 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
MISSION DISPATCH 7 August 23, 2007 Mark Schrope - @SEA Correspondent aboard the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON Location: Off Gouldings Cay 
We Will Leave No Camera (or Trap) Behind
Last night the crew made quick work of repairing the submersible's manipulator arm, so this morning Harbor Branch sub pilots Don Liberatore and Phil Santos were able to return to the bottom and successfully retrieve the Eye-in-the Sea (EITS). They learned that yesterday's problem with the rack was caused by a break in one of the system's main structural pieces, which threw everything out of alignment. They were able to surface without incident by holding the rack in position with the manipulator arm. Next up was a short submersible training dive with Frank Lombardi from the sub crew. While on the bottom they decided to spend a bit more time looking for Tammy Frank's runaway trap, which, to Tammy's relief, they found in a gulley and brought back. Including animals from that trap, Tammy now has a collection of animals living on board that includes dozens of isopods and two large shrimp. Shrimp Score This is only the second time benthic (bottom-dwelling) shrimp have ever been collected from the deep sea without their eyes being blinded or damaged by lights. To accomplish this, pilots collect Tammy's traps using red light, which the animals can't see, and place them in light-tight, insulated boxes on the front of the sub. Back on deck these are transferred into dark boxes inside a temperature-controlled cool room on the ship. Just having the animals is a great accomplishment. Tammy is looking forward to studying the animal's eyes, but, sadly, that will have to wait until we make it back to shore, because her instrumentation is malfunctioning—an all too common problem when working at sea. The Forgotten Depths The final Gouldings dive saw Justin Marshall back in the sphere with pilot Don Liberatore for a second exploration of shallower depths between 800 and 100 feet down on the wall. That range is lower than divers can reach, but shallower than most submersible work, which has created a significant knowledge gap. "There's a whole lot of life there we know very little about," says Justin, "so there's a lot to be done at intermediate depths but they're really being completely ignored." One of Justin's goal s is to simply document the animals living on the wall here, against which he can compare footage from similar depths in similar habitats in Australia, which he'll be exploring extensively over the next few years. 
Justin's most memorable sights on the dive were also sad ones—about ten red lionfish (Pterois volitans). These are beautiful fish with intricate striped patterning and billowy fins, and seeing them in their proper habitat, namely the Pacific in areas such as Australia and Indonesia, is an incredible experience. But, here in the Atlantic, they are an invasive species, no doubt introduced by someone releasing them from an aquarium. "They're pretty," says Justin, "but they shouldn't be here. Sightings of lionfishes are becoming extremely common in the Atlantic, suggesting that the invaders are here to stay, with as yet unknown consequences for the animals they displace or otherwise disrupt. Blue Perfection, Above and Below 
For those of us left on the ship, today's conditions were about as perfect as you could ask for. The skies were blue and the sea was as calm as a pond, which meant great diving and snorkeling. Heading in toward Gouldings I could see fish swimming on the reefs more than 80 feet below, and in contrast to past days when rough waters made it difficult to spot coral heads, today it was easy to pick out the best spots for diving and snorkeling. One group of divers used scuba at shallow depths, around 10 feet, to collect video and samples. They later did a bluewater dive and found that the calm sea also made for more productive collecting. Though Misha Matz spotted no fluorescent organisms, the divers found a number of jellyfish that Edie Widder is studying to learn how their visibility is increased using polarized lenses, an indicator of what animals with polarized vision might be able to see. Warwick Sloss, the BBC videographer aboard, has been filming the jellies and other organisms in tanks on board. And that's it for Gouldings Cay. With all the equipment safely on board, we've now left for Little San Salvador, our next target. The path there will take us out into the open Atlantic for a while during the wee hours, and by morning we should be there. ADDITIONAL DISPATCH IMAGES [ IMAGE 01 ] [ IMAGE 02 ] 
|  |
| ||
){kind=link}
){kind=link}