10 November 2017 A Glimpse Under the Sea!

A padlocked opening of a small tube large enough for a single, average-sized person sits on top of the sea ice on the Ross Sea in McMurdo Sound. The tube is green and looks odd sitting on the pristine white of the ice. If you didn't know what the object was, you might miss it or at least overlook it. The tube opened yesterday for public viewing and since, a steady stream of traffic has trudged the distance from the shore to the tube to get their chance to climb down its depths.

Lid to the ob tube. Normally latched and padlocked for safety. Looking down the ob tube, a tight squeeze for any large person.

The observation tube is a bit daunting initially. An odd set of foot and hand holds that lead down to a wooden ladder that takes you even further into the icy waters of the Ross Sea. Down below, the tube is hexagonal and boasts windows on every face. There is a small wooden box on which to sit and view what divers alone would otherwise be able to see. If one is claustrophobic, it would not be a good place, and there are warnings about being strong enough to pull your own weight out on a rope ladder. The tube is not designed for those over 5'10" but plenty of people much taller descended while I was there. It is a tight fit on the knees in moving from one foot hold to another. Short legged people certainly have an advantage here.

If you look close, you can see the hat of a man crawling down the tube!

On my turn, I shed "big red" and cautiously crawled down the tube, camera hanging around my neck. There is no room for a big coat in this space. I arrived at the bottom and was instantly mesmerized by all of the creatures floating and swimming in the waters surrounding me. I could have stayed there all day I think, but a ten minute time limit is strictly adhered by. Last year, they had over 1200 visitors to the tube in a short two week window.

Algae are everywhere on the bottom of the platelet ice layer thanks to the ice above being cleared of snow. Sunlight allows these guys to take hold!

My camera struggled to capture what I could so easily see. It was focusing on the imperfections in the glass of the tube rather than the icy waters and delicate animals. I did my best but it does not truly do justice to the superior view I was able to behold. The water is so clear and blue. The sea ice above a beautiful shade of yellow-green from the algae that lurks beneath it. I saw jellyfish, sea angels, fish, mollusks and a variety of other inverterbrates I do not have the knowledge to name them. The Weddell seals were close by as you could hear their haunting echolocation sounds – music of the oceans.

Sea angel a bit far out but it is. The sea angel is a delicate invertebrate belonging to Mollusca. A pteropod called Clione antarctica. Small fish swimming towards the tube. Likely a Pagothenia borchgrevindi. They can grow to be 12" in length. Jellies are everywhere. Some can grow to be substantially large. These two jellies are sandwiching a couple sea angels. It is almost as if the sea angels are holding onto a balloon. Not sure about this creature, could be another type of jelly or something else. Sea angel from the back, as clear as my camera would get. Could be another jelly or perhaps a nudibranch. I do not have enough marine biology to know these creatures well! Perhaps an amphipod or jelly, either way, something a little different! Same organsim a little closer and clearer! A sea angel with it's "wings" out. They move so beautifully, really like a hovering angel.

Perhaps I will visit the tube again before my redeployment. It would be a lovely way to say good bye to the Ross Sea! Flat Lorax may have to join me on that mission. Today's cards are for Nevaeh in 1st grade and Sunil, a current APBio student but was also a fabulous APES student last year!

Flat Lorax postcards for Nevaeh in 1st grade and Sunil, currently in APBio and a former APES student!