08/21/03
Tim, from McDowell County,
North Carolina, asked:
Has there been a 2-3 degree drop in water temperature in
that area as well as the coasts compared to past years at this
time? Consequences if temperature drops continue? Any Theories?
Our data available for comparison is extremely limited (3 sites),
and discrepancies within these sites create variables that could
skew interpretation. That said, the data from these sites, taken
as a set, does not conclusively suggest a 2-3 degree drop in
temperature.
In the western Atlantic, the Gulf Stream pushes warm waters
in a northerly direction along the coastline. The Labrador current
meanwhile (from out of the Labrador Sea), is pushing cold waters
in a southerly direction. These colder waters usually move into
the central Atlantic, in a spiraling motion called a gyre. On
occasions however, these cold currents make it around Nova Scotia
and continue in a southerly direction along the coastline. When
this happens, as has occurred this summer, unusually cold waters
are felt in locales normally experiencing warmth.
If, on a global scale, waters were to drop by 3 degrees, the
consequences would be far-reaching. With colder waters, there
would be less evaporation, hence less rain. There is a subduction
zone in the North Atlantic from which all worldwide currents
essentially emanate (taking ~16,000 years to circumvent the
globe). A three degree drop in temperature could cause a cessation
of this conveyor of water currents, creating a virtual stagnation
of water. This would imminently bring forth another Ice Age.
Andrew Flynt, from NCSU
asked about findings regarding the "Snowy Wreck."
He also wanted to know about food webs from deep coral habitats,
as well as what kind of information has been found on large
fish habitat in these areas.
The Snowy Wreck was first brought to scientists? attention
by fishermen. Though nothing was known about this site (i.e.
what exactly was there, if anything), fishermen knew of it as
a location where fish (particularly the snowy grouper) appeared
to be abundant. Our mission deployment of an ROV confirmed for
the first time that it is indeed a wreck ? that of a metal-hulled
fishing vessel, approximately 125 ft. long. It is not in a location
that would be suitable for a sub. dive, therefore for the time
being, that is all that is known.
Data from deep coral habitats have not yet been analyzed. Information
regarding food webs in these areas is an on-going project.
Regarding large fish, we do know that dolphin feed in Sargassum
because it has been found in their stomach content. Furthermore,
the juvenile fish associated with Sargassum have also been found
in dolphin stomach contents. Scamp and other groupers are clearly
associated with low relief rocky outcrops along shallow slope
edges. In deeper water, wreckfish are associated with large
submarine ridges on which Lophelia grows.
Mike from Alachua
County, Florida asked:
How do deep-sea creatures make that light so they
can see?
Many animals in the deep sea produce light. The most common
way to produce a blue/green glow is through an enzymatic luciferan/luciferase
reaction. This is the same reaction used by the more commonly
known firefly or lightning bug. Almost all of the bacteria in
the deep sea will glow, so some fish species make use of this
glowing bacteria by having special "pouches" where the
bacteria accumulates. This provides distinctive spots of light.
For example, the lantern fish has crescent shaped pouches behind
its eyes. Many species of deep-sea fish also have black or silvery
linings in their stomach to hide the bacteria glowing from within.
Some, however, take advantage of this light and have clear "windows"
which allow the light to become a distinctive part of their markings.
Of course, some organisms make their own luciferan and are not
dependent upon the bacteria.
Almost all marine bioluminescence is blue in color, for two related
reasons. First, blue-green light transmits farthest in water (which
explains why underwater photos usually look blue, because red
light is quickly absorbed as one descends). Furthermore, most
organisms are sensitive only to blue light. They lack the visual
pigments that can absorb longer (yellow, red) or shorter (indigo,
ultraviolet) wavelengths. Some fish species (e.g. Malacosteus)
do have the ability to produce red light, giving them a huge advantage
over other creatures of the deep. Although this light doesn't
travel very far, it allows them to illuminate prey without alerting
said prey, or any competing predator.
You asked how these fish make the light to see by, but bioluminescence
is not strictly for seeing. Though there exists no definitive
method of proving all the reasons for bioluminescence, speculation
points to sight (illumination), prey attraction, predator avoidance
and mate attraction.
Jon, from Chatham
County, North Carolina asked if Doni Angell had been
down in the submersible yet, about her impressions and how she
will relay that experience to her students.
Her reply:
Mike, 18, from Wake
County, North Carolina, asked:
What got you interested in the work you are doing now?
Since we weren't sure exactly who you had in mind, we
asked a variety of people onboard the ship how they got interested
in the jobs they have now.
Margot Bohan, science program coordinator for the National Oceanic
& Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)
Office of Ocean Exploration, got her first exposure to science
as a child while vacationing in Cape Cod. She
attended an educational fair for kids at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution. While there, a scientist who
was researching possible cures for cancer invited her to look
through his microscope at a squid. From that
moment on, she was hooked. Since earning a degree in marine biology,
her jobs have been opportunistic,
and a lot of fun.
Stewart Bell, lead deck hand for Harbor Branch's Seward Johnson
research vessel, says he got this job purely
by accident. He is from Ecuador, and was a farmer whose business
venture was falling through. He saw an
advertisement for his job with Harbor Branch and decided to apply.
Three years later, he says it's an
interesting job.
Frank Chidsey is the Seward Johnson's marine technician. He originally
read about the job in a listing of the top 10
computer jobs in the world. He has an almost inborn love of computers,
but didn't want a job where he
would face the monotony of sitting in a cubicle, tapping away
at keys. His childhood neighbor in Jupiter,
Fla., is an oceanographer and nurturing a love of the sea, which
was coupled with an already present love of
boats. This job combines all of Frank's interests. Needless to
say, he loves his job!
Michelle Hoogstra is a crew seaman on board the Seward Johnson.
Last year, while still in college, she interned as a
scientist on board this same ship. She fell in love with idea
of working at sea and two months ago, applied
for a steward's assistant position (galley help) which she says
she enjoyed, but missed being outside.
She's been in her current position for three weeks, is still learning
on the job, but enjoying it immensely.
Jim Pierce is one of the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) pilots
and a submersible technician for Harbor Branch.
His background is in electronics, refined while in the U.S. Navy.
He worked for some time as a civilian in
telecommunications, and then one day broke his leg on the job,
forcing a five-month hiatus from work. This
break turned out to be a turning point for Jim as he realized
that he wanted to do something different and
more fulfilling with his life. He soon enrolled in ROV school
in Houston (the only one of its kind), and upon
graduation applied to Harbor Branch, Woods Hole, and the Navy
for a position in engineering. Harbor
Branch was the first to call for an interview and since March
of 2001 he has worked for them.
Martha Nizinski, zoologist for the National Marine Fisheries
Service, first got interested in her work while in college.
She took a marine biology class that took place in the Florida
Keys and involved living on a sailboat for a
month. During this time, she found out that you could make a living
doing just that, which she thought was
pretty cool. Her research over the years has centered mostly on
shallow water -- coastal and estuarine
studies, much of which was in the Florida Bay.
Jackie is a G.I.S. (Geographic Information System) specialist
with the North Carolina Coastal Reserve. She
began by analyzing satellite pictures, which led to more work
with remote sensing and development. She
worked in a lab for 16 years, through the years when LANDSAT (land
satellite) was developed.
Interpretation of these images was used for monitoring natural
resources. Jackie's work focused on
determining whether this monitoring method actually worked.
Jacquie Ott is a G.I.S. (Geographic Information System) specialist
with the North Carolina Coastal Reserve. She
began by analyzing satellite pictures, which led to more work
with remote sensing and development. She
worked in a lab for 16 years, through the years when LANDSAT (land
satellite) was developed.
Interpretation of these images was used for monitoring natural
resources. Jackie's work focused on
determining whether this monitoring method actually worked.
She earned her master's degree at the University of Delaware
using historical land satellite images to map
the Everglades. This work was instrumental in the abolition of
several man-made structures (dikes and
dams) that impeded the natural flow of the "River of Grass."
Although she enjoyed her work, she wanted to
be closer to her subject, to have her hands in her work. Then
G.I.S. evolved into a practical, affordable
means of imaging into PC systems, allowing Jackie to switch over
to this field of work. Of her work, she
says it is something that is grassroots, exciting and "basic"
(as opposed to "applied") research.
Travis Brewer, a second assistant engineer with Harbor Branch
aboard the Seward Johnson, started out in the U.S.
Navy. His work there centered on electronics and mechanics, and
was based out of San Diego - both
characteristics he liked. When his current job came open two years
ago, he decided it was the job for him,
and though he misses his native Texas, he enjoys what he does.
Kristen Heron is an intern with NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration.
She first saw this job listing on the Internet. It
said that the position would spend time on boats at sea, the thought
of which appealed to her. She had no
previous experience with work of this kind. Though she enjoys
the job, she admits it is a lot of time at sea
(currently in her sixth straight week). She did get one and a
half weeks off between this cruise and her last.
She will also take a bit of time off after this - in Hawaii -
while she awaits her next departure from that same
locale.
Ken Sulak is a fish biologist/researcher with the United States
Geological Survey (USGS). He is also chief
scientist for the "Life on the Edge: Exploring Deep Water
Habitats" research mission. Growing up in West
Virginia, he was always interested in the outdoors. In college
he became interested in geology. Then he
heard about a graduate-level ichthyology course, and soon got
a buddy of his interested in taking it with
him. The course involved
collecting fish, and took place in Panama - hence the attraction.
During that course, he got truly hooked
himself!
This is but a small window into the lives of a few
people involved in making this mission a success. I
hope that it satisfies your question.
