Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/14/2011 - 03:33
Forums
Adaptations of Marine Worms in Antarctica

How do you keep the drill and the hole it made from freezing over? Do you keep reusing the same hole, or are new ones made for each dive? Rachel A.

Wed, 09/14/2011 - 12:21

Michael League

Rachel,Great questions! The drill and a lot of different machines do very well
here, even in the cold temperatures. These machines all have built in
mechanisms to help them heat up and work efficiently. Engines produce a
lot of heat when they run. Have you ever noticed that?
As for the dive hole, they would freeze over in just a couple of hours,
so we put a heated dive hut over the hole. The heat from inside the hut
helps keep the hole open longer. With a heated hut, dive holes will
stay open for weeks or months.
The only time we need to drill a new hole is when we are moving to a new
dive site. We will be doing this tomorrow!
Mike