So far I have talked about the wondrous life that is created by black smokers, or hydrothermal venting if you prefer. What I have not mentioned is what Miss Del Sontro informed me about the techniques used for finding this unique life form that exists way down in the dark depths of the ocean floor.

Recreating maps of the ocean's bottom through higher resolution sonar than was previously available, the TGT was creating history literally by the second. They were following an old survey line, according to Miss Del Sontro, this time however they were dragging a higher performance sonar instrument that automatically adjusted itself to remain at roughly 100 meters off the ocean floor.

As they tracked their way back to an area known for this kind of activity from the famous research of the past century (it sound weird to say that, but it's true), they also had chemical sensors constantly searching for light scatter. "The hot water from the thermal vents hits the cold water and creates an invisible plume of particulates, as it comes up it scatters the light, but we can't see it."

Of course there is also the EH reduction technology that was originally used by the navy but came in handy when scientists originally discovered this venting activity by measuring ion levels of the water. But you don't really want to know about that do you?




Whenever the Navy gets involved I start to get a little twitchy. No offense to anyone reading who may have affiliations but I have heard, I don't have proof, but the author of this weblog believes that since the induction of sonar technology on a global scale, whales have been beaching themselves. They used to be able to communicate across oceans to familial pods, now there is so much noise they are getting driven crazy and just give up.

While Miss Del Sontro did NOT confirm that there is a correlation between damaging sonar waves and whales, she did inform me that on a previous mission to the Ross Sea Ice Shelf every single second of down time with the sonar instrumentation there needed to be a marine mammal watch, with a person ready to call to stop using the equipment. (I had to include the picture of The Perito Glacier, wow!)




Woods Hole Oceanography is a reputed and well-funded institution in the Northeast that allowed the TGT to utilize even more complicated technology! The Deep Submergence Lab has a well-known remote camera system dubbed JASON, but it was broken at the time of the cruise, so they used the Medea remote-operated camera system, allowing the crew to see thirty feet above the ocean floor! Thirty feet people! Can you even imagine how far down that is? I mean when I get held under on a big set wave at Ocean Beach for a few seconds it's panic time. I was barely twenty feet deep!




This combination of methods (camera, sonar, chemical sensors, and ion level water samples) allowed the TGT to meet their goal and find the black smokers. On separate days the TGT discovered the Iguanas and the Plumeria, aptly named I would say. "They are literally like chimneys . . . in other words they crystallize into hardened matter on the outside with particulates flowing up through it. They are just amazing to look at!"

I asked Miss Del Sontro how important she thought it was to continue this type of research and the value it has for the people who live on a world covered predominantly by water. Her response: "Being part of this graduate studies program has been amazing. Just amazing. Knowing what is going on in our oceans is very, very important. We know what's happening on land. Geologists have been studying the earth for centuries. But ocean exploration just picked up . . . pretty much in the seventies. There has been a real gap in the ability for research on the oceans to grow because in the mid-eighties there was a shift in national funding to atmospheric research. But ocean is directly affected by the climate. They two are connected, atmosphere and ocean, and it is really the future of all life on earth."

In order to be deemed an: "ocean explorer" I think you would have to live up to the criteria of having gone on out across the vast seas for an extended period of time for the purpose of study. Miss Del Sontro definitely falls into that category. I sincerely thank her for this opportunity and for her willingness to be open and honest with me - also credit her for the great for pics!

Part 3 of 3

ER Harris