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How are you feeling being on the edge of discovering things never seen before? I have read (in the Mission section) that the rocks may be mantle rocks, and methane and hydrogen may be produced causing the life-forms to be unusual and unique. Do you have any predictions of what this life will look like? You may be a bit nervous (about the equipment), but can you explain your feelings about the potential for discovery?

Thank you and Happy 4th of July!
Carolyn Sheild
7th grade Life Science Teacher
Clarke Middle School
Lexington, MA

Dear Carolyn:

Thanks for your question—it is good to hear from Clarke Middle School again! I think most of us are in awe of the conditions under which we are trying to work! We are at 85°N and in ice over 2 meters thick. All of us are so used to going exactly where we need to go in the ocean that it seems strange to have to take into account the ice conditions and its drift direction every time we want to do a station. Sometimes, we cannot get where we want to go so we have to improvise. So I am not sure that any of us have yet thought about being on the edge of discovering something new. There are so many hurdles that we have to overcome even to begin to explore the seafloor beneath the ice that we are focused on those at the moment.

As for predictions of life forms—we really don't know. One of the reasons we are interested in the Arctic is that it is very deep and there is little connection for deep Arctic water to mix with the rest of the ocean. Therefore, animals living at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean are isolated and hence may have developed differently from those in the rest of the ocean. We are all hoping we can find some hydrothermal vents and sample the animals that live around it.

Best wishes,

Susan

What does the bathroom look like?
Cassidy, Falmouth, MA

Hello Cassidy:

Bathrooms on ships are called "heads." On the Oden, every cabin that holds 1-3 people has its own head. The head consists of a toilet, wash basin, and a shower—pretty much like yours at home, I suspect, although quite a bit smaller and with no bath tub. The ship also has two saunas that are really relaxing to go and sit in after you have been working in the cold on deck for a while—a very good way to warm up!

Thanks for sending a question.

Susan Humphris

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