Tuesday, 11 September 2007, First Day at Sea
RV Atlantis
By Ron Prescott, physics teacher
Jackson County Comprehensive High School
Jefferson, Georgia
After
a foggy departure from Astoria, Oregon, we set out for the deep blue
sea of the Pacific Ocean. However, because of the sub terrain of
the Columbia River harbor and the rough waters where ocean meets
rivers, the captain of the ship actually has to relinquish his roll as
captain to what is called the harbor pilot. This is a special
pilot who is required to come on board the ship and sort of take over
as captian until we have successfully maneuvered through the harbor and
out to sea.
The most dangerous part of this job takes place once
the ship is out to sea when the harbor pilot must return the ship to
the captain and disembark the ship while it is still moving. This
is done by the harbor pilot boat coming up beside the ship and the
pilot climbing down the side of the ship on a rope ladder -- all
while both boats are moving forward. The harbor pilot climbs down
low, but not too low, then kicks himself away from the ship and
jumps onto the pilot boat. This is how every harbor pilot and ship transition is made.
During
this part of the trip, which took several hours, scientists were busy
preparing instruments to be deployed. The rest of the day was
filled with safety meetings, fire drills, man overboard training, and
of course the “just in case” orange exposure suit training. For the
scientists who will be going down in the Alvin, there was also a
special training. You have to be fitted for a special oxygen
mask, “just in case” the oxygen generator fails. Young readers might enjoy the "Gumby Suit" coloring page.
Finally,
at 4:30 today, for the first time we were able to discuss some of the
plans we have for high school students as a part of this trip, and how
we will include the research that is ongoing.
Wednesday, 12 September, 2007
RV Atlantis
Vicki Soutar, earth systems, oceanography & biology teacher; National Ocean Science Bowl coach
Oconee County High School
Watkinsvillie, GA
Another foggy and grey day after a night of rocking and rolling on the Pacific caused some to get sea sick. We arrived at our first research site around 8:00 am this morning having traveled all night from the port at Astoria, Oregon. The coordinates for this site (rounded off) are 47N, 127W. Alvin was sent down this morning on the first dive of the expedition. It is 2800 meters to the seafloor at this location. Can you determine how high the pressure is at that depth? Departing at 9:15 am, the three member crew of two scientists and the pilot went down in Alvin to the seafloor as part of the CORKS cew, and will return around 4:45 pm -- just in time for dinner. They took along a sack lunch and extra clothing to put on because temperatures drop inside the sub as it descends. You can learn more about their research by checking out the Geohydrology and CORKS shelf in the School of Rock Library.
Sea surface temperature right now is 16.5 Celsius while air temperature is 15.16 Celsius. The barometric pressure has dropped some and the humidity has slightly risen so we may be seeing more drizzle ahead. Currently a 13 knot wind is blowing and it feels pretty cool out on the deck, but we will all brave the conditions to see Alvin recovered. Two scientists and the pilot will have spent the day in close quarters collecting data and pictures for their research.
During an Alvin dive briefing we learned what participants can expect before and during the dive. Video and still cameras are available in Alvin and each participant will be in charge of using a camera and watching the monitors. The carbon dioxide they breathe out will be scrubbed from the air by passing it through a scrubber canister of calcium hydroxide. This is like the rebreather units scuba divers can use for the same purpose. We also had to try on these large face masks that would be used in case of an emergency to supply participants with vital back up air. It is incredible to see what is going on here and to be asked to be a part of the expedition. I look forward to bringing back lessons and experiences to share with my students. I miss you guys so write me and send a question -- or better yet, send us the pressure at 2800 meters! Love to all my students, and Mr. Prescott says "hello" to his. V. Soutar
Rounding off you all got it right! 280 atm or 28 MPa or 4128 psi depending on your units and your assumptions about denity at depth- Yeah!
Day Two -- A Deeper Look!
45 million Americans woke up this morning going about their normal routines -- going to work, going to school, even many going on vacations like Disney World or to the Grand Tetons. Maybe even someone got to meet the President for the first time today. But for two indidviduals, and only two, they got up this morning and went to the bottom of the ocean floor -- not your typical dya at work. Dr. Bob Meldrum, with the Pacific Geoscience Center in Victoria, Canada, and Kati Inderbitzen, a graduate assistant at the University of Miami visited the bottom of the Pacific Ocean floor near the Juan de Fuca Ridge with the help of Alvin pilot Mark Spears. Dr. Meldrum has made this trip several times before, since many of the instruments on the wellheads that have been installed on the bottom are a part of his work. However, for Katie, this was her first experience to see much of the work she has been participating in from school. Below is her story about this unique experience. -- Ron Prescott
By Katie Inderbitzen
Ever since I was 11 years old, I’ve dreamed of diving in the Alvin. The thought of descending in a 6 foot diameter titanium sphere into the depths of the ocean has been something that’s often driven me forward on my career path over the last 16 years. And yesterday, I was able not only to dive in the Alvin, but was able to see, firsthand, the instruments that collect the data I use in my research.
The night before my dive, it was difficult to sleep. I woke up early, and got ready for the dive. Normally the sub dives at 8:00 am, but weather forced us to push back launch time to 9:00 am. I was out and ready on the fantail (that’s the flat deck at the stern of the ship) at 8:30 am when they rolled Alvin out of its hanger. This is when the Alvin crew puts on the heavy iron weights that allow the sub to descend to the ocean floor. When the sub is rolled all the way to the edge of the fantail, it’s time to load the pilot and science observers. Our pilot, Mark Spear, got in first, followed by myself and Bob Meldrum, the other observer. You have to be very careful where you step when you climb down through the sail and into the titanium sphere of the sub; with three people and a lot of electronics crammed in, there aren’t many free places to step! After all three of us were in, Mark closed the hatch and the Atlantis’s A-frame lifted us off the deck and into the water. After disconnecting the safety lines, we were given permission to dive. We flooded our ballast tanks and were on our way into the deep.
(Photo credit: Mark Spear. Alvin Pilot)
The 2660 meter descent to the seafloor took about two hours, much of which was in total darkness. If we looked out of our portholes into the darkness, we could see bioluminescent creatures floating in the water! It gets colder in the sub as you descend, and we all put on sweaters and extra socks. As we approached the bottom Mark dropped one of the weights to slow our descent. Bob and I watched out our portholes for the bottom. When I saw it, I felt as though I could reach out and touch it: a gently rolling plain of brown mud framed by the deep blue of the seawater above. We soon came upon exactly what we were looking for: our seafloor installation at Ocean Drilling Program site 1026B. Our instruments are located in a CORK and cemented into a borehole in the seafloor, separating the ocean water from any water that is contained within the sediment or ocean crust.
Our main goals for the dive were to download data from our pressure/temperature sensors, recover an old sensor and deploy a new one, and recover two water chemistry samplers from the CORK. The cool part about downloading from our instruments is that we actually have to plug into the instrument using the sub’s manipulator arm! It was amazing to see the dexterity of the arm and how easily it maneuvered the connector into place. During the data download, we had a little time to eat lunch. Lunch in Alvin is always the same: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a ham and cheese sandwich, a candy bar, and an apple. It all tastes delicious after working so hard! After deploying a new data logger, we moved to another side of the borehole to recover the water chemistry samplers. The whole CORK is covered with a rust-colored substance that we think might be a bacterial mat (Beth Orcutt, our resident geomicrobiologist, collected some samples to analyze). After recovering the samplers, we asked for permission to surface. We had spent three and a half hours on the bottom and it was time to drop weights and go home.
After a two hour ascent to the surface, we popped up off the bow of the Atlantis. A zodiac and swimmers came out to secure the sub and all the instruments in our basket. Then we were towed to the stern of the ship, where the A-frame hoisted us back onto the fantail. As a first-time diver I had a special surprise waiting for me after I got out of the sub. The entire science party was there with buckets of COLD seawater to dump on me (this is a ritual that every new diver goes through)! I ended up soaking wet, but still hung out on deck talking about some of the finer details of the dive with the chief scientists for a few minutes before I was shooed inside to put on dry clothes.
After reflecting on my day at the bottom of the ocean, I find it amazing that such a fascinating world is a mere two hour ride away! Exploring the deep ocean is truly our last and greatest frontier. How little we actually understand of the seafloor is partly what drives me in my research focus. It is an exciting time to be a marine geologist, and I hope I have been able to impart some of that excitement to you!
FRIDAY, 14 September, 2007
Ron Prescott, Science Teacher, physics teacher
Jackson County Comprehensive High School
Jefferson, Georgia
On a day that started with calm seas, clear weather, and perfect temperature, we got up around 7:00 am to prepare for another journey to the bottom of the sea with Alvin. Breakfast is served between 6:45 – 7:30 am, and you better not be late or you'll only get a muffin. No one misses meals around here. Today, Friday, we sent off two more scientists in the Alvin right on schedule at 8:00 am. They were Dr. Keir Becker, the lead scientist for this entire expedition, and Kelly Kryc. Dr. Becker is from the University of Miami and has been on more than 20 dives in the Alvin. Kelly Kryc, a geochemist, went along to observe and learn more about CORKS. They will be retrieving another CORK instrumentation device from the seafloor and bringing it to the ship for data retrieval.
Vicky and I have been interviewing both crew and scientists for career profiles. This has taken most of our time yesterday and today. We will try to get some of these profiles on-line so you can learn about the various careers at sea and about the scientists who are a part of this expedition. A lot of science is occurring on board this ship, and as we share the videos and interviews and stories through the JOI Learning E-vents website, I hope you will see the incredible discoveries that are being made in the ocean and the numerous opportunities available for careers in ocean science.
We hope this encourages students to ask questions, to explore deeper, to inquire further, and to study harder. We hope this helps the education industry to value the importance of the marriage of research to secondary education. And we hope this leads just one more person into the pursuit of excitement in science careers.
Saturday, 15 September, 2007
Today was very important to one of the science teams. They have been developing a way to pour cementr on the ocean floor in order to seal some small leaks that have been occurring where the CORK is placed in the borehole at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1301B. This is important because the scientists are collecting data about the pressure, temperature, and chemistry of water in the crust, and leaks through the cork will contaminate the samples. After several experiments, the team arrived at a mixture that seemed appropriate for the conditions in which it would be used – 2660 meters below sea level -- a fluid and high-pressure environment. Obviously, part of the test involved getting the right amount of a decelerating agent into the cement mixture to allow it to flow and set when needed at the seafloor. Dr. Geoff Wheat of the University of Alaska, has been responsible for this part of the mission.
After mixing, the cement was placed in a sealed 55-gallon drum apparatus equipped with a cone, spout, and 15 feet of flexible tubing at the bottom of the drum. The whole contraption was lowered into the ocean after a beacon buoy was attached. In the mean time, DSV Alvin was heading down toward the borehole to coordinate the pouring activities at 1306B. Leslie Peart, JOI Learning director, accompanied Dr. Earl Davis of the Pacific Geoscience Center, Geological Survey of Canada, and Alvin pilot Bruce Strickrott. This was Leslie’s first trip aboard Alvin and her adventure is the highlight of today’s feature. – Ron Prescott
A Problem Solving Saturday -- Leslie Peart
Although it's been more than 48 hours since I climbed down into Alvin to make myself comfortable for the long descent, my perspective has not changed. Yesterday I tried to write poetically about the dive, which wasn't really the best idea. Yes, the experience was everything I had imagined -- beautiful water colors followed by the darkness of the sea; glimmering bioluminescent animals flying by our tiny portholes; ratfish, anemones and otherworldly deep sea critters on a soft, sedimentary landscape. Poetry, however, was not what I remember most. Saturday was, simply put, a day of problem solving. In the words of our pilot, Bruce Strickrott, it was all about "thought problems." You have to think through every maneuver before you carry it out.
As noted above, our mission was to pour cement to seal up the CORK in the borehole at ODP Site 1301B. The cement "truck" was just where the ship's crew told us it had landed, and we were able to navigate directly to it, maneuver the sub to pick it up, navigate a short distance to the CORK, and place the truck on the CORK. I say "we", but "we" had nothing to do with it. Bruce did all the work, while Earl took notes and made observations. I simply watched and focused the starboard camera. The photo below shows the cement truck attached to the CORK. Notice the osmosamplers at the bottom left of the photo inset. You'll learn more about those another day.
Then the fun began. Bruce released the flexible tubing and we discovered it wouldn't quite reach the hole in the middle of the cork where the cement needed to be. We really only had one choice -- find a way to make it work. It -- the tubing -- was flexible though, and Bruce and Earl talked with the crew on Atlantis, then stopped and thought about our options. We only had a few tools, both simple and complex -- a few 16-pound weights, a meter of aluminum tubing, a submarine with robotic arms, and an experienced pilot. I don't know how he did it, but Bruce was able to hook a weight to the bottom of the tube and stretch it to just above the hole. We were back in business.
Now all we had to do was head back up a meter or two, open the cement valve, and watch it pour into the hole. Simple, right? Bruce opened the valve as planned, the cement began to flow and oops -- the tubing flattened out like a pancake. There must have been a vacuum somewhere in the container or the tubing. Time to stop for a moment and think through another challenge. While there was a hole at the top of the concrete container, it was covered, from the inside, with plastic sheeting. How were we going to tackle that problem? The aluminum pipe, of course. So Bruce released a little ballast water (ballast in, sub goes down; ballast out, sub goes up), we floated back to the top of the container, and with great dexterity he used both robotic arms to place the pipe in the hole at the top and release the vacuum.
Ballast in, sub down, and voila! The cement was flowing again. It flowed, and flowed, and flowed while we watched and watched and... When all aboard were satisfied the job was done, we navigated over to ODP Site 1301A, made a few observations, went back to 1301B and released the "truck", which was recovered for use on another day. Through the greatest feats of technology and a bit of problem solving and careful thought, we had completed our mission. Alvin and it's pilots are truly amazing. Problem solving and patience -- that's what science requires.
From Corks to Cups
Science has a fun and ageless side to it -- a side you may not always see. In between problem solving, exploration, and experiments, nearly everyone inolved with this expedition enjoys squashing styrofoam cups. Try it! Can you squash a styrofoam cup without breaking it? Impossible? No. The Alvin is built to withstand the pressure at 2660 meters and more below sealevel, but styrofoam is not. So, everyday the Alvin dives, it carries a mesh bag full of cups and things like wig heads that students, scientists, and even the ship's crew and captain have decorated with waterproof markers. Some of us do this for fun and others do it for a learning experience. Not to be outdone, I made a few cups, too. I made some for the young people I know -- Julia, Emma, and Brett -- who live in different places around the country. Here's what they looked like before the dive. Notice the pen for scale. These cups were 4.25 inches tall, but we don't use inches out here, so you may want to convert to centimeters!
Now here's what they looked like after the dive to 2660 meters! Can you guess (or calculate) how big they are now? Scroll down below the photo for the answer.
The cups are now an average of 1.75 inches. Again, if you'd like to be more scientific, convert this measurement to centimeters by multiplying the number of centimeters per inch. Subtract to find out how much the cups shrank. Now you can do all sorts of math with these numbers. Take a look at this final photo; it shows a cup that has not made the trip to the seafloor and one that has. Then scroll down for a few ideas.
How many ways can you compare these two cups? You can write ratios of big cups to small cups, or you could write the small cup as a fraction of itself before you started. And if you know how to calculate percent change, you can do that too! Scientists must also write descriptions of their work. How would you describe the differences between these two cups? -- Leslie
