| Q. |
Hi! My name is Morgan and I'm in the 5th grade at Carver Center
(G.E.M.) in Midland, Texas. I know ya'll are very busy but let
me drop a few questions: Were learning about the tubeworm and
Pompeii worm, have you actually seen a tubeworm yet? If you
have is it really white and red? Well, thanks for your time,
c'ya later! -- Morgan |
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| Q. |
What
is your favorite part about being a marine biologist?
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| Q. |
Hi! My name is Sierra. At my school we are leaning about how
you guys work and I'm finding it really interesting. Around
how many different kinds of animals are there in the deep ocean?
Thanks for your time! |
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| Q. |
How
many casualties have they had on the Alvin since it
was made and what problems happened with the Alvin.
-- Jonathan Roberie |
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| A. |
Hi
Jonathan! Many different pieces of equipment can malfunction
on a dive and have minimal impact on dive success or on safety.
When a problem is encountered, the pilot and surface watch
evaluate its impact on the dive and determine the proper action
to take. Every dive is governed by our Operations Manual,
the group’s ‘bible’ and specifically a list of ‘Minimum Requirements
for Diving.’ Our morning pre-dive checks ensure that the sub
meets the minimum requirements and identifies any other minor
problems. During a dive, systems are monitored constantly
with the critical components — atmosphere, electrical distribution
status, communications — monitored at least every half hour.
Certain problems, loss of comms for example, will immediately
end a dive. More serious problems and our reactions to them
are outlined in the OPs manual. The sub has a wide range of
redundant and emergency systems to help ensure that we return
to the surface. In the long run, it’s the coordination of
the group, the good operational decisions of the pilot, and
our specific operational guidelines that have maintained our
perfect safety record. |
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| Q. |
How much money does it cost to build a submarine that travels to the ocean floor? -- Seirra Sowell, Brogden Middle School |
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| Q. |
How many sea creatures live on the ocean floor? -- Alexandria Singletary, Brogden Middle School |
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| Q. |
Who was the first person to discover the hydrothermal vents, and when did he discover them? -- Nicole Kernan, Brogden Middle School
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| Q. |
What is the farthest distance that a human has ever traveled down
in the ocean? -- Bobby |
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| Q. |
What was it like to find those strange yet wonderful animals? Who names the animals? -- Deanna Mcfarland, Brogden Middle School |
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| Q. |
Is it pitch black while traveling to the bottom of the ocean? -- Max Cheatham and Yiannis Karpathian, Brogden Middle School |
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| Q. |
How many animals have you seen on all your dives put together?
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| Q. |
How deep can a human travel before having to come back up to the surface for oxygen? -- Tempestt Roberts, Brogden Middle School
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| Q. |
How long have you been deep sea diving? -- Jazzmine Mackey, Brogden Middle School
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| Q. |
What is it like to discover life at the bottom of the ocean of creatures never before seen? -- DaMeco Spears, Brogden Middle School
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| Q. |
Have you found any new species and if you did, what are the names of them?
-- Chris Jones, Brogden Middle School |
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| Q. |
What do you enjoy best about deep sea diving?
-- Ashlyn Kemp, Brogden Middle School
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| Q. |
What is your favorite animal that you discovered in the deep ocean?
-- Natalie Simpson, Brogden Middle School
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| Q. |
How many dives have you taken in month and years? -- Susana Gallegos, Brogden Middle School |
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| Q. |
Why don't sea cucumbers have brains? How do they know what to eat?
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| Q. |
Could a hydrothermal vent occur close to the surface? -- Matt Weaver, Brogden Middle School |
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| Q. |
How many animals have you found in the last three years? -- Lashwn Allen |
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| Q. |
Hello! I am Lauren Baye from John Curtis. My question is: How do the computers and electrical things work underwater? Are you more nervous underwater than on land of being hurt or taking on water? Please answer! Thanks, Lauren Baye |
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| Q. |
If my family were to come there on vacation, is there any way
that we could
see or maybe even tour the Alvin?? Thank
you! -- Matthew Fossm,
Bellingham, Washington
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| Q. |
Dear Scientists,
I am wondering what do you eat down there? Also how do you drive the sub....steering wheel?? Where do you learn to drive the sub?
-- Dave F. and Paul M., Westford Academy, Westford, Massachusetts |
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| Q. |
Hello Lisa, My name is Sean Nash. I am a biology/marine biology
teacher in Missouri. I know, I know ... Missouri. I also teach
a research course. This course is where my question arises.
One of my biggest challenges is to help students realize that
not everything has been "discovered" already. They fail to see
that there are areas of true original exploration going on all
the time.
You are doing work in an area that is particularly exemplary
of this type of pioneering. What kinds of advice could you give
to my students to help them believe they too can do explorative
biology wherever they are. Keep up the good work ... and we
hope you are having an exciting adventure!
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| Q. |
Howdy!
My name is Kate and I am in Jan Snow's 7th grade Life Science
class at Heritage Christian School. I was wondering: What is
the best part of being on the Alvin? What motivated
you to do this kind of work? What is your favorite creature
in the “deep sea”? Have you ever forgotten something you needed
in the Alvin and had to go on without it? Thanks for
your time! Kate Breyette, Houston, Texas |
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Q. |
Hello,
Dr. Morgan,
My name is Mark Mitchell from Missouri and I was wondering what is the most complex organism is that you study? Do you only study bacteria and other creatures that are similar, or do you study any other life forms? Thanks!
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Q. |
What
is marine snow? -- Reggie Bel |
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| Q. |
Dear Dr. Morgan,
I am a student at Old Mill High School in Maryland. My question is: If we find a use for the organisms at vent sites such as medicine or helping to clean-up oil spills, will harvesting of these fascinating organisms drive them to extinction.
-- Brian Heuer |
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| Q. |
To Lisa Robson
How did you apply or get asked to join this expedition?
Is there an age limit? |
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| Q. |
To Dr. Hugh Morgan,
How did you come to be a microbial ecologist. What is it about bacteria that interests you. Please respond!!! |
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| Q. |
Hello Lisa Robson,
My name is Josh Steeby and I am a student at Benton High School in St. Joseph, Missouri. I was wanting to know which condition is more extreme, the two miles below sea or being in the antarctic ice? |
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| Q. |
Hello Dr. Hugh Morgan,
My name is Chelse Richman, and I am from Benton High School in St. Joseph, Missouri. I was wondering: What types of metals are found coming out of the hydrothermal vents?
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| Q. |
Hello! My name is Amanda Lau and I am from Hanby Middle school. I was wondering how the animals in the deep survive the crushing power of the water around them. Thank you so much!
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| Q. |
Hi, how are you? My name is Aubrey Risinger, I’m in 6th grade at Frederick school. I live in Grayslake, Illinois. I am a girl! I have a question I’d like to ask you after reading about your mission. Does the temperature in the Twilight zone stay the same all year round? If not, what are the temperatures, and what about the other ocean zones? Well I hope you’ll be able to answer my question! Well, I really enjoyed your Web site. It was great! -- Aubrey Risinger |
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| Q. |
Hi, I'm Ben Rynex of Frederick school In Grayslake, Illinois. I have a question for you: In the Alvin, how much pressure do you feel at the bottom of the ocean? What sort of thing happens to your body down deep, like ears popping.
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| Q. |
Hi we’re 6th graders from Federick School in Grayslake, Illinois. We were wondering if you could answer two questions for us: 'How does the food chain work? and what do fish at the bottom of the food chain eat? -- Amanda Diedrich and Tory Dohm
P.S. Thank you for reading our questions and hopefully you’ll get to answer them. |
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| Q. |
Do you ever get afraid of going way down into the water? I mean, afraid if the boat will break down or if water will start pouring in. Does anyone ever get claustrophobic in the submarine? Why doesn't anyone try swimming in that water? -- Sincerely, Jordan P. Murray Middle School, 6th grade
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| Q. |
From Perry Central High School: a student wants to know if you have ever found a dead body (human) at those depths? Thanks. |
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| Q. |
My question is: What types of foods do you eat when going on a dive? And also what activities do you do while awaiting to go to your destination? --Dont'e Jones
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| Q. |
Do you think that one day humans may move to the ocean? -- Mirella Toncheva |
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| Q. |
My question is: How do you prepare for a dive that long? -- Zandra Pendergrass
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| Q. |
How do you go down in the sub for 9 hours if you can’t go to the bathroom?
-- Jennie Autry |
|
| A. |
They
kind of tell you not to drink a whole lot before you get into
the sub. If you find you really have to go, Alvin
is equipped with human range extenders for going to the bathroom
(in other words, the little urinal bottles that you get at
the hospital). Currently, all of the Alvin pilots are male,
but the scientists who go down in the sub can be either gender.
So if one scientist has to go to the bathroom, then the other
holds up a blanket (like a screen) to give that person some
privacy. |
|
| Q. |
Does the water volcano affect the ocean and if so how dose it affect it?
-- Jumana Tubeishat
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| A. |
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| Q. |
Are there any plants near the deep-sea vents? -- James Gheen |
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| Q. |
What are the smokers made of? -- Brad Mason
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