|
06/20/04 - HD filming & yellow polka dot sponge |
| Time: | 9:08 pm | |
| Lat: | 30° 12.5 min N | |
| Long: | 79° 38.7 min W |
We
knew it was Sunday because we had brunch with quiche, smoked salmon,
and stone crab claws; otherwise all of the days of the week blend
together. On a ship that conducts research 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, the appearance of smoked salmon in the galley
is a more reliable indicator of the day of the week than our work
schedules or frame of mind.
We steamed through the night to get to our dive sites off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived just in time for the first dive. Even when we are steaming we are collecting data from the ship's fathometer. These depth measurements help us understand what is under the waves as we plow through them.
This
morning Art Howard was in the bow and Liz Baird in the stern of
the submersible. Art is completing filming for the high-definition
production which will be premiering in the Museum's auditorium
in six to eight months. This morning provided an excellent opportunity
for him to film large bushes of Lophelia
coral in its deep-water habitat. The dive site was approximately
2400 feet (732 m) deep and had several parallel ridges. Live coral
was growing atop mounds of dead coral that were 10 feet high.
In addition to filming, the team collected several pieces of coral
to be used in aging and DNA studies. They picked up a very large
flat glass sponge with anemones growing on it, another delicately
folded glass sponge
with small yellow polyps attached to it, several urchins,
and a small eel.
The
sub crew ran another training dive in the afternoon. Alan Brooks
rode in the stern and helped coordinate filming and collecting
for the dive as a new pilot practiced his skills. The team also
collected Lophelia for the aging and DNA work, as well
as a pencil urchin and sediment
samples.
We learned that a rocket would be launched from Cape Canaveral and just as the sub came up, we spotted the rocket through the clouds. Watching the science of space and the science of the sea in action at the same time created an inspiring display off the ship's starboard side.
06/20/04 - No Data
| Previous Log | Next Log |
