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OPERATION DEEP SCOPE Exploring Gulf of Mexico Deep-Sea Habitats MISSION DISPATCH 5 • August 12, 2004 Dispatch by Mark Schrope - @Sea Photo-Journalist Last night, the captain and our chief scientists came to the bold conclusion that heading west to an area we hadn't planned to explore and running submersible dives all day would be better than getting hit head on by Tropical Storm Bonnie and facing a pummeling from raging winds and seas while getting nothing accomplished. 
So, we find ourselves now 100 miles or so west of the Brine Pool and about 150 miles southeast of Galveston. In contrast to our past
location in the oil-rich portion of the Gulf with its somewhat murky waters, oilrigs, and drops of oil occasionally rising to the surface,
we are now in crystal-clear seas with the stunning deep blue color of most
open ocean. Here the winds are still calm, so we continue to
run three submersible dives and one scuba dive per day.
All of the research is complementary and aimed generally at understanding both what animals are present in this region of the deep sea as well as how animals use and see light. One component of that mission is seeking out organisms that are fluorescent, meaning that they absorb light of one color and reemit, or glow, with light of a different color. This is the same process that makes teeth and white shirts glow under "black" lights. This fluorescence work involves attaching filters to some of the submersible's powerful lights so that they give off blue light, which is the best for triggering fluorescence in the deep. Scientists aboard then use yellow glasses to see what organisms are fluorescing, and a yellow filter on the video camera to capture the fluorescence. Light reflected back from the blue lights has a shorter wavelength than yellow, so the filter blocks it, but the fluorescence triggered has a higher wavelength, so it can still come through clearly. The result is some truly spectacular photos and video. Once samples are collected, the same basic principles are used to study fluorescence in a lab on the ship. During this expedition one of the main goals for fluorescence is to simply use it as an exploration tool. It can be difficult to spot animals underwater, especially small ones, but if you make them glow it becomes much easier. Today's second submersible dive was dedicated mainly to fluorescence. Dr. Charlie Mazel was in the sphere with his sporty yellow glasses looking intently for telltale glowing. It had been a bit of a slow start, as ten minutes into the dive they had not spotted anything of particular interest. Then, in the distance, just at the edge of the sub's blue light beams, he could see a faint greenish-yellow glow. 
Pilot Don Liberatore headed straight for the glow and as they approached, they realized that it was a three-foot shark with large splotches
of fluorescence across its body. They followed the shark for a piece, but he soon left the sub behind in a cloud of silt. As far as we can tell,
this is the first time anyone has ever discovered a fluorescent shark anywhere on the planet.
Generically, the shark was a dogfish, but positive identification of the species will have to wait until we can get assistance from a specialist. The shark and its fluorescence were recorded on video, but unfortunately he was too quick for any clear shots. Later, the team spotted in a rock cranny a fluorescent sea spider, or pycnogonid, that once again they first detected because of a glow in the distance. This animal they were able to capture for further studies in the lab. Everyone onboard admired the bizarre creature that because of a tiny body seems to be made only of spindly legs, each about three inches long. Its two eyes are on long thin stalks, and scientists have so far been at a loss to explain what use they get out of the setup. Beyond exploration, fluorescence from marine animals is of extreme importance to science and by extension, countless people who benefit from medical and other advances it enables. It's still not clear yet what if any purposes the animals have for fluorescence, but the proteins that create fluorescence are critical tools in a huge array of biological and medical work. Researchers attach these proteins to components in cells so that they can follow their movements by observing where the glow shows up, and genetic engineers add genes that produce the glowing proteins to genes they are inserting in an organism and know they are successful if they detect glowing. Actual applications include everything from detecting anthrax to tracking the progress of tumors. 
There is great need for new fluorescent proteins because they might offer advantages over those in use, and because as more fluorescent colors become
available, more complex studies become possible. So, several scientists aboard are working diligently to determine if fluorescent proteins from the
animals we collect might have biomedical potential.
If Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley continue along their predicted paths, the fluorescence and other work will be able to continue, though it looks like we'll be hiding over here near Texas for at least another day. Of course, those of us from Florida now have the added concern that one or both of these storms could threaten our homes while we're away, so we'll keep crowding the TV lounge for those Weather Channel Tropical Reports. 
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