Invasive Species From the Depths: submersible can prove to be method of transport

From time to time, I will bring up the issue of invasive species, most recently in April regarding the armored catfish.  The transference of a species from one ecosystem to another can cover great distances, such as with the lionfish of the Pacific but now growing in numbers in the Caribbean.  Everything from animal larvae to seaweed can be transported via freighters either by attaching to the hull or inside the bilge.
       
Nature can use various mechanisms to keep some species within specific territories; distance, temperature, predators, and the end results of years of evolution that can involve a variety of minute but important factors.  And in some cases there is the natural boundaries established by depth.
             
While ships, planes, automobiles, and even the careless aquarist can be methods of transportation for shallow water of coastal species, plants and animals at depth have a natural barrier to help keep species in place.  But it's not always the case, as was recently discovered with the world-famous submersible, Alvin.
            
As reported in the Conservation Biology journal, Alvin had been conducting deep sea missions around thermal vents in the Pacific when 38 small limpets were discovered attached to the submersible.  Researchers examined the small invertebrates and were dismayed to find that they were actually a species from a different deep sea area of the Pacific, nearly 400 miles away, where Alvin had been previously.
              
The greatest concern with the discovery was the fact that this particular species of limpet, Lepetodrilus gordensis, carries a parasite in as much as 90 percent of the population.  Transferring this animal to other pristine deep sea environments could have disastrous implications.  The researchers were a bit surprised to discover that the limpet had withstood the change of pressure from the deep depths to the surface.
              
Alvin, owned and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is typically cleaned after every dive, particularly around the equipment used to capture specimens.  Sloppiness is definitely not part of the Woods Hole regimen, so addressing how these limpets managed to slip by is critical.  Discussions are being held to consider more thorough cleaning procedures, including the use of fresh water, which can kill most salt water organisms.
                
Deep water ecosystems, thousands of feet below the surface, are very isolated ecosystems, protected by depth and pressure, and therefore the consequences of introducing new species could be very disruptive.  Researchers can not necessarily guarantee that there will be adverse effects, but it is certainly something that they would prefer not to have to deal with.
                              
"We know from shallow water systems that one mistake can completely change a system," said Dr. Amanda Bates from the University of Tasmania and one of the researchers involved.  "The scientists themselves have to be better at not getting caught up in their research, just taking a step back and making sure that those jobs are getting done."  
                  
Source: Discover Magazine
Source: The Australian          

Going For The Deepest: submersibles prepare to return to the Marianas Trench

More than 50 years ago, two men reached the deepest point in the ocean: the Pacific Ocean's Marianas Trench at 35,800 feet. Crammed into a small sphere suspended underneath the large bathyscaphe Trieste, marine scientist Jacque Piccard and then Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh spent a short time on the bottom (according to Walsh, the bathyscaphe stirred up the bottom on its final approach and visibility was minimal, but some small sealife was detected). A feat accomplished, a record achieved.

And that was it.

Mankind has never returned to those extreme depths; instead, turning its attention skyward in a political race to the moon. A race that I was caught up in like many others and with few complaints; the spin-off technologies from the space program have brought us countless benefits. But there was an incredible amount of technology and potential knowledge left behind, waiting just below the waves.

As Richard Branson described it in 2011, "What if I were to tell you about a planet, inhabited by 'intelligent' beings that had, in the 21st century, physically explored zero percent of its deepest points and mapped only 3 percent of its oceans by unmanned craft, when 70 percent of that planet's surface was made up of water. Then I tried to convince you that only 10 percent of the life forms inhabiting that unknown world are known to those on the surface--you'd think I'd fallen asleep watching the latest sci-fi blockbuster. Then you discover that planet is Earth."

It seems, though, that things are about to change. A new race is shaping up and this time it is not motivated by political one-upsmanship but by a desire for mankind to turn its attention inward, to learn more about the oceans that cover the majority of this planet. In so doing, we may learn of new bounties for our benefit or may understand more about how the oceans function and what is happening due to our activities topside, from pollution to climate change.

While presidential candidates talk of bases on the moon, four organizations involved in the design and building of deep sea submersibles are looking downward, hoping to return once again to the Marinas Trench. And the first attempt in over a half century may take place in the next few weeks.

The four groups - Triton Submarines, DOER Marine, Virgin Oceanic, and film director James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge - have submersibles in various stages of design, construction or actual operation. But the two leading contenders at the moment are Richard Branson's Virgin Oceanic - working in conjunction with Hawkes Ocean Technologies - and Cameron's Deepsea Challenge, working in conjunction with the National Geographic.

All of these groups have the technological expertise to design submersibles that can withstand the extreme pressures of the Marianas Trench, a bone-crushing 15,750 psi, but what probably distinguishes the two leaders is the deep financial pockets at their disposal to make it a reality.

Based in Northern California, Graham Hawkes' Hawkes Ocean Technology produces a fascinating fleet of submersibles that look more like stubby-wing fighter jets. They are designed to fly through the water. I had a moment to speak with Hawkes at the 2010 BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Ocean Summit and, seeing that the design was quite different from your typical research submersible, I asked him what they were designed for. "For chasing after whales," he joked.



Hawkes had designed his Deep Flight Challenger to explore depths as deep as the Marianas Trench and was preparing to make the attempt with pilot Steve Fossett at the controls. Unfortunately, Fossett was killed in a small plane crash but a new pilot stepped in, Chris Welsh, along with the support of Richard Branson's Virgin Group. The overall plan for Virgin Oceanic is to send the Deep Flight Challenger on five of the deepest dives locations on the planet, which includes the Marinas Trench. The long-range goal is not just to reach the deepest point in the ocean - although that would undoubtedly bring the most attention - but to show that extreme deep sea exploration is viable. This is not a stunt; it is an attempt to show that man can and should be turning his attention to exploring the deep recesses of this planet as there is much to learn, and even gain materially, in the process.

James Cameron has melded technology and entertainment into many of his films (blockbusters like Titanic, Avatar, and the early Terminator films), but he has proven himself to be much more than an armchair science explorer and deep sea exploration became a particular area of serious interest and financial investment. Working with National Geographic (Cameron is an Explorer-in-Residence there) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, among others, the Deepsea Challenger submersible was built and has already completed a five-mile dive to the New Britain Trench near the Solomon Islands.

The Deepsea Challenger is more utilitarian than elegant in appearance - a lime green cylinder, positioned vertically, with an array of lights midway and a spherical compartment at the lower end that has room for one pilot with a viewing window. Cameron intends to be the pilot, as he was on the recent deep dive, and though exact schedules are being kept under wraps, it has been said it might only be a matter of weeks before the Deepsea Challenger makes its attempt to return to the Marianas Trench.

"This quest was not driven by the need to set records, but by the same force that drives all science and exploration … curiosity. So little is known about these deep places that I knew I would see things no human has ever seen. Every dive teaches us more, and we are continuing to improve the sub and its systems daily, as we move through our sea trials,” says Cameron on the Deepsea Challenge website.

In the end, whoever gets there first, the Marianas Trench will once again be visited by terrestrial beings and, if it is to truly have any meaning and value, it must be seen in the context of exploring the vast oceans to better understand this crucial aquatic lifeblood that is key to the planet's survival. Whether it is finding new mineral resources, or new species, or better understanding the processes that make the oceans function - and therefore understanding how best to conserve and protect them - deep sea exploration is a pursuit that is within our reach and makes more sense in today's world.

We're not ready to pack up and move to another planet, so we best understand and protect the one we have now.

Source: Deep Flight Submersibles
Source: C/Net
Source: National Geographic/Deepsea Challenge

Undersea Voyager Project: seeking ocean discoveries in Southern California's island playground

A precocious child at the age of, let's say, ten has his or her first encounter with the wonders of the sea, perhaps at a local aquarium; or a vacation at the beach, wandering about the tidepools; or simply by watching an underwater wildlife documentary. Suddenly a spark is ignited and a future marine scientist and explorer is born.

That spark becomes a fire that continues to burn to adulthood and now the freshly-minted ocean explorer enters the world of academia or corporate research in search of a living. And that's when things can change. The bureaucracy and politics of these new working environments - where papers must be regularly written, departments must have their spotlight of attention, or private companies must meet a corporate agenda - take the budding scientist further and further away from that original inspiration, that sense of pure research and exploration.

The Undersea Voyager Project (UVP), headed by Scott Cassell, has a mission to bring that original sense of exploration back to the marine scientist. Providing submersible platforms for research and study, UVP has a long-term goal of circumnavigating the world through the ocean's most vibrant depths, from near surface to 1,000 feet. It's an alternative approach in that scientists can make use of UVP with one caveat: the resulting data is open for the world to benefit from. Institutions may be reluctant to get on board with such a heretic approach, but scientists from a wide variety of marine fields have expressed interest; an interest to reconnect with that first motivating spark once again.

Through the month of October, the Undersea Voyager Project is operating at Catalina Island in Southern California. Working with the Antipodes, a five-passenger submersible owned by Seattle-based Oceangate, Cassell has been plumbing the depths of this local California island attraction, discovering wreckage from Cold War era listening stations to evidence of never-before-seen underwater landslides.



I had the opportunity to join the UVP and Oceangate team this past weekend to film the Antipodes underwater as it ran through some checkout dives and will be joining them again shortly to film Scott for a German television program and take more promotional video. There is a list of scientists and educators that plan to participate while the Antipodes is available through this month, hoping to discover what secrets might be lying just a few hundred feet below in the waters off bustling Southern California.

There are discoveries waiting to be made and secrets to be uncovered. But maybe the greatest discovery or secret is the moment when a researcher can once again connect with those youthful impulses that drove him or her to be an ocean explorer in the first place.

Visit the Undersea Voyager Project website.
Visit the Oceangate website.

The Mir Submersibles: a fascinating undersea history now in print

As a member of the Explorers Club, I have had the pleasure and honor of meeting many accomplished scientists and explorers covering a range of scientific disciplines, from oceanography to astrophysics. This past Friday, I attended the West Coast Annual Explorers Club Dinner and had the chance to meet Dr. Anatoly Sagalevich, the chief pilot and head of the Russian Deep Manned Submersible Laboratory, home of the Mir ("Peace") submersibles. He was being honored by the Explorers Club with their annual Ralph B. White Award for Oceanographic Exploration and Conservation of the Seas.

From discovery of deep ocean geothermal vents to sunken naval vessels, from multiple trips to the Titanic (including supporting director James Cameron in the filming of both Titanic and Ghosts of the Abyss) to a controversial planting of the Russian flag under the ice at the geographic north pole - for over 20 years the Russian submersibles Mir I and II have been dependable research platforms for scientific research organizations worldwide.

Now the exploits of these famous submersibles and their captain are available in print. The Deep: Voyages to Titanic and Beyond, written by Anatoly Sagalevich and Paul Isley III and available through Amazon.com, is a fascinating accounting of the Russian submersible program, beautifully illustrated and translated from Anatoly's original Russian edition.

Understanding the ocean's complexities and secrets is always fascinating. Understanding how this research is accomplished can be equally fascinating. A beautiful coffee table book, The Deep: Voyages to the Titanic and Beyond is a testament to man's need to explore and learn.

Undersea Voyager Project: success with its first mission

In December of 2008, I posted about a new research organization,the Undersea Voyager Project, headed up by Scott Cassell. The project intends to push marine education forward through the use of state-of-the-art submersibles. Having just completed some initial checkout dives in Lake Tahoe, here's Scott's latest report:

I am proud to announce that the first mission of the Undersea Voyager Project (TAHUV) was a success.

With Bob Oberto resigning from the UVP, the UVP Team pulled together and scrambled to put a new list of scientists and researchers together quickly. They were successful and integrated the new science team seamlessly into 11 submersible dives.

We achieved much, made several discoveries (i.e. 3 ‘new’ ancient trees were discovered, and potentially a new species of Protist) and we had a lot of fun. I am extremely proud of the UVP Team.

Dive targets successfully explored with scientists in situ ranged from:
• Two Earthquake Faults (Dr. Schwickert, UNR)
• River/Lake interface (Geoffrey Schladow, UCD)
• Volcanic Mud Flows and Tsunami Mega Ripples (Neil Rondorf, SAIC)
• 2,000-year-old ancient trees (Dr. Andrew Klesh, UM, Dr. Daniel Brothers, UCSD, Dr. Letti Ramirez, CSUEB)
• Possible discovery of a new species (or re-finding an old one) of Protist (Dr. Christopher Kitting, CSUEB, Scott Valentine, LTCC).

And from the original list of scientists the UVP Team was able to dive Dr. Graham Kent, SIO, UCSD on the ancient trees as well.

A total of 58 submersible dives were performed and 33 SCUBA dives.

The UVP team was also successful with performing two live broadcasts from the submersible underwater! One on Fox 40 Morning Show and one on Good Day Sacramento. In both live broadcast, the reporter was able to dive in the sub and talk to the Anchor team back at the broadcast stations whom watched in real time.

Media attention was amazing! I was on the following programs promoting the UVP mission:
• Australian Broadcasting Network News
• KTHO AM 590 with Tom Singerline
• Wave Magazine
• Fox 40
• Fox News
• KOWL Radio with Howie (twice)
• Good Day Sacramento (Twice)

I am writing 8 articles at the moment about the TAHUV for both printed and Internet magazines and several TV groups have approached us to be on their talk shows over the next month.

I also initiated the ‘Youth Undersea Ambassador’ program. Three teenage kids were selected based on scientific programs they are active in, personality and support from parents and their principals. These kids performed a series of dives in the submersible (including piloting it) and were involved in data collection and observations of targets. Each was also trained in being a ‘Submersible Support Swimmer’ which included venting the submersible’s ballast system for the beginning of each dive and blowing the ballast system for surfacing and recovery. They are obligated to deliver lectures to their student peers and/or community based on the UVP mission on “What it is like to be a young Explorer / Scientist” three times this year. The program has been highly successful and the community of Lake Tahoe has been greatly supportive of it.

The TAHUV was filmed in both High Definition and in 4K Red Camera. We will use this outstanding footage for promotion (including for the D.E.L.I.V.E.R. program if the Team wishes) of the UVP, the production of two documentaries and one short IMAX teaser.

The UVP team consisted of:
Scott Cassell, President, Founder and Chief Sub Pilot
Shawna Meyer, Co-Founder (not present)
Will Kohnen, President of SeaMagine Hydrospace & Interim Vice President
Peri Best, Expedition Manager
Reds Regan, Expedition Coordinator, Artist
Julie Regan, TRPA Liaison Officer
Professor Scott Valentine, South Lake Tahoe College, Science Liaison
Dr. Jeff Wachs, D.O. UVP Team Medical Doctor
Dr. Andrew Klesh, Team Engineer, Space & Sea Interface Officer
Jenna Whisenand-Palacio, Media & Public Relations
Tom Loomis, Local Tahoe Region Liaison
Greg Mikolesek, Photographer and Diver, Viking & VR Liaison
Ivo Kocherscheidt, UVP Historian and Photographer
Steffen Schultz, Film Maker, Producer, Strange Media Productions
Robert Alan Martin, Film Maker, Producer, California Academy of Arts, Sausalito, CA
Nathan Garofalos, Film Maker, Producer Red Camera (IMAX Teaser)
Ildiko Nemeth, Foreign Affairs Officer
Paul Wilton, Machinist
Leslie Wilton, Artist
Steve Blair, Icthyologist, Assistant Curator - Aquarium of the Pacific

Youth Ambassadors
Nichole Phelan, Marine Biology, Geology student
Sid Loomis, Marine Exploration, Geology student
Mattie Ordway, Marine Biology, Ecology student

Support Volunteers
Dr. Andrea Donnellan, Website Designer and Master
Jim Phelan, Tahoe City Marina General Manager and Nichole’s Father
Adam & Wendy Muskovitz, Best Rent Tahoe
Jeanne Merkelbach, Tahoe Keys Resort and Marina
Ed Roe, Fire Fighter - Engineer, City of South Lake Tahoe
Carey Loomis – Transportation, Logistics and Sid’s mother
Robert Ordway – Diver and Maddi’s father
Adam Compton, relief Sub Pilot – SeaMagine

I am currently still in Lake Tahoe assisting in the editing of a short ‘trailer’ for the UVP and writing the documentary with Nathan Garofolos (which he will edit over the next three months)

We are in the planning stages of the one-month-long California Undersea Voyage (CalUV) in which we will perform survey dives completely around the Channel Islands with scientists and teachers from local institutions. Many of these dives will be broadcast in real-time to educational institutions and classes. Estimated time for this expedition is late summer.

The UVP is now open for business and I am proud to be a part of the D.E.L.I.V.E.R. Proposal. This will be a good year!

Scott Cassell
Founder
Undersea Voyager Project
www.underseavoyager.org

Undersea Voyager Project: preserving the human experience in exploration and discovery

I had the pleasure of attending a press event for the Undersea Voyager Project that was held at one of my regular stomping grounds, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. It's great to attend these events as you get to meet new people with similar interests, concerns, and passions for marine conservation.

The Undersea Voyager Project is headed up by Scott Cassell, who has done considerable study and research on the Humboldt Squid - a particularly voracious predator typically found in deeper water but makes more local appearances from time to time. The primary thrust of the Project is an ambitious program involving submersibles and a variety of different marine science projects, culminating in the development of a larger submersible that will act as an undersea classroom bringing science to the general public in a very real and as-it-happens way.

I find this very exciting because throughout my involvement in marine conservation as a filmmaker and giving screenings and lectures, I have found that there is a tremendous amount of scientific data that does not get effectively translated into issues, implications and solutions for the general public to understand and appreciate. As an example, we have decades of data documenting climate change - and yet there are still many people who refuse to accept it.

Organizations like the Undersea Voyager Project can be of tremendous benefit in enlightening the public, young and old, to important issues regarding our oceans. Marine conservation must not be obscure or vague; it must be made real and tangible to all people: to the general public, to the decision-makers, and to the future generations of scientists-in-the-making.

Check out the Undersea Voyager Project web site and give it your support.