The words that every diver wants to hear are, "Let's go diving!" This is especially true once you've successfully gotten the first dive under the ice completed. Every diver at McMurdo Station is required to keep a log book. This log book details the events of the dive: your depth, bottom time, what equipment you used, and if you had any problems. My first dive was for 29 minutes and had a maximum depth of 93 feet. Today, we completed two more dives.
As part of Drs. Marsh and Kim's research, we are also collecting a lot of underwater photos and videos.
Dives 2 & 3
Our next dives were about teaching me some of the techniques that the research team will be using. Before every dive, the dive team discusses a plan for the dive. What will we try to do? Where will we work? Who will have what task?
Dr. Marsh showed me the scoop technique for collecting the worms that he and the rest of the team require for their experiments. Essentially, the scoop technique requires a small, hand-held shovel and a bucket. The worms live in the sediment (mud) at the bottom and so collecting them requires us to collect the sediment. Then we attach the bucket to the downline. After the dive, we exit the water and haul the buckets of sediment (with the worms) to the surface.
Dr. Kim then showed me how to take core samples from the bottom using her core rig. We'll look at that device in a future journal. Dr. Kim makes coring look easy! I am not sure that I'll have as much success if/when I try.
All of this happens underwater, where we can't talk to communicate. There is a lot of pointing with our gloved hands, nodding, and a few hand signals. After the dive, we'll discuss what happened, what we observed, and ways to improve.
We also explored a lot of the Jetty site, looking for organisms. Drs. Marsh and Kim took some great photos that really make you feel like you are there. Check it out!
These yellow objects that look like tennis balls are actually gastropods or snails. These snails have evolved with no shell. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh)
This is called a hydroid. What a beautiful and strange-looking animal! (Photo courtesy of Stacy Kim)
Here's a look inside the volcano sponge. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh)
There are sea stars everywhere! (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh)
I told you the water was cold. It's so cold that it actually freezes in certain places. This is called anchor ice, because it is anchored (frozen) to the bottom. (Photo courtesy of Stacy Kim)
Dr. Adam Marsh took this photo while underwater, looking back up at me in the dive hut. (Photo courtesy of Adam Marsh)
One of our early observations at the Jetty site is that there are a ton of larval fish in the shallow water underneath the ice. These small fish swim in and out of small caves in the ice and are so amazing to watch!
All in all, it was a magical way to spend a day!