary to make it happen. Before I knew it I was in grad school at Scripps in La Jolla, California, one of the foremost oceanographic institutions in the world. My interest in the deep sea came while doing my Masters degree at San Diego State University. My advisor (Dr. Rick Phleger) was a deep-sea biologist and he soon got me excited about this extreme habitat. When I got to Scripps the vents had just been discovered and I was lucky to get into a lab (Dr. Horst Felbeck) that had a major vent effort underway the rest is history.

My early years were spent in California, where we would spend most of our summers vacationing on the beach. I guess the ocean has been in my blood from day one. My interest in studying the ocean all started in middle school with a substitute teacher from Australia. This guy was a marine scientist and he soon got me excited about the ocean. From there I never let go, it has always been my passion.

What is one of the most complex organisms that you have found on your trips? What was your most exciting and successful trip and what did you discover?
What do you do after leaving the Twlight Zone, since its so dark?
-- Holly Grossman

Most exciting would have to be my first dive. I had been on 4 vent cruises but had not been given the chance to dive. On my 5th cruise on the last day I was told I would dive. I had been studying vents for 4 years but had never seen one up close. It took my breath away to see it for real. No picture really does it justice. The most successful trip was probably Extreme 2001, where we not only achieved all of our objects, we did not loose any gear and no one got hurt, and we successfully sequenced 2 million base pairs of DNA at sea -- something many said could not be done.

Generally go through the dive plan with the pilot, test equipment, and if there is a bit of time take a short nap before the real intense portion of the dive begins.

Is Alvin gas powered or electric powered? Thank You! -- Felicia McKee, Royal Palm Beach High School, Florida

Thank You! Felicia McKee, Royal Palm Beach High School, Florida The Alvin is totally electric powered. Check the Web page --

http://www.ocean.udel.edu/extreme2002/Mission/submersiblealvin/index.html

and you'll find a more information about the sub.

Hi Ameshia! Generally you begin to see more fish that are considerably larger than what we saw in the mid-water. As we get near the bottom, we enter what is call the benthic boundary layer, here it may get a bit murky with larger fish in the water.

Do you guys have any physical side effects being underneath such deep water for long periods of time? -- Jessica Escobar Royal Palm Beach High School, Florida

Great question! Jessica most of the time we are just very tried. I happen to be a bit susceptible to carbon dioxide which tends to build up over what you are normally use to on the surface during the dive. Carbon dioxide can cause a major headache if you are not careful. To help prevent this I take aspirin before and during the dive. Can you figure out why this might help?

Hi Nichol! We know less about the deep-sea than we do about the dark side of the moon. That is a powerful statement in that we have not spent the time and resources to study what is so close to home before reaching for the stars. I believe the benefits that come from those who explore these extreme environments offers an opportunity to discover the ways that the microbes/organisms that inhabit them have evolved to survive. There is hope that in learning how these organism survive we can use this knowledge to develop new less costly and more environmentally friendly ways to use in certain industrial processes needing the same conditions. Also Alvinella being one of the most thermal tolerant metazoans provides a valuable asset to study certain proteins that are difficult to study in organisms that live at normal temperatures some of these proteins are involved in cancer and other human illnesses.

Can any of the animals that live in the deep sea live at any other depth levels?

Yes, there are several deep-sea fish that also live at the surface. We call this high latitude (polar) immergence. These fish are distributed by temperature so as long as it is cold they manage quite well. You will find them in deep cold water everywhere and at the polar regions where the temperature is the same as the deep-sea.

This is a great question, but hard to answer. In the deep-sea it has been suggested that because the organisms that live there experience very stable and predictable conditions, have very low metabolic rates and do not experience solar radiation, they probably live considerably longer than similar organisms in the upper water. That said, the vents are so dynamic (starting and dying in years to tens of years) that the organisms that live there appear to be able to settle-grow-reproduce at amazing rates. If the system were to be kept alive for an extended period of time we are not sure just how long the vent organisms would live. This would make a great experiment.

Would you be able to pressurize a fish tank to keep a "Pompeii worm" alive in your home or in an aquarium park? -- Amanda Oldfield, Royal Palm Beach High, Florida; Teacher: Robb Bartenslager

We have tried this, but as of this time it has been unsuccessful. They appear very susceptible to pressure and possibly temperature changes. That said, there is one investigator trying to do just what you suggest, but as yet has not been successful.

Yes, there are many vents in the Atlantic. If you look at the map of the sea floor on our Web site

http://www.ocean.udel.edu/extreme2002/Mission/divelocation/ridge.html

You will see that running right down the middle of the Atlantic is a ridge system, called the Mid-Ocean Ridge. The Mid-Ocean Ridge marks one of the most geologically active areas on Earth. It is where new seafloor is being born, giving rise to hydrothermal vents and volcanoes.

What made you want to study the deep ocean? -- Kinimaka

My early years were spent in California, where we would spend most of our summers vacationing on the beach. I guess the ocean has been in my blood from day one. My interest in studying the ocean all started in middle school with a substitute teacher from Australia. This guy was a marine scientist and he soon got me excited about the ocean. From there I never let go. It has always been my passion.

Great question Courtney! I began planning this cruise about 6 months ago. However, the grant that supports the science being done out here was written 4 years ago, and it has taken that time to get us out here. Preparations for this cruise were made by so many people, some that are out here with us, and many that are not. It takes a huge effort to make this happen as so much is riding on the success of the cruise.

How long have you been diving in Alvin? -- Rachelle Schultheis, Royal Palm Beach High School, Florida

I have been making cruises with the Alvin since 1983. My first dive was in 1986 and it was made at the Galapagos Rift site. I have now made over 23 dives.

Alvin is now over 35 years old and still remains the most successful and often dived submersible in the world. No other submersible comes close. Alvin has contributed to deep-sea research in a profound way, more than any other submersible in the world. The question now on the table after 35 years is do we need a new one. Some say that we should just use ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) Robots. I believe that human presence is essential, not only to maintain that fine level of control and precision, but for the pure nature of exploration. I find it very hard to get passionate about a robot. What do you think?

What would you most like to find on your upcoming dive Dr. Cary?
-- Jason & April, Royal Palm Beach High School, Florida

The first dive will be a recon dive where we will cover a large distance to see what has happened over the last year. We will also attempt to test each piece of equipment that will be used on the sub during the series, collect a chimney and a few Pompeii worms.

We have what are called “here bottles” that can be used if you need it. All you have to do is ask everyone if it would be OK to stand up. Once up you have about 2 sq. feet of room to work in and you can’t spill a drop!

What first inspired your interest in your occupation?

Always knew I loved the ocean and sometime while in middle school I had a biology teacher that loved to talk about the ocean I was soon hooked and knew this was what I wanted to do. I have that type of personality that when I set my mind on something I put every bit of effort necessary to make it happen. Before I knew it, I was in grad school at Scripps in La Jolla, California, one of the foremost oceanographic institutions in the world. My interest in the deep-sea came while doing my Masters degree at San Diego State University. My advisor (Dr. Rick Phleger) was a deep-sea biologist and he soon got me excited about this extreme habitat. When I got to Scripps the vents had just been discovered and I was lucky to get into a lab (Dr. Horst Felbeck) that had a major vent effort underway, and the rest is history.

Not at all. On some occasions I might get a carbon dioxide headache but that is about it.

What do you like best about your work?

Besides the obvious excitement of cruises, I get a chance to work with some great people, from my students, post-docs and other investigators. I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity.

Hey Ashley! Check the “Mission and Crew” page on the Web site: http://www.ocean.udel.edu/extreme2002/Mission/index.html
There you can click on individual names to find out specific details.

No, Alvin is pressurized just like any submarine, so you don’t feel the pressure. The main difference is that the air is a little different from normal air.

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Great question Lisa! We go into the water with our ballast tanks full of air, this gives us positive buoyancy enough to float. When given permission to dive these tanks are flooded and down we go.

No, but almost! When we are in heavy seas you really can get tossed about. What I do under these circumstances is tuck my life jacket under my bed at the edge to create a wedge toward the wall so I don't fall out.

Just our wonderful pictures!! I wish you could all be out here.

We have plenty of O2 in the sub. We bleed in pure O2 and scrub out the CO2. The O2 bleed is very slow. We carry 4 tanks in the sphere and only use a part of one on any given dive. The total air supply will last for 216 man-hours (72 hours x 3 persons).

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I have been working on the cruise planning for over a year. The educational component planning began about 6 months ago with agreeing on the name of the expedition.

Alvin has two areas to consider. Many of the spaces with electronics etc. are liquid filled (oil) and will not compress and will therefore not crush. The sphere which is air filled and houses the pilot and observers is made of 2 inch think titanium and is able to withstand pressures far greater than the depths where we work.

No problem with Kenna. We anticipated (gambled) the storm would move East so we changed our course to the west and skirted the outside of the storm. Once it had passed us, we made a course change back to the East. We had heavy seas but nothing like if we had hit it dead on. Thanks for your concern!

Because the ambient temperature of the deep sea is 2°C the high temp water that comes out of the vents is rapidly cooled. Because it cools so rapidly we are able to get the sub in close to do the delicate sampling we require.

Always we generally will bring back 10 to 20 worms on each dive. This will keep all of the scientists busy for most of the night.

Hey Carver Center! No we really do not worry much about taking bad stuff down or bringing it back maybe we should! The fact is that most things that do well on the surface would not do well in the deep-sea and visa versa. Most bacteria are not sensitive to light. This is particularly true of deep sea bacteria as far as we know, but then again we know so little. There are no Pompeii worms in the Atlantic. As far as we know now, their distribution is restricted to the East Pacific Rise.

Great question! The pH of the ocean changes very little due to the huge buffering effect of available bicarbonate. That said, you do see pH drops in some area such as sediments and in hydrothermal vents where hydrogen sulfide accumulates and forces the pH down due to the residual sulfuric acid. We have detected areas on chimneys where the pH has been as low as 4 to 5.

We do not feel the pressure at all. The outside of the sphere will feel the ambient pressure, but we in the sub will remain at a pressure similar to what you feel everyday.

We will go down every day and hope to collect many new and exciting microorganisms.

Hi Ernie and Maria! Generally, we only see the bioluminescence generated by the organisms. So we see flashes of light, but it is hard to make out what is generating that light. On my last dive I had the pilot turn on my light and I saw just for a moment a viper fish with light organs all along its belly.

Hey guys thanks for the question. Most of the time we take various medicine to help with sea sickness. Some take pills others use patches to help them make it through the first few days. After 2 to 3 days you begin to feel real good and the motion of the ship is no longer an issue unless it gets rough.

We always seem to have a shark or two hanging around the ship, which might turn up during a dive deployment or recovery, but there has never been an attack that I know of. There was one attack by a swordfish where the swordfish speared the sub foam outside and got stuck. It was brought to the surface and recovered on deck. Everyone on board enjoyed fresh swordfish that night.

Yes absolutely. Most often a major malfunction of anyone of the main systems would result in the dive being aborted. We can also dump various parts of the sub (manipulators, batteries, basket, sphere etc.) if necessary to get those inside to safety.

Great question!! But hard to say really, as so few measurements of that kind have been made. I would imagine that the sulfide would become rapidly diluted and oxidized back to sulfate very quickly. Support for vent fauna would therefore diminish rapidly.

I always knew I loved the ocean and sometime while in middle school I had a biology teacher that loved to talk about the ocean. I was soon hooked and knew this was what I wanted to do. I have that type of personality that when I set my mind on something I put every bit of effort necessary to make it happen. Before I knew it I was in grad school at Scripps in La Jolla, California, one of the foremost oceanographic institutions in the world. My interest in the deep sea came while doing my Masters degree at San Diego State University. My advisor (Dr. Rick Phleger) was a deep-sea biologist and he soon got me excited about this extreme habitat. When I got to Scripps the vents had just been discovered and I was lucky to get into a lab (Dr. Horst Felbeck) that had a major vent effort underway. The rest is history.

Daniel thanks for joining us! I did normal middle school and high school like you guys, but I was in England during those years. I then went to Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida for my undergraduate work. I went there because at the time they were one of two schools in the U.S. with an undergraduate program in Marine Sciences. I then took a couple of years off working and traveling for one of those years as the “Our World Underwater scholar.” I did a Masters degree at San Diego State University where I was first introduced to deep-sea research. I then went on to Scripps to do my Ph.D. As for courses, if it was about the ocean, I took it!!

I actually eat plenty before I dive. It is liquids you have to be careful about. While on the bottom we have lunch -- sandwiches and a great big candy bar!

(a) She is 35 years old and has done over 3,831 dives with no sight of an end. We are currently thinking about a new sub for the U.S. fleet right now, so maybe in the next few years there will be Alvin 2!

(b) We always seem to have a shark or two hanging around the ship which might turn up during a dive deployment or recovery, but there has never been an attack that I know of. There was one attack by a swordfish where the sword fish speared the sub foam outside and got stuck. It was brought to the surface and recovered on deck. Everyone on board enjoyed fresh swordfish that night.

(c) 3 knots

(d) We would abort the dive and surface immediately.

(e) We have a small vent crab we collected yesterday alive. Aside from that there are no pets on board as far as I know!!

Really it is clearest in the middle. The top has the plankton and the bottom the mix-up of stuff off the seafloor. That said this area of the ocean (central gyre) is pretty unproductive, so the water is very clear anyway.

(a) Making sure that all of our scientific objectives are met.

(b) Nope, in fact a giant squid has never been seen alive under water.

(c) The day we lost in San Diego and then we had to leave our Steward in San Diego, because he was sick. This has left the galley one person short, making it a lot of work for just two people.

(d) Making a dive in Alvin and collecting samples needed for our science.

(e) Most of the organisms found in vents are vent endemic (found only there, as far as we know). Other deep-sea organisms are surprisingly absent.

(f) Around the vents we would expect only vent animals, but if we move outside you see many of the fish and anemones common to the deep-sea.

(g) Today it is beautiful, one of the best we have had. It is sunny with some huge cumulus clouds in the sky and a few squalls out on the horizon. There is a nice cool breeze blowing, but the ocean is calm.

(h) Sure, even those that go to sea for long periods get sea sick at times. It just takes a bit of getting use to in the beginning and then you really start to feel great, so great you don't want it to end.

(i) For my cruises we always go to site on the East Pacific Rise. There are several vent sites we may visit (13°N, 21°N, etc.) but we generally come back here because we can always count on it being active and productive for our work.

(j) None of the organisms in the deep sea have any air spaces to implode, they are all tissue and fluid filled. Remember, only gas spaces are compressible, if you are full of water the compression effect is very small.

Hi Ashley! I wish I could send all you guys a worm to look at. The fact is each and everyone of these is used in our research and costs a lot of money and time to collect. So the best I can do is show you pictures. Hope this is enough!!

The ship is large and so expertly run and operated that I really do not fear much out here. That said, for any ship at sea the worst fear is probably a fire on board.

The science party is mostly made up of individuals connected with various research projects currently underway in my laboratory. Several of these projects involve other investigators from other facilities around the globe, and I often ask these individuals to come or send someone from their lab to participate. As for the dives themselves, I usually decide who will dive the night before and try to match the dive plan to the interests and experience of the people I have on board.

I would love to, but at those pressures it would be certain death, so no.

We did this experiment for a class last year. The egg came back intact. Fact is, eggs do have a small air space that may, if the egg were perfectly sealed cause it to implode. That said, eggs are not sealed but somewhat porous or permeable to gases i.e. air, so that the developing embryo can breathe. The egg that went down took on a bit of water to fill the airspace as the pressure went up during decent.

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This one I will have to investigate, you may have caught us on an error.

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Hey Esthelvina -- Getting in the sub is somewhat like crawing into a cool club house -- it is very small, but comfortable and contains everything you need to keep you alive and happy during the 9 hours. The only time I have felt sick was when we surfaced and the seas had gotten pretty rough, but I managed to hold it until I was on deck. As for excitement -- it is hard to hold that back even having been down 21 times!! It is especially exciting to go down with someone for their first dive -- then the excitement is hard to contain. I have to say that each time I dive is as or more exciting than the last -- this is probably because I get better at being in the sub and doing the science we need to do more efficiently. Thanks for the question. -- Dr Cary