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OPERATION DEEP SCOPE Exploring Gulf of Mexico Deep-Sea Habitats MISSION DISPATCH 10 • August 17, 2004 Dispatch by Mark Schrope - @Sea Photo-Journalist 
We couldn't have asked for a better final day of operations for the expedition. We arrived at
Viosca Knoll
on time at around 7:00 a.m., the sea was as calm as we've seen, and the diving was spectacular.
"It really does look like some kind of magical garden," says Dr. Edie Widder, who was in the Johnson-Sea-Link I (JSLI) sphere for the first sub dive this morning, of the area. On the bottom the team found fields of flower-like white anemones, trees of coral, and fish all around. For Edie the dive was especially memorable because, unlike our other sites during this cruise, there were a number of bioluminescent animals (For those just tuning in, bioluminescence is the chemical-based light produced by numerous marine organisms). The most interesting example of the phenomenon was a creature known as a Venus fly trap anemone that until now no one knew was bioluminescent. We now know these animals can release a bioluminescent slime, though its use is not clear. The team made the decision not to deploy the Eye-in-the-Sea here because if for some reason we couldn't do the scheduled second dive, there would be no chance of retrieving it for at least a year. This was a bit unfortunate because it would be an ideal place to use the Eye. It could be placed, for example, near a Venus fly trap anemone to record when and why it uses its mysterious slime. Ah well, something for next time. 
Another highlight of the dive for Edie came when they turned all of the sub's lights out for a few minutes
to look for bioluminescence. When they turned the lights back on, fish had surrounded the sphere but quickly
scattered. This was a good example of why the Eye-in-the-Sea was created, because just like the fish, we know
many animals are scared away by lights and noise from the vehicles we use to get to the bottom, many before
we ever see them.
ADDITIONAL DISPATCH IMAGES One of the key goals for the dives has been to study polarized light in open water, and how it affects the animals here. Many creatures in the open ocean are transparent, which allows them to "hide" even though there are no hiding places. Justin Marshall has been exploring the concept that some animals can "break" this form of camouflage because their eyes see polarized light in much the same way that we can when wearing polarized sunglasses and look into the water. 
To explore the theory, he has been taking video during our dives at various depths and angles with polarized
filters, then analyzing the footage to determine how much of the light in a given area is in fact polarized.
He has measured values as high as 40%, suggesting at least the possibility that polarized light plays an
important role.
The team has also been collecting various transparent creatures and photographing them back in the lab to see how they appear with and without polarized filters. Amazingly, some animals that appear transparent to human eyes stick out prominently under polarized filtering. This combined with the polarization measurements lends strong support to Justin's theory. So that's it. The cruise is over, but it has been an incredible success. I think the most fitting closing is a summary written by Dr. Edie Widder, who was co-leader of the expedition and Justin Marshall. To say that this cruise was a success would be an understatement. We are returning with an embarrassment of riches - enough data to keep us all very busy for quite some time to come. Our emphasis with DeepScope has been to peer into the depths of the ocean with new technological eyes. Our explorations have been richly rewarded with remarkable visions like giant predators, fluorescent fish and flashing corals as well as new insight into how predators locate invisible prey and how we can begin to open a window into the secret goings on of the dark depths. This has been exploration in its purest form, something that is all too rare. Limited funding for marine science has necessitated a conservative approach, where only those projects that seem assured of significant and financially rewarding results get supported. Exploration of the sort we have just completed often yields rich and unexpected rewards and at the very least teaches us to wonder at the beauty of our planet. The fast pace of the world we currently live in often frowns upon those of us who want to stop, look and listen to what nature has to teach us. Mankind seems to think we have learned enough from our planet and now we can push on regardless. Nothing could be further from the truth as the mess we leave in our wake clearly demonstrates. We have much to learn from the animals that have inhabited this place for millions of years before us, both in terms of their tricks for survival and how to prevent their disappearance. We must protect and cherish before we lose the exciting innovations of nature even before we discover them. Given the vast volume of our oceans that remain unexplored, it is thrilling to think what mysteries remain to be revealed. The spirit we long to recapture is one which can afford to stop, look, listen and learn. ---Edie Widder & Justin Marshall  |  |
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