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THE MAINE EVENT: FALL 2002 Predation by Gelatinous Zooplankton in the Gulf of Maine MISSION DISPATCH 8 • 09/19/02 Today's Weather - images courtesy of NOAA & RSMAS Dispatch by Harry Breidahl - Marine Education Society of Australasia [MESA] 
After a few days of strong winds and rough seas, we welcomed the occurrence of calmer weather in
the Gulf of Maine on Wednesday 18th. In anticipation of an improvement in weather conditions,
R/V Seward Johnson II steamed from Atlantis Canyon to Oceanographer Canyon on Tuesday night and
Wednesday morning. When we arrived wind speed was less than 15 kts, the sea state benign, and
the sky a clear blue.
Throughout the period of unfavorable weather conditions that prevented sub dives, we pursued undersea research with other technologies, namely the MOCNESS multi-net system and the French video profiler (UVP). Daily deployments produced valuable data and resulted in spectacular discoveries, including an incredibly sharp UVP image of Nanomia cara with its feeding tentacles extended (something not often seen in the bright lights of the submersible) and a stunningly grotesque deep-sea angler fish caught in a MOCNESS net towed from 800-990 meters. )
Now the manned submersible
Johnson-Sea-Link I (JSL) took center stage for deep-sea action.
While the MOCNESS multi-net system and the French UVP are valuable research tools, nothing quite
matches a sub launch for excitement, especially after a three-day hiatus in the schedule. Soon
after lunch on Wednesday the aft deck was literally buzzing with activity as the JSL was
festooned with samplers for the first dive since the night of Saturday 14th.
Dive 4487 left the deck at 1 pm (that's 1300 shipboard time). On board this time were Chuck Jacoby and sub pilot Phil Santos in the front sphere and Brandy Ninesling with aft operations technician Jimmy Nelson in the rear chamber. After descending to 3,000 feet JSL was back at the surface at 4:45 pm and gently returned to its cradle on the aft deck. Samplers were filled with Nanomia cara for analyses of prey in the gastrozooids ( =stomachs ) and for measurements of oxygen consumption and nitrogen excretion. 
The time between dive 4487 surfacing and the next JSL venture into the deep was taken up with
three deployments of the French UVP. As night began it was time for JSL dive 4488 (cool number
sequence). Just when it seemed that JSL dives were routine and a matter of fact the occupants
of the front sphere,
Marsh Youngbluth and Phil Santos, learned that things don't always happen
as planned.
The sub splashed into the water at 8.30 pm. No drama there so everyone returned to their shipboard tasks. Suddenly, word came back that the hatch to JSL's forward compartment was leaking. The sub recovery process quickly swung into action and swimmer Frank Lombardi hastily donned his wetsuit. JSL returned to the aft deck with smooth precision, the hatch seal was checked and the sub entered the water again. This second launch also proved to be a false start as water continued to flow through the hatch and so the sub was retrieved a second time. Sub crew Kenny O'Brian, Hugo Marrero and Phil Santos checked the hatch again and decided to replace the rubber 0-Ring that forms a final seal. Unfazed by the leak and sporting a dry pair of jeans, Marsh again joined Phil in the sphere. It was then back into the water for the third plunge in an hour. This time the sphere remained dry and the JSL dove to 1000 meters (3000 ft) as planned. 
The two false starts had no effect on the results of dive 4488. JSL returned to the surface
around 1 am Thursday and among its cargo of specimens was a three meter (nine foot) long
siphonophore called Rosacea. Phil Santos collected the entire colony intact (an amazing feat)
after making an up-close video recording of its pulsing nectophores (swimming bells). This
specimen appeared to be an undescribed species, one that so enthralled
Frances Pages that he
stayed up until 8 am watching and photographing an animal rarely seen alive.
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