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May 25, 2005 My name is Susan Martin, and I teach first grade in Providence, Rhode Island. I have a few students who would like to ask you some questions: Ariel: Do you know how far it is from the ocean's surface to the vents? Hello Ariel: The vents are at a depth of 8,085 feet (2,450 meters). That is about one and a half miles. Ask your teacher how far that is away from your school, and you will see it is quite a long way. It takes about two hours for Alvin to get from the ocean surface to the vents—longer than it takes you to get to school, I'll bet! Mikaela: How do you gather the samples, and do you ever try eating any of them? Thank you for the question, Mikaela: The Alvin pilot uses the manipulator arms on the sub to pick up samples that are attached to the seafloor, and sometimes he uses a net to try to catch animals that are swimming around! We do not try eating the samples—first, we try to collect only enough samples for the science we do so that we do not disturb the animals more than necessary. Second, the animals do not look very appetizing on the inside! Their soft parts are a dark red and they smell awful! Nicole: How do white crabs eat their prey? Hello Nicole: Crabs at the vents eat their prey much like other crabs. They use their claws to tear food and pick it up, and then put it in their mouths. Kate: I am six. Do you see fat seals? Fat seals are funny. I've seen one. Is there lots of interesting stuff on the ocean floor? Hi Kate: We haven't seen any seals out here, as we are a long way from land. On the Galapagos Islands—our nearest land about 200 miles (320 kilometers) away—there are fat sea lions. Sea lions are a little different from seals—you can see their ears! We have seen lots of life around the vents that we are studying—big, fat tubeworms, fat clams, and fat mussels. That means there must be lots of food for them around the vents. In other places on the seafloor where there is less food, there are not as many animals. Devon: How was it when you went on the ocean floor? Hello Devon: I really enjoy going to the bottom of the ocean! Even though it gets cold inside Alvin, it is always very exciting as you never know what you will discover! Once on the bottom, the scientists and pilot are very busy as there is always a lot to do and you don't want to waste any time. Even though I have been down to the bottom more than 30 times, it is always an adventure!! To the class: We are delighted that you are following along—and hope you will continue to Dive and Discover with us! Susan Humphris Dear Dive Discover Crew, My name is William and I am a 15-year-old student at Clover Hill High School in Midlothian, Virginia. I was wondering how these vent organisms are able to develop with no sunlight and extreme heat coming out of the hydrothermal vents. I know they feed off of bacteria but how do the bacteria get there? Thanks for your time! Dear William: What great questions! Vent organisms are able to develop with no sunlight because the food chain is based on chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis. Around the vents, there are bacteria and other microbes that can use energy stored in chemical molecules (like hydrogen sulfide, methane, hydrogen) to make organic matter—see the Vent Biology infomod on the Website to learn more! The organisms don't live right in the extreme heat, but near it. In fact, when I was down at Rosebud two days ago, we measured temperatures of 59°F to 64°F (15°C to 18°C) where the worms and mussels were living. How young vent organisms get the bacteria is interesting. Although biologists don't know exactly how it happens, the larvae of the tubeworms actually ingest the bacteria that will ultimately live inside the adult worm in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship. On the other hand, the clams pass the bacteria on from adult to offspring. But much of this is still a mystery! I hope you will continue to follow the cruise! Susan Humphris Dear Dr. Humphris: What are some of your job responsibilities on the ship and also when you are not on an expedition? Thank you. Mrs. Littman’s Second Period Reading Class Dear Mrs. Littman's Reading Class: I have several responsibilities on board. My own research is on the chemistry of seafloor hot springs. In particular, I look at the chimneys that black smokers make; however, we have not found any yet on this cruise. I also dive in Alvin to help with exploration for new sites, and collecting samples—in fact, I was down at the bottom of the ocean yesterday! My other responsibility on the ship is helping with Dive and Discover. We have a science writer on board, Amy Nevala, who writes the stories, and I help by reading them for her as a test person! I also answer the e-mails from students like you! On shore, I have different responsibilities. I am the Chair of the Geology & Geophysics Department so I have lots of work to do running the department. I also analyze samples I collect at sea, and write scientific papers. I hope you will continue to follow along with our cruise! Susan Humphris I am currently doing a project about the Galapagos and was wondering why you are not posting the location of the submersible daily. In current projects, the location on this site seemed quite useful. Mark Hello Mark: We post the daily position of Alvin’s support ship R/V Atlantis—and the submersible is always very close! Scroll down the Daily Update to find the weather—and there is our position. You will note that we have been in the same place for the last three days—that is because we are diving on the Rosebud site every day. In a couple of days, we will head off to another site. Keep Diving and Discovering!
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