by Danielle Schimmenti
Welcome on board!
In the autumn of 2017, during my showtime semester of graduate school, I joined the scientific discipline squad aboard the University of Hawaii’s R/V Ka’imikai-O-Kanaloa for a deep-sea submersible diving cruise. During the course of written report of my thirty days at sea, nosotros traveled to several seamounts (former islands directly sunken beneath the ocean’s surface) inwards the Pacific. There nosotros sent manned submersible vehicles to the sea flooring to create surveys of the overall wellness of the deep-sea coral reefs flora there, every bit good every bit to collect some real rare alive together with fossil (dead) coral samples. I cannot bring out the names of the sites nosotros visited or the exact nature of what nosotros observed during our dives every bit this projection is nonetheless ongoing, simply I’d similar to portion a flake of what it was similar doing enquiry using submersible vehicles.
What is a submersible vehicle?
A submersible vehicle is a pocket-size submarine. Manned submersibles or human occupied submersible vehicles (HOVs), such every bit the ones used on my cruise, jibe at most iii people together with tin dive to 2,000 meters below the sea surface. HOVs are to a greater extent than oft than non used for whatever oceanographic enquiry that would require diving deeper than 300 meters (the maximum boundary for scuba diving) below the H2O surface for straight human observation. We carried 2 HOVs aboard our cruise, the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory’s (HURL) Pisces IV together with Pisces V, together with deployed both at every site nosotros dived on.
Dive days
Each sub was manned amongst iii people - 1 pilot, a PI/Chief Scientist, together with 1 other fellow member of the scientific discipline squad each; so, each of the 6 students on our squad would instruct to dive close 1 time every other week. If it was a dive twenty-four lx minutes menstruum together with y'all were scheduled to dive, y'all would live upward early on inwards lodge to prep for the long twenty-four lx minutes menstruum ahead. This included getting dressed, packing a purse of warm clothes together with socks together with snacks, together with eating a pocket-size breakfast. Each dive lasted upward to 8 hours amongst no bath together with no oestrus (the deep sea is mutual depression temperature y’all). By 8:15 am y'all would live waiting inwards the hangar on the dorsum deck of the ship where that day’s divers would live called to board their respective subs together with live sealed inside. Then, 1 after the other, (Pisces V ever first, Pisces IV second) each sub would live slow together with carefully hoisted off the deck together with into the H2O where it would descend into the deep blue.
Inside the sub
Being within the sub was similar sitting within a pocket-size metallic sphere. There were cushioned benches inwards a U-shape along 1 one-half of the hull, contrary the iii portholes that allowed a sentiment of the sea flooring inwards front end of us. The airplane pilot would kneel at the centre of the “U” to human being the controls, together with the 2 observers (science squad members) would sit down on either side of the pilot. To instruct the best sentiment through the porthole y'all had to lay on the cushioned bench on your belly. The hull was tall plenty ( 6 ft tall, 1.8 m) that 1 somebody could stand upward at a fourth dimension if ever needed, simply mostly, nosotros all alternated betwixt sitting upward together with laying downward over the course of written report of 8 hours. Life back upward was necessary within the sub because beingness deep below the sea surface meant in that location was no source of fresh air. We supplied oxygen to our niggling metallic sphere via oxygen tanks together with removed the carbon dioxide nosotros respired using scrubbers equipped amongst canisters of soda lime. The subs each carried plenty life back upward to in conclusion iii days. It was the task of the observers to monitor these systems during dives, changing the soda lime canisters every few hours.
Science inwards the deep
Once the sub reached the sea floor, nosotros showtime had to obtain coordinates of our put via sonar radio from the tracking squad aboard the ship. These coordinates were used to innovation our routes (i.e. transects) to investigate deep sea corals. Transecting involved travelling at a constant speed for a laid distance along a specific depth contour of the seamount - the destination beingness to transect all depth contours on all sides of the seamount for every site nosotros visited. All transects were recorded on video via underwater cameras mounted on the front end of the sub. This footage would subsequently live used to categorize the nature of the terrain along the dissimilar depths every bit good every bit profile how the deep-sea coral reef on each seamount changed amongst depth inwards price of observable species richness, diversity, together with overall health. Once transects were consummate nosotros would oft provide to specific locations nosotros had passed during our transects inwards lodge to collect living or fossil samples of coral. The samples were collected using robotic arms, together with placed into baskets attached to the front end of the sub.
Returning to the surface together with post-dive duties
Once transects together with sample collections were complete, the dive was over. At this yell for the airplane pilot would radio upward to the tracking squad to confirm the sub’s return. Thirty minutes subsequently the sub would attain the surface together with live recovered out of the H2O onto the deck. Finally, the people within could de-board. After beingness stuck inwards the vessel for 8 hours, the showtime matter the divers needed to create was purpose the bathroom. For the tape in that location was a pee jolt inwards the sub amongst us for obvious reasons, simply most of us avoided using it at all costs.
While the day’s divers used the restroom, other scientific discipline squad members would chop-chop deport all samples collected off of the subs together with into the laboratory. In the lab, nosotros would photograph each living together with fossil coral sample. Living coral samples would live stored inwards diverse tubes together with jars amongst preserving chemicals to keep the alive tissue through the residue of the voyage together with post-cruise shipment to the PI’s academy for biological analyses. Sample processing was followed past times dinner, together with after dinner nosotros held scientific discipline meetings. The entire crew aboard would ordinarily get together inwards the principal conference room on the ship, together with the pilots would develop a slideshow of photos together with video footage taken using a GoPro from within each sub during the dives. The pupil aboard each dive would together with thus receive got the chance to depict what had been observed during their dive together with lively give-and-take would ensue.
Reflections
Dive days were long together with surprisingly tiring, considering nosotros spent most of the twenty-four lx minutes menstruum laying downward within the sub. We wouldn’t instruct to consume much or walk roughly most of the day. I completed 4 dives during the course of written report of my fourth dimension aboard, together with I flora that to live plenty. That does non diminish how exhilarating it was to know y'all were 1 of a real pocket-size grouping of people that has ever dived that deep together with seen the places inwards the sea y'all receive got seen. If ever given the chance inwards the future, I would dive again, specially amongst the HURL team.
My advice for whatever scientists close to embark on their showtime deep-sea submersible diving endeavour would live to pack lots of warm habiliment to have on within the sub, ever purpose the bath on the ship earlier y'all depart, together with receive got lots of photos together with videos of the whole experience.
I was aboard KOK cruise #1716, the in conclusion cruise of a four-year champaign operate endeavour funded past times the National Science Foundation.
If y'all are interested inwards to a greater extent than information, the initial findings of the showtime few years of enquiry nether this projection were published here.
Danielle Schimmenti
Department of Geology together with Geophysics, Texas A&M University, USA
If y'all receive got questions or comments concerning Danielle's post, delight go out a comment below, or ship her an email. You tin besides connect amongst her on Twitter.
Welcome on board!
In the autumn of 2017, during my showtime semester of graduate school, I joined the scientific discipline squad aboard the University of Hawaii’s R/V Ka’imikai-O-Kanaloa for a deep-sea submersible diving cruise. During the course of written report of my thirty days at sea, nosotros traveled to several seamounts (former islands directly sunken beneath the ocean’s surface) inwards the Pacific. There nosotros sent manned submersible vehicles to the sea flooring to create surveys of the overall wellness of the deep-sea coral reefs flora there, every bit good every bit to collect some real rare alive together with fossil (dead) coral samples. I cannot bring out the names of the sites nosotros visited or the exact nature of what nosotros observed during our dives every bit this projection is nonetheless ongoing, simply I’d similar to portion a flake of what it was similar doing enquiry using submersible vehicles.
 |
| Me standing betwixt the Pisces V (left, yellow) together with Pisces IV (right, white) submersibles on the dock at the University of Hawaii Marine Center inwards Honolulu Harbor. |
What is a submersible vehicle?
A submersible vehicle is a pocket-size submarine. Manned submersibles or human occupied submersible vehicles (HOVs), such every bit the ones used on my cruise, jibe at most iii people together with tin dive to 2,000 meters below the sea surface. HOVs are to a greater extent than oft than non used for whatever oceanographic enquiry that would require diving deeper than 300 meters (the maximum boundary for scuba diving) below the H2O surface for straight human observation. We carried 2 HOVs aboard our cruise, the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory’s (HURL) Pisces IV together with Pisces V, together with deployed both at every site nosotros dived on.
Dive days
Each sub was manned amongst iii people - 1 pilot, a PI/Chief Scientist, together with 1 other fellow member of the scientific discipline squad each; so, each of the 6 students on our squad would instruct to dive close 1 time every other week. If it was a dive twenty-four lx minutes menstruum together with y'all were scheduled to dive, y'all would live upward early on inwards lodge to prep for the long twenty-four lx minutes menstruum ahead. This included getting dressed, packing a purse of warm clothes together with socks together with snacks, together with eating a pocket-size breakfast. Each dive lasted upward to 8 hours amongst no bath together with no oestrus (the deep sea is mutual depression temperature y’all). By 8:15 am y'all would live waiting inwards the hangar on the dorsum deck of the ship where that day’s divers would live called to board their respective subs together with live sealed inside. Then, 1 after the other, (Pisces V ever first, Pisces IV second) each sub would live slow together with carefully hoisted off the deck together with into the H2O where it would descend into the deep blue.
 |
| View of Pisces IV getting develop for deployment from the hangar (left). Pisces V beingness hooked to the winch used to hoist it off the ship past times a HURL squad fellow member (middle). HURL squad members approach Pisces IV inwards the chase boat to attach the tether trouble of the winch thus the sub tin live recovered out of the H2O together with dorsum onto the ship’s dorsum deck (right). |
Inside the sub
Being within the sub was similar sitting within a pocket-size metallic sphere. There were cushioned benches inwards a U-shape along 1 one-half of the hull, contrary the iii portholes that allowed a sentiment of the sea flooring inwards front end of us. The airplane pilot would kneel at the centre of the “U” to human being the controls, together with the 2 observers (science squad members) would sit down on either side of the pilot. To instruct the best sentiment through the porthole y'all had to lay on the cushioned bench on your belly. The hull was tall plenty ( 6 ft tall, 1.8 m) that 1 somebody could stand upward at a fourth dimension if ever needed, simply mostly, nosotros all alternated betwixt sitting upward together with laying downward over the course of written report of 8 hours. Life back upward was necessary within the sub because beingness deep below the sea surface meant in that location was no source of fresh air. We supplied oxygen to our niggling metallic sphere via oxygen tanks together with removed the carbon dioxide nosotros respired using scrubbers equipped amongst canisters of soda lime. The subs each carried plenty life back upward to in conclusion iii days. It was the task of the observers to monitor these systems during dives, changing the soda lime canisters every few hours.
 |
| Me laying on the observer's bench within the Pisces IV submersible . |
Once the sub reached the sea floor, nosotros showtime had to obtain coordinates of our put via sonar radio from the tracking squad aboard the ship. These coordinates were used to innovation our routes (i.e. transects) to investigate deep sea corals. Transecting involved travelling at a constant speed for a laid distance along a specific depth contour of the seamount - the destination beingness to transect all depth contours on all sides of the seamount for every site nosotros visited. All transects were recorded on video via underwater cameras mounted on the front end of the sub. This footage would subsequently live used to categorize the nature of the terrain along the dissimilar depths every bit good every bit profile how the deep-sea coral reef on each seamount changed amongst depth inwards price of observable species richness, diversity, together with overall health. Once transects were consummate nosotros would oft provide to specific locations nosotros had passed during our transects inwards lodge to collect living or fossil samples of coral. The samples were collected using robotic arms, together with placed into baskets attached to the front end of the sub.
Returning to the surface together with post-dive duties
Once transects together with sample collections were complete, the dive was over. At this yell for the airplane pilot would radio upward to the tracking squad to confirm the sub’s return. Thirty minutes subsequently the sub would attain the surface together with live recovered out of the H2O onto the deck. Finally, the people within could de-board. After beingness stuck inwards the vessel for 8 hours, the showtime matter the divers needed to create was purpose the bathroom. For the tape in that location was a pee jolt inwards the sub amongst us for obvious reasons, simply most of us avoided using it at all costs.
While the day’s divers used the restroom, other scientific discipline squad members would chop-chop deport all samples collected off of the subs together with into the laboratory. In the lab, nosotros would photograph each living together with fossil coral sample. Living coral samples would live stored inwards diverse tubes together with jars amongst preserving chemicals to keep the alive tissue through the residue of the voyage together with post-cruise shipment to the PI’s academy for biological analyses. Sample processing was followed past times dinner, together with after dinner nosotros held scientific discipline meetings. The entire crew aboard would ordinarily get together inwards the principal conference room on the ship, together with the pilots would develop a slideshow of photos together with video footage taken using a GoPro from within each sub during the dives. The pupil aboard each dive would together with thus receive got the chance to depict what had been observed during their dive together with lively give-and-take would ensue.
Reflections
Dive days were long together with surprisingly tiring, considering nosotros spent most of the twenty-four lx minutes menstruum laying downward within the sub. We wouldn’t instruct to consume much or walk roughly most of the day. I completed 4 dives during the course of written report of my fourth dimension aboard, together with I flora that to live plenty. That does non diminish how exhilarating it was to know y'all were 1 of a real pocket-size grouping of people that has ever dived that deep together with seen the places inwards the sea y'all receive got seen. If ever given the chance inwards the future, I would dive again, specially amongst the HURL team.
My advice for whatever scientists close to embark on their showtime deep-sea submersible diving endeavour would live to pack lots of warm habiliment to have on within the sub, ever purpose the bath on the ship earlier y'all depart, together with receive got lots of photos together with videos of the whole experience.
I was aboard KOK cruise #1716, the in conclusion cruise of a four-year champaign operate endeavour funded past times the National Science Foundation.
If y'all are interested inwards to a greater extent than information, the initial findings of the showtime few years of enquiry nether this projection were published here.
Danielle Schimmenti
Department of Geology together with Geophysics, Texas A&M University, USA
If y'all receive got questions or comments concerning Danielle's post, delight go out a comment below, or ship her an email. You tin besides connect amongst her on Twitter.