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Karen Romano Young
Education Coordinator |
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Has Alvin ever broken down at the bottom of the ocean? Student
Name: Tiffani
State: OR Country: USA
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Alvin wound up stuck at the bottom of the ocean once, when a problem at the surface caused it to sink. The crew bailed out, and Alvin sank. It was months before it was recovered. On several occasions, the sub has been "pinned" by rock shelves and stuck on the bottom, but each time the pilot was able to unstick it. |
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What is it like being on a ship exploring the deep sea and doing experiments and stuff like that? Student
Name: Rachel
State: WA Country: USA
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Well, I'm not a scientist, so I haven't been doing any experiments. My role here has been to describe the work the scientists are doing on board, and to tell about what it's like diving in Alvin and being involved in the research cruise. Diving in Alvin was beautiful and so, so, so cool. Everything on the ocean floor is REAL and right outside the window. If only we could get out and walk around. I had to remind myself over and over that what seemed like air was water, and that I couldn't survive outside the sub because of the pressure under a mile and a half of water. As for being on board with all the scientists, it was tremendously exciting. Every afternoon when the sub came up bringing samples, they all crowded around to gather things up, a little bit like kids when their mom comes home from the store. They all knew exactly what they were going to do with their samples of water or worms or whatever; they had been planning it for ages, and the information they would get from their samples was extremely important to them. So they'd go off and work with their samples, processing them and testing them. Sometimes there was real excitement about something that was working in a new way. People knew I was interested, so they'd come and find Mike or me and ask us to come see, and maybe to bring our cameras. Off we'd go. Terrific! Also there were experiments or instruments or processes that failed. Sometimes there were tears of frustration. But later I'd get a chance to talk to those people about what they were going through, and they all said it was worth the trouble for the chance of discovering something new about the vents and contributing to our understanding of the ocean. Something to think about: everything we know about the ocean came from people who are doing the kind of work that is going on here on Atlantis -- whether it happened hundreds of years ago or just this afternoon. I feel privileged to be here. |
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Hey! My name is Chloe. I was just wondering are any of the animals in the deep sea poisonous? Thank you! Student
Name: Chloe
State: MS Country: USA
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Hey Chloe, this is an interesting question that caused a big discussion in the lab. First of all, Mike League tells me that there's a distinction between 'poisonous' and 'venomous'. Poisonous means that if we ate it, it would poison us. Venomous means that if it stung us it would harm or kill us. Clearly there are animals in the vent environment that are related to animals that kill their prey with venom in the other parts of the ocean, such as the anemone and octopus. But so far no research has been done on deep sea anemones or octopi to determine whether they use this method, too. It's amazing to say 'nobody knows,' but apparently that's the truth of this situation. |
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Hi my name is Alicia. I'm senior at Bayside High School. I'm presently taking an Oceanography class. Were currently traveling along via Internet with you guys as you study and do research. First of all, I just want to say, that I think what you guys are doing is amazing. You guys are so lucky to be able to work and study the ocean. I think the ocean is the best place to be besides being home. I've lived in Guam all my life and I'm fascinated with the ocean. Its my favorite place to be.
Does it make your work more enjoyable to know school students from across the nation are following your journey, and watching you conduct research and experiments? Student
Name: Alicia
State: VA Country: USA
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Dear Alicia, Yes, yes, yes! The hope that students will find the work aboard Atlantis and Alvin entertaining, interesting, and inspiring is my reason for being here aboard. The Extreme 2004 mission is unique in that we're not only studying the hydrothermal vents and making discoveries, we are doing best to share all that we're doing with people all over the world. Did you know there are more than 750 schools involved -- and 56,000 students? For Mike League and me, the shipboard education coordinators for the mission, our chief work here has been to send pictures and words so Extreme classrooms can experience this cruise along with us. Believe me, we are thinking of you all every minute. Thanks for this question -- and thanks to all who have sent poems, artwork, experiments, comments, and other communications. You ARE what floats our boat. |
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Do the black smokers cause Alvin to have soot on it due to the smoke they produce? Thank you for your time. Student
Name: Kikia
State: VA Country: USA
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Here's another question that got us talking in the lab, Kikia. The idea of soot is a tricky one. Soot is a byproduct of burning something into the air; it is solid particles that can get on you by falling from the air, but also if you are in the path of the smoke. Alvin gets into the path of the flow from black smokers sometimes, and the marks on its skin look like soot. But it's different, because these aren't solid particles any more than the smoke from black smokers is actual smoke as you see from a chimney on land. We call them chimneys and black smokers because of that resemblance, but there are big differences. "Smoke" from vent "chimneys" is actually the result of a reaction between hydrogen sulfide blowing out of the vents and the cold sea water. When Alvin gets in the way there is another reaction, with the skin. While you can brush soot off your sleeve, it's difficult to wash the blackness from Alvin's skin. So it's really a very different thing. |
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Hi, my name is Robert and I am a tenth grade student enrolled in Bayside High located in Virginia Beach. Here at Bayside we are working on daily journals and participating in the Extreme 2004. My question is "What is your motivation to stay focused on this expedition?" Student
Name: Robert
State: VA Country: USA
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Dear Robert, It's great that you're following along so closely. You're in a position to see that every day of the Alvin dives, new samples are brought up that may lead to new understanding, new species may be observed, and new vents and signs of changes in the earth's crust may be noticed. Check out Dr. Cary's press release about the 'snowblowers' at 13North, and you'll see what I mean. Dr. Cary named the Extreme 2004 mission "Exploring the Deep Frontier" because he wanted to show just how new and surprising the hydrothermal vent environment is and to convey how it feels to study something people know so little about. As for me, a writer, I'm glad to hear you and your class are doing daily journals. All discoverers love the discoveries for themselves, but also love telling other people about what they've found. Writing gives me that opportunity. Here's a thought: why not write an article for your school paper or local paper describing why the Extreme 2004 mission has been an interesting discovery for you? |
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My name is Trahada Miller and I'm a student here at Bayside High School. My class is the only school in Virginia Beach doing the project on your expedition. I would like to know what was the best experiment you've done so far? I really like doing this project because it helps me to expand my knowledge. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to send you this letter. Student
Name: Trahada
State: VA Country: USA
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Hi, Trahada. I'm not a scientist, so I can't respond to this question with my personal experiences, but I see the results of fascinating experiments daily here. There's Michelle Phillips' efforts to keep Pompeii worms alive in a pressure chamber. There's Eric DeChaine's use of just two mussels found at Lost City in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to compare with mussels found in other vent areas, including the East Pacific Rise. And then there's Monika Bright and the baby traps, set down in the hope of finding Riftia pachyptila (giant tubeworms) at the stage of their life when they take up the bacteria that do their digesting for them -- and which had never been seen before. She had to figure out where to look, and how they might be gathered. She had to design a trap to gather them with, and deploy it (place it) on the ocean floor, and then come back later to get it, bring it up to the surface, and analyze it. That's cool -- and you know, she found them. For more, check out my journal entry from December 18. |
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Why do you always go to the same spot to look under the sea? Wouldn't it be better to look in different places to find different creatures? Student
Name: Danielle
State: CT Country: USA
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WHOI biologist Timothy Shank, who has studied the hydrothermal vents at the East Pacific Rise for a number of years, explained to me that scientists are studying an entire environment that is in a continuous state of change. Vents open, chemicals pour out into the water, and in short order a vent community begins to generate. Vents slow down or close, and the community dies out. By returning every year scientists monitor the changes, which helps them to understand the community better. During the Extreme 2004 mission, scientists observed a new vent at 9North (named Michael's Vent) and saw 'snowblowers' at 13North. Check out the December 12 Daily Discoveries and the [big news from Craig -- press release sent Dec. 18]. Thanks for this question, Danielle. As you can see, it's one I've been asking, too. |
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Why do you want to find out about the Pompeii worm? Is there a specific reason? Student
Name: Danielle
State: CT Country: USA
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Absolutely! The Pompeii worm is able to withstand higher temperatures than any other known organism, and we want to know how it does it. Scientists aren't just studying Alvinella pompejana (the Pompeii worm) however. They're also sampling and studying other organisms that live around the hydrothermal vents. |
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What is the best experiment you have ever done? Student
Name: Brittany
State: NC Country: USA
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I'm not a scientist, so I can't respond to this personally. The most interesting experiment I've seen on this cruise involves a frying pan. These plates of titanium are placed right on top of a vent chimney. We placed one during the course of my dive on December 4, and in just two days it was full of chimney material -- sulfides -- that were collecting all over it. |
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Do the creatures ever fall out of the basket as the submersible is going to the surface? Student
Name: Spencer
State: NC Country: USA
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Yes, this has happened during the Extreme 2004 mission. For example, a biobox container that contained Riftia pachyptila (giant tubeworm) samples came open just as the sub surfaced. This was during my dive, and boy, were we frustrated! It takes a long time to find and gather those samples, and the scientists really need them. |
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Hi! I am Alex, a fifth grader in California. Can you explain how bioluminescence works? Student
Name: Alex
State: CA Country: USA
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Yes, I can! Or at least I can explain what some of the ideas are about how bioluminescence works. It's a fascinating topic. Dr. Astrid Schnetzer, one of the Extreme 2004 scientists, told me a little about how animals light up in the ocean. It's a very common thing. All the animals have photophores, special organs that allow them to produce light. They can produce the light in one of two ways: either by having photoproteins, light-producing proteins, or by having a protein called luceferin which combines with an enzyme called luciferase. The combination produces light. |
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Do the black smokers really produce black smoke? Student
Name: Dalton
State: LA Country: USA
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Yes. It billows out as if something was on fire, hot hydrogen sulfide just bashing into the cold ocean water and wow, what a reaction. It looked like little volcanoes spewing straight up into the air, puffing up billows of black smoke and cloud. |
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How does the Fangtooth live in the dark and still see to find its food? Student
Name: Megan & Kyrsti
State: OK Country: USA
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Bioluminescence is one way. The fangtooth's mouth area lights up to attract prey. Also, although the light here is extremely dim -- just one percent of the light at the surface -- fangtooth fish can make use of it to see. Their large eyes help them do this. And there's another way that all fish share: the sensory organs along their sides help them detect movement in the water, and to identify prey that way. |
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What is it you do on the ship and do you work also work in the submersible Alvin? Student
Name: Dawn
State: OK Country: USA
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I'm one of two shipboard education coordinators for the Extreme 2004 mission. Michael League is the other one. Our job is to describe everything that's going on here for the Extreme 2004 website. We have taken photographs and video, gathered images from the Alvin cameras (and from our camera-toting friends aboard), and spent hours and hours interviewing people here about their work and reporting on it in Neat Stuff and our Daily Journals. We both took dives in Alvin and reported on those experiences, too. This is a temporary job for both Mike and me. He's a graduate student at the University of Delaware. I'm a full-time author and illustrator. |
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Have you ever had an expedition near Hong Kong? Student
Name: Morey
State: ** Country: China
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Have you seen any Navy or Coast Guard ships on your voyage? Student
Name: John
State: VA Country: USA
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Lucien, Gumby suits are pretty heavy - I'd guess 20 lbs at least. You'd work up a pretty good sweat in one if you had to wear it around! |
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How do you feel about going to the deep sea, knowing all the risks? Student
Name: Thomas
State: DE Country: USA
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I was comfortable because the Alvin Crew is so careful and well-trained. They take care of the sub like a beloved baby. They all look out for each other and the observers so conscientiously. I felt extremely confident in everything they did to maintiain the sub every night and morning. I also trusted the pilot I dove with, Anthony Tarantino, to know how to handle anything that had to be done in the sub. You should feel this way about anyone you dive -- or drive -- with. Before we dove, we had an orientation where they showed us how to handle any emergency situation that might come up. If the pilot got sick for example, and couldn't handle the sub, we were shown some actions we could take. For example, we learned how to change the oxygen canisters and the CO2 scrubbers, necessary so we could keep breathing freely in the sub. We knew where the emergency food supplies were kept. And we even knew how to unlock the bolt that attaches Alvin's inner sphere to the outer frame, something that would allow the sphere to float freely up to the surface. All this might have made some people nervous, but I guess I'm not like that. |
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What has been your favorite part of the trip? Student
Name: Mahmoud
State: DE Country: USA
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I loved the Alvin dive, but I also have treasured the time on board Atlantis. We're almost at the end of a long trip, and by now I know every person on board, scientists, Alvin group, and crew. They are an amazing group of people, and all have such incredible stories to tell. My job on this cruise has been to find out who they are and what they do. For me that has been an absolutely wonderful thing. By talking to them all I realize that people can really do anything they want in life. What these people have in common is a love of adventure and a love of the sea. They have been all over the world -- and none of them is wealthy. But -- you know what I'm going to say here, and I mean it most sincerely -- they are rich from their experiences and their courage. |
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What is the most dangerous area around the submersible? (Dangerous areas like outside a bus) Student
Name: Ariel
State: DE Country: USA
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ANY area outside Alvin while it is under the water would be lethal to a human because we could not handle the extremely high pressure (250 times the pressure of the atmosphere on the surface) that exists at the ocean floor where the hydrothermal vents are. On the deck of Atlantis, you have to watch out when Alvin is coming down the track to be launched into the water. First of all, the tracks are as dangerous as train tracks. You have to stay out of the way. There is a wide yellow line painted across the deck at the stern, where Alvin's hangar is, and you're not allowed to go behind that line unless you're one of the Alvin crew. Even for them, the fantail is a dangerous place. There's no rail there, just three safety cables that are taken down to launch Alvin. It's easy to imagine falling off in that spot. |
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How do you feel when you are down in Alvin? Student
Name: Matthew
State: DE Country: USA
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When I was down in Alvin, I kept having to tell myself it wasn't an amusement park ride or an aquarium exhibit, it was real. I felt fine physically, except for having to go to the bathroom. (They have these little bottles but Ijust didn't.) I don't think I've ever had my eyes wide open. I was on my knees so I could peer out the little 4 1/2 inch porthole and see the ocean floor, octopi, sponges, starfish, eel pouts, alvinella, riftia, mussels, clams, and other things. It was all incredibly surprising and clear and beautiful and gorgeous. I felt like my heart was singing, and I wasn't the slightest bit nervous or afraid. |
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How common/rare are these flourishing hydrothermal vent sites with life? Why do you think some sites have this life and other areas are more barren? Student
Name: Mrs. Kadaras
State: MA Country: USA
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Exciting topic! The exact location of hydrothermal vents changes frequently. Just during the course of this mission (only a year after the previous Extreme mission) new vents have been observed, as well as signs that extraordinary things have been happening under the Earth's surface, where we can't see. Vents that were previously full of life are bare of organisms now. It's all because of activity in the places where tectonic plates meet and are moving, such as the East Pacific Rise, Galapagos Rift, Juan de Fuca Ridge, and Mid-Atlantic Ridge -- all areas along the Mid-Ocean Ridge system where plates are separating. This makes the seafloor crack, allowing ocean floor to flow through the earth's crust, interact with magma (molten lava) and cause hydrothermal vents. It's an underwater volcano, and, like all volcanoes, it revs up or calms down depending on what's going on underneath the crust. |
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What has been the most exciting or interesting part of your trip so far? Student
Name: Katelynn
State: WV Country: USA
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What is it like being a female scientist? Is it hard? Student
Name: Amanda
State: WV Country: USA
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How do you get rid of waste inside the vessel? Student
Name: Juliana
State: TX Country: USA
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Actually, Juliana, there is no way to get rid of waste from inside Alvin. The 'bathroom' is a specially-shaped bottle. Once full, it is stowed until we reach the surface, then emptied into the ocean. Any trash, such as baggies from our sandwiches or Kimwipes we've used to clean the porthole windows (which fog up from our breath on them as we peek out), is tossed into a bag that is taken aboard Atlantis for disposal. |
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Will you be upset when Extreme 2004 ends? I know I will. Student
Name: Kate
State: VA Country: USA
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Oh, yes. It's going to be very sad to leave this ship and these people I've come to like so much. For me, it's been an inspiration to keep on learning about new things. I have ideas for new books I'd like to research on topics including bioluminescence and the deep ocean. I have work I've set aside for this trip that I'm eager to get back to, including a book on navigation. I've learned new things on this trip that can go into that book. But most of all I'll be so happy to get home to my family. I hear there's snow at home, and I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for saying this; everyone involved in Extreme 2004 has worked hard and it's terrific to hear that you're enthusiastic about our mission. Happy Holidays! |
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Is the temperature at the hydrothermal vents constant? Student
Name: Lia
State: VA Country: USA
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Hydrothermal vents are volcanic, caused by shifts in the tectonic plates. Changes in the plates can cause the vents to change, to flare up or shut down. So the answer is no, it's not constant. The temperature also varies within one plume depending on how close to the vent you measure it. The vent opening can be as hot as 350C, but as you move farther away, cool ocean water mixes with the flow and the temperature drops. |
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Are you the only ones researching the Pompeii worm or are there other people studying it too? Student
Name: Maria
State: VA Country: USA
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Dr. Craig Cary estimates that there are about 20 other scientists in the world working on Alvinella. |
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What are the benefits of bioluminescence for the fish that have it? Student
Name: Zena & Isabelle
State: CA Country: USA
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Astrid Schnetzer told me about this, too. Here are some of the reasons we know organisms (not just fish, but bacteria, invertebrates, and dinoflagellates too) use bioluminescence: to lure prey, to search for prey, to recognize other members of their species, to school with their species (so they don't lose their way or crash into each other), as camouflage, and as a warning against toxic substances. They can also use it as a 'burglar alarm'. For example, a group of little dinoflagellates are being chased by a copepod. They light up, and everything sparkles except the copepod, which makes it stand out as if it was under a spotlight -- except that it's dark, while everything else is light, so it's kind of a reverse spotlight. This makes the copepod highly visible to something bigger which might prey on it -- which saves the dinoflagellates. For more on bioluminescence, please see my journal from December 16, 2004. |
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How does the bacteria on the Pompeii worm help it? Student
Name: Lillian
State: CA Country: USA
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Well, Lillian, this is one of the main questions being asked by Extreme 2004 scientists in the biocomplexity group headed by Dr. Craig Cary. They theorize that the bacteria on the Pompeii worm's back help it to handle the high temperatures and chemical makeup of the extreme vent environment, and that, in turn, the Pompeii worm helps the bacteria to live. It's a symbiotic relationship, which means that each organism needs the other to survive. Since there are different kinds of bacteria, molecular biologists are working to identify and figure out the role of each one. |
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