Mail Buoy
September 1, 2001
Please tell Christine that I have been enjoying her daily journal writing. How did she become a science writer? Are there many jobs for science writers? What does she do when not traveling on a research vessel?
I have also enjoyed the slide shows. Between the journal and the slide shows, we can get an idea about what your days are like during this research project. Thanks.
Laura
Bend, OR
Dear Laura,
Thanks so much for reading the daily updates and following along with our expedition! I decided I wanted to work as a science writer when I was a student at the University of Washington in Seattle. At the time, I was doing a double major in Oceanography and English when my mentor, Dean McManus, sent me an email about the Earth and Environmental Science Journalism graduate program at Columbia University in New York. As soon as I heard about it I knew that’s what I wanted to do, so I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Oceanography and moved to New York City. I think there are many possibilities for science writers. Having the skill to communicate science can take you anywhere. The National Association for Science Writers (www.nasw.org) can give you a lot more information and job opportunities. When I’m on shore, I live in Washington, D.C. and work for a monthly earth science newsmagazine called Geotimes, which is published by the American Geological Institute. I also try to do some freelance writing when I have time.
Good luck with your own endeavors!
Christy Reed
Hi! I’m Lyn H. from Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. I am thoroughly enjoying your web-site. The daily reports and slide show are great! The detail on the MR1 photo of Aug 29 was truly impressive! I hope you show more. This brings me to my questions.
What are the diagonal lines that appear to cut across the lava terraces from NW to SE and also seem to be coincidental with the survey routes? Where is the trench, which I assume is a subduction zone, in relation to this? And, finally, what would cause the distinctive shape of these volcanoes?
Thank you for your time!
Hi Lyn- Thanks for following our expedition on Dive and Discover. We will be showing more of the sonar imagery as we continue to process it and interpret it on board.
There is no subduction zone here, the closest one is along the west coast of Central America, where the Cocos Plate dives under the continent.
The shapes of the Galápagos Islands is indeed very characteristic - like a tortoise shell or upturned soupbowl. Keep following the site and we’ll be posting “Hot Topic” information that will help explain this with both words and figures. Part of the shape has to do with how the lava erupts and the orientation of the fissures that the lava comes out from and where they are located on the volcanoe’s summit.
As for the lines that cut across the lava terraces, there are grid lines on the map, but I suspect you are looking at some of the interesting structures that we still are unsure how to interpret. Stay with us as we puzzle out the structure of the submarine flanks.
Best Regards
Dan Fornari
The following are more questions from Mrs. Crosby’s 8th grade class in Tucson, Arizona.
We saw the explanation of plate tectonics and hotspots. Do you ever worry that there may be an explosion from the underwater cones? Is there some way that you are monitoring what is happening underwater?
Antonio from Tucson, AZ
We are not worried about the underwater cones exploding because the pressure of the water in the deep ocean is extremely great. Shallow cone eruptions can be dangerous because the lava can turn the water to steam. A shallow explosion created Tortuga Island off the southeast coast of Isabela, many thousands of years ago. We don’t see any activity today that would be a threat to us. We are creating maps of the seafloor using our MR1 and multibeam sonar. Other scientists are studying the Galápagos volcanoes, some of them seismologists like Doug Toomey from Oregon. Look at the Resources part of Dive and Discover for his web site’s URL for more information.
How did you all get chosen to go on this trip?
Vanessa from Tucson, AZ
Mark Kurz, Dennis Geist and Dan Fornari have been planning this expedition for five years. They wrote a proposal to the National Science Foundation which funds this type of research. Part of the planning includes determining who will come along. They will often ask scientists and graduate students who meet a certain criteria to join them, such criteria might include if the person has worked in the area before and how they will contribute to the expedition.
You are studying a lot of things on your expedition. What is the most difficult data to acquire?
Janelle from Tucson, AZ
It would be a lot simpler if we could pull the plug on the ocean and walk along the bottom. But, since we can’t do that, we use oceanographic tools to remotely study the seafloor or take samples. The most difficult data to acquire may be to characterize the ocean floor, because it is so complex and it requires so many different tools. We use the sonar to get an idea of the shape and structures on the seafloor, and we use the multibeam bathymetry to get accurate depths. We then use camera tows and dredge samples to try and identify the features.
Have there been any hardships on your way so far?
Ian from Tucson, AZ
The hardship on the expedition is the lack of sleep as we work around the clock.
Have you had any rough encounters with the weather? Do you expect any?
Corienne Wiedmaier from Tucson, Arizona
We haven’t had any rough weather so far, and although it’s hurricane season we don’t expect to. This is because we are so close to the equator. Storms that come in tend to be pushed away from the equator by the wind. We have had quite a bit of rain though!
Does the lava underwater affect life on the islands?
Parker from Tucson, Arizona
In fact we don’t know, because no underwater eruption has ever been witnessed in the Galápagos. The underwater lava flows are thousands of meters below sea level and, as we are learning on our expedition, often far from the coastlines of the islands.
Thank you for the slide shows. They are great. I was wondering if you ever get homesick while you are onboard. If so, what do you do?
Andrew from Tucson, AZ
Some people do get homesick, but things are a lot better for communication than they were even 10 years ago. We can have e-mail everyday and there’s a satellite phone, that, although expensive, everyone can use. It’s nice to know that family and friends can watch us on the Dive and Discover web sitetoo!
It seems that some of the activities could be dangerous. Especially pulling in the sonar fish. What would happen if someone got hurt? Are there emergency vehicles or helicopters that could medivac you out? Where would you go?
Jay from Tucson, AZ
There is a hospital on board with limited medical facilities. The fore deck can be used as a flat area for helicopters to pick people up if it’s really serious, the helicopter would then take them to the nearest hospital that could deal with the problem. However helicopters can’t stray too far away from land, so the captain and all the mates are medically trained to deal with most problems, at least until we could get into range of a helicopter. We also have specialized medical services that we use which involve calling doctors on the satellite telephone to get expert advice. Pulling in the sonar fish could be dangerous, but we take lots of precautions, such as life vests and keeping people generally out of the way of cables and wires.
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