QUESTION:

The things that you see down there, is it just your normal day things that you can see in Seaworld?

Student Name:Dena
State:CA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Dear Dena, These definitely are not the same things you can see in Seaworld! The animals at Seaworld are part of a food chain based on sunlight and plants that turn sunlight into food. Little animals eat the plants, bigger animals eat them, and so on. At the hydrothermal vents we're visiting with Alvin, the food chain is all based on the chemicals coming out of the vents. Bacteria at the vents turn the chemicals to food, little animals eat the bacteria, and bigger animals eat them. These chemicals would be toxic (poisonous) to most of the animals in Seaworld. What's more, the animals living at the vent live in total darkness, and at pressure 250 times what it is at the surface. For all these reasons, vent creatures would have a hard time living at Seaworld.

QUESTION:

What thing do you try to find in the sea? What kind of animals do you see down there?

Student Name:katelynn ellenwood
State:CA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Dear Katelynn, At first when scientists dived in Alvin, they didn't know what to expect. They didn't expect to find anything alive at the bottom of the ocean where it is pitch dark. They thought that everything needed some form of light to live. Instead they found an amazing amount of life. There are tubeworms, worms that create a hard outer shell to live inside. These include giant tubeworms (or Riftia), Jericho worms, and Pompeii worms. If you dived in Alvin, you would also see giant mussels, and clams up to a foot long. There are several kinds of crabs, all white or whitish in color: vent crabs, Galatheid crabs (they look like lobsters, and are sometimes called squat lobsters). Some vents have Yeti crabs, which resemble the legendary Yeti -- the abominable snowman! Then there are jellies shaped into little curly yellow balls, called siphonophores, and sea stars that may have five or ten legs. There are fish at the vents, too -- including pink ones called eelpouts. And sometimes Alvin observers will get lucky and see an octopus or two.

QUESTION:

How much time was spent planning the expedition?

Student Name:Tim Clark
State:NC Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Dear Tim, I asked Craig Cary for help with this answer. He says the project was conceived two years ago, when he decided to submit proposals in partnership with two other microbe researchers, Dave Caron and Eric Wommack. Both those proposals included requests for funding for research to be conducted aboard Atlantis, using Alvin. Once the proposals were approved, the cruise itself was planned. Craig says, "We had to decide where to go, what to do, and who was going to be able to do it." This meant bringing aboard people with expertise in different things. For example, he knew he would need to do chemistry aboard, so asked Conrad Pilditch to come along. He knew work would be done on bacteria, so microbiologists were involved. The planning stage also included getting supplies, organizing the website, and asking permission from the Mexican government to spend about half the cruise in Mexican waters.

QUESTION:

How expensive is the Alvin compared to the Atlantis and how much is the new Alvin going to cost?

Student Name:Cody Wagoner
State:NC Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Dear Cody, One good way to make a comparison is to look at operating costs. Remember that these two vessels have vastly different jobs. Alvin supports three people for about 8 hours as they dive into an extreme environment; Atlantis supports up to 60 people for up to 60 days, providing for all of their needs and transporting them, while also serving as tender ship to Alvin. It costs between $25,000 and $35,000 a day to run Atlantis, and between $11,000 and $13,000 a day for Alvin. But you can't run Alvin without Atlantis, so you have to factor in the cost of running Atlantis, for a total of close to $40,000 a day. The estimated cost of a brand-new Alvin replacement vehicle is $50 million. Because that's over-budget, the new Alvin (it's probably going to have a different name) will be built in phases. In the first phase. a new personnel sphere (the titanium sphere in which observers and the pilot ride) will be fitted onto the old Alvin's body. This one will be able to dive only to 2.8 miles. To reach the target depth of 4 miles, there will be a second phase, budget permitting, in which a new body will be constructed for the new sphere.

QUESTION:

Since the water pouring out of hydrothermal vents is so hot, how close do most organisms actually live to the vents? What adaptations do these organisms have to deal with the extreme heat?

Student Name:Rose Buchanan
State:NC Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Dear Rose, Great question! There are actually microbes that live right in the vents, and scientists on the Extreme 2008 cruise want to learn more about them. Of the larger organisms, the one that lives at the hottest temperature is the Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana), which lives right on the chimneys. Although its front end might be in water 2º C, its back end does just fine in 80-89º C. This water would be boiling if it was at sea level! The Pompeiii worm has a grey, fleecy back, but that fleece is actually a layer of bacteria that live on mucus secreted by the worm's skin. Dr. Craig Cary and other scientists think that the bacteria are the secret to the worm's ability to live in such high temperatures. During Extreme 2008 they are working to learn more.

QUESTION:

How much training do you have to go through to be what you are? I follow you guys and I think you guy are doing GREAT. Keep up the hard work and please write me back.

Student Name:Dylan Piechocki
State:FL Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Dear Dylan, As an education coordinator, I have a bachelor's degree in education. Although I've taken very few writing or illustration classes, I've had jobs (both full-time and freelance assignments) that gave me a lot of practice with these things. Most of the science I know I've learned by spending time with scientists and reading independently. As for the scientists on this ship, some of them are graduate students, meaning they already have their bachelor's degrees and are working toward master's degrees or Ph.D.s. They work and study in research institutions or universities, and many of them teach.

QUESTION:

How often do you dive and go on an expeditions?

Student Name:Kristin V.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 I have participated in three previous hydrothermal vent expeditions and have had two dives in ALVIN. They were both very exciting! The last hydrothermal vent expedition I went on was two years ago in 2006. This year, I am participating in the expedition from land (my lab is in San Diego, California) rather than at sea (on the Atlantis). I am following the expedition through the website (just like you!) and using email to communicate with my lab group who are working on the Atlantis.

QUESTION:

Do you see the same animals when you go down there or do you see different animals when you go down there?

Student Name:Raeley V.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Raeley! That's a very good question! The types of organisms that our group is studying (called microbes and viruses) are very tiny. In fact, you can't see them at all without powerful microscopes. They live in the water that flows in and around the hydrothermal vents. Even though you can't see them with your eyes without a microscope, there are lots of them. There are millions of microbes in just a teaspoon of water! We are studying their DNA to find out if different types of microbes and viruses exist at different vents. We also see all kinds of big animals such as giant tube worms, clams, mussels, crabs, shrimp and fish! There are definitely different types of animals at different vents. This depends on how hot the water is that comes out of the vent and what kinds of chemicals are dissolved in the water.

QUESTION:

While your on the boat, how do you know how much food to pack? PLEASE wrtie me.

Student Name:Feliesha Turner
State:FL Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Feliesha! This year, I am participating in the expedition from land (from my lab in San Diego, California) rather than from the Atlantis. But I have been on the Atlantis on three other occassions so I can answer your question. The Atlantis is a very large research vessel and supports up to 53 people for almost 2 months! There are certain crew members who make sure that everyone on board has plenty of nutritious and delicious food to eat while they are on the ship. They make sure that everyone is taken care of, especially if they have special dietary requirements (like vegetarians). Some scientists like to bring their own snacks as well, I know I like to bring some treats along with me when I'm out there. Gummy bears taste really good when you're visiting the bottom of the ocean inside ALVIN!

QUESTION:

While your on the ship do you ever get home sick? I know I do, so being away for months at a time must be hard! Thanks

Student Name:Victoria Niessen
State:FL Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Victoria! I have become home sick on occassion. Being away from your family for several weeks to a month can be difficult. It's a little different for me this time since I am participating in the expedition from land (San Diego, California) rather than from sea, so I am not separated from my family this time. However, I have been at sea on the Atlantis several times before and I used to keep in touch with my family mostly through email. I would sometime call them on the phone, but this can be expensive since we would have to use a special satellite phone. I was at sea (on the Atlantis) for two birthdays in a row, so I would call home on those days and my mom would sing happy birthday to me. That made me very happy and less home-sick. We are also extrememly busy with our experiments when we are at sea, so we don't have a lot of time to feel lonely.

QUESTION:

How long do you guys stay out in the ocean looking at diffrent thing? Have you ever found a sea animal that have never been found before by anyone, and if so do you guys make a name for the sea animal or how would you do that?

Student Name:Tatum Ramsey
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Tatum! Usually research cruises to the hydrothermal vents last about 3-4 weeks. This expedition is about that long. I think it's safe to say that every time ALVIN goes in the water to dive to the vents, the pilots of the sub and their accompanying scientists see something new each time. The animals range in size from large tube worms to tiny microorganisms that you can't see without a microscope. My group studies viruses and every time we collect a water sample from the vents, we collect a new virus. Since there are tens of millions of viruses and other microbes in the water samples we collect, we can't name them all, but scientists do try to name the larger animals when they discover a new species. Sometimes the discovered animal will be named after the ALVIN pilot that spots it first, which is very cool for them! Other times, the name is decided by a committee of scientists after the animal has been thoroughly characterized.

QUESTION:

What is the strangest animal you have ever seen during your expedition?

Student Name:Reid Summers
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Reid! The strangest animals that I have seen on a hydrothermal vent expedition were giant sea anenomes and sea urchins. I saw a collection of these animals (some as big as three feet across and very brightly colored!) attached to the bottom of hydrothermal vent chimney. You don't normally see these types of animals near vent chimneys because the water around the chimney is usally way too hot for them to stand. In this case, the vent they were attached to was old and was no longer very hot at all, so the animals decided to move right in!

QUESTION:

What do you have to eat for 21 days?

Student Name:Andrew Gionfriddo
State: Country: UK

ANSWER:

 Hi Andrew! There is never a lack of food to eat during an expedition. The chief steward and his group make sure that there is more than enough food to sustain everyone on board for the period of time they are at sea. They prepare a variety of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. They have prepared everything from pizza to Thai food and it's all delicious! Especially the desserts, which are my personal favorite. Occasionally, one of the crew-members or scientists will be lucky enough to catch a few fish and this will be turned into a meal or some fresh sushi.

QUESTION:

Do your ears pop when you are traveling to the bottom of the ocean like they do when you are traveling up a mountain?

Student Name:Brock S.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Brock! The ALVIN is built is such a way so that the pilots and scientists that travel inside to the bottom of the ocean do not feel the increasing pressure of the water as the sub travels deeper and deeper. The most important part of ALVIN is it's titanium sphere which is approximately two inches thick. This is the compartment where the people sit during a dive. The sphere shields the passengers from the crushing pressures of the deep ocean. At the beginning of each dive (at the surface), the pilot that operates ALVIN will start to flow oxygen into the personnel sphere while simultaneously removing the carbon dioxide that's produced when we breathe. Therefore, the passengers normally do not experience any changes in the pressure that they feel at sea-level.

QUESTION:

Hey I was looking at your web site and i thought that it was awsome!!! But what are the kinds of creatures you find when you dive down into the depts of the ocean? What do you think is the coolest thing about what you do!!!! THANK YOU CHEYENNE VANOSTER

Student Name:cheyenne vanoster
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Dear Cheyenne, There are giant clams and mussels, giant tubeworms, and several smaller kinds of tubeworms, including Pompeii worms, which can endure higher temperatures than any other animal on Earth. There are fish and octopi, jellies, and more. Check out the Creature Features section of the Extreme website for more. The coolest thing, for me, is the fact that human beings can visit this incredible hydrothermal vent environment. It's like going to the moon. That's what is feels like, and that's what it IS like. In fact we know more about the moon than we do about the vents, so the scientists here are really pioneers.

QUESTION:

To "Dr. Karen" Hello, what, you and the others are doing is really interesting and I was wondering how many years of college did you have to study to be able to do this?

Student Name:Jennifer L. J.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Jennifer! I'm really glad that you're interested in the expedition, we are very excited abou it too. I knew I wanted to study the oceans from a pretty young age and always had a lot of interest in biology in general. In high school, I took extra biology courses as well as chemistry and physics classes. When I was applying to college, I looked for schools that had strong programs in marine biology or marine science. I spent 4 years completing my undergraduate degree in marine biology at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. A few years later, I decided to enter a Ph.D. program in marine science at the University of South Florida. I spent about 4.5 years obtaining my graduate degree in biological oceanography. The amount of time it takes to obtain an advanced degree in science can vary a little bit depending on the program. I know it sounds like a lot of school, but it's worth it!

QUESTION:

what do you need when you get ready to go to the ocean? What do you need when you get ready to dive into the depts of the ocean? THANK YOU OH SO VERY MUTCH THANK YOU!!! CHEYENNE VANOSTER

Student Name:cheyenne vanoster
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi again, Cheyenne! To go to the ocean? For me, a writer and photographer, I needed a lot of pens, my computer, my camera, my sunglasses, my sneakers, and a bunch of t-shirts -- lots of comfortable clothes. I have to plan for whatever I might need for a three week trip during which I will be very far from any store! Think about that! To get ready to dive in Alvin, we bring warm socks and sweaters, a hat (not for me -- I have too much hair), and a notebook and pen. There are cameras in the sub for us to use, and lunch is provided.

QUESTION:

I think its sooo cooool that you guys are going on this expidition! When I grow up I plan to go to the ocean and dive. What advice would you give me?

Student Name:baleigh s
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Baleigh! That's great that you're so interested in the science we are doing as part of the expedition and that you want to study the deep-ocean too! I have a few pieces of advice for you. I guess the most important one is to believe in yourself and follow your dream no matter what. When you get to high school, you may have the option to take some elective classes. Try to take as many science and math classes that you can and study hard! This will help prepare you for what you will study when you get to college. Look for colleges that offer majors in marine science, there are some great ones out there. This is where you can earn your first science degree called a bachellor of science degree. Many of the scientists that are taking part in this expedition have either gone on to graduate school (after they earn a bachellor's degree) and have earned their master's degree or their Ph.D. or they are in the process of earning one of these degrees. This may seem like a lot of school, but it will be worth it. You'll also have a lot of fun along the way!

QUESTION:

How long dose it take when you are going down for the temperature to drop obout 10 to 12 degrees?

Student Name:Mick Oliphant
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Great question Mick - we can certainly feel the temp drop after only a few minutes but it take about 15-20 min to drop a full 10C. Top may be around 25C and the bottom 2C.