QUESTION:

What part of the ocean would you find the pompii worm.

Student Name:Drake Walker
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Drake - the distribution, as far as we know, is restricted to the East Pacific Rise system running from about 21 North to 35 South latitude. They are only found at vents and only on the sides of very warm chimneys.

QUESTION:

What is it like on Alvin?

Student Name:jovanni
State:NC Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Jovanni - thanks for the question. Small, cold, and wet, but very cool. The 9 hour dive goes by soooo fast you hardly believe you have been in there that long. Most of the time we are working so hard that we forget to even eat or drink. I have been down over 50 times but every time is equally as exciting and rewarding - especially when I get a chance to go down with someone who has never been down before - that is just the best. Several years ago I took down my Masters thesis adviser, I guy who had taught deep sea biology for over 30 years but never actually seen it before. You can't imagine what an experience it was for me to have the honor to be with him as he saw his life long dream come true -

QUESTION:

How many time do you travel down to the ocean floor.

Student Name:Nick King
State:WA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Than Nick - I have been down a total of 51 times. On any given cruise I might dive 2-3 times depending on who we have on board and the science being done. We work very hard out here and so I like to try to get as many people in the sub as possible but always - the science comes first. Going into the sub can be a life changing experience for a young student just starting out - it was for me!

QUESTION:

How long will it take to get to the bottom of the big bad ocean?

Student Name:Chantz Harrington
State:WA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Chantz - on a nice day - a little under 2 hours down and 2 hours back. That said - if we have power left in the batteries the pilot may decide to power up so that we can get on deck faster.

QUESTION:

How many people go down at once and in what.

Student Name:nick King
State:WA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Nick - there are always three in the sub - one pilot and 2 observers. We wear pretty much normal clothing but it has to be made from natural fabric - cotton, wool etc. We are not allowed to wear any synthetic material (nylon, plastic etc.) because of fire issues.

QUESTION:

What effect does pH and salinity have on the organsims at the hydrothermal vents?

Student Name:Blas Avalos
State:WA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Greta question Blas - both have dramatic effects on the organisms we study. Most organisms have a optimal pH and salinity in which they will thrive - varying either of them can cause small or lethal problems with their physiology. The vents are quite unique in being a very dynamic environment where everything is changing rapidly. So in order to live there the organisms need to ability to tolerate large ranges in chemistry and temperature. We are pretty certain that even pH will cause changes in the distribution of microorganism in any given system - partcularly in vents.

QUESTION:

How long do you stay in the ocean during a dive?

Student Name:Lauren F
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Lauren - a typical dive lasts about 9 hours with about 5 hours on the bottom at the depths we are studying (2500). Sometimes we are lucky and get a bit more if we still have power but always the sub must be recovered in the light of day.

QUESTION:

Why can sea creatures withstand the pressure at the bottom of the ocean when people can't and would you be able to withstand more pressure than I could since I have never scuba dived before?

Student Name:Dalane Goodall
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Dalane - thanks for the question. Well - it all has to do with adaptation - fact is those guys down are different in a lot of ways that allow them to survive down at those pressures. Many of these adaptations occur at the level of the cell. For them life in this environment is "Normal" and life up at the surface is Extreme. Nope - we would most likely be able to withstand just about the same pressure - being able to SCUBA would not help us at all.

QUESTION:

Hi-i was wondering has global warming affected the hydrothermal vents? thanks you for taking and answering my questions and reading them!!!!!!!!

Student Name:Lauren F
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Lauren - not really - the effects of global warming will take a long time to reach the sea floor with all that sea water to protect it and most likely it would never effect the vents. What we might see over a long time would be a gradual warming of bottom water that could effect animals that live near a vent. Since the vent animals generally like the heat to some extent - they might welcome a warming event.

QUESTION:

Are the Spiny Spider Crabs dangerous to humans?

Student Name:Tessa Stockdale
State: Country: New Zealand

ANSWER:

 Hi Tessa - Nope - not at all. They are only a few inches long and like many crabs eat anything they can get their hands on that are smaller than themselves. As far as I know they are not toxic and I think really cute.

QUESTION:

Has there anything bad or tragic happened in the submarine?

Student Name:Lauren Johnston
State:NEWZEALAND Country: New Zealand

ANSWER:

 Hi Lauren - great to hear from DIO! Nothing really bad has happened as far as I know. They really take every precaution to make sure we are well trained and safe every time we dive. Several times there were electrical fires but we have a special breathing system with face masks that we put on and are able to breath even when there is a lot of smoke. I really feel safe inside the sub after over 40 dives.

QUESTION:

Why do fish swim towards light producing organs?

Student Name:Tonia Mathis
State:NEWZEALAND Country: NZ

ANSWER:

 Great question Tonia - Mostly because they think it is something to eat. A lot of small deep sea shrimp and other live food items glow in the dark so the lures of angler fish are thought mimic them - some larger predator approaches and the angler fish reels them in Hope all is well back home!

QUESTION:

Where do you find Spiny Spider Crabs? in the rocks, deep sea sallow water? Do tube worms have blood or is it just red juices?

Student Name:Aleisha Haworth
State:NEWZEALAND Country: NZ

ANSWER:

 Hi Aleisha - The large crabs with spines are found in the Gulf of California, Mexico - it is thought that these guys need long legs to walk on the soft sticky mug on the sea floor. The ones we see have relatives that live in shallow water as well. Tubeworms do have blood and lots of it. It is very red - just like yours but has some special things in it that help the worms survive in the extreme environment of the vent.

QUESTION:

why do the dragon fish need the light bubbles on their heads?

Student Name:oriwa
State:Choose a State Country: New Zealand

ANSWER:

 Hi Oriwa - great to hear from Hamilton. The dragon fish use the light to attract prey and to help them hide from predators. In the mid water there is still a bit of light coming down from the surface (1%). Even with that light a fish with good eyes looking up we see the shadow of another above it. However - if the fish above has small lights that put out the same type and amount of light as is normal at that depth - the shadow will be broken up and possibly hide the fish altogether.

QUESTION:

Where is the deepest seafloor?

Student Name:Eden barker
State:NEWZEALAND Country: NZ

ANSWER:

 Hi Eden - the deepest place on earth is the Mariana Trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean at just over 11,000m. We have only visited that twice in history with a Bathoscaphe which is really just a metal ball lowered on a wire. The pressure down there is amazing - do the math 14.7 pounds per sq inch X 1100

QUESTION:

Is it possible for the ocean to become deeper? If so do you think it ever will?

Student Name:Georgina
State:Choose a State Country: New Zealand

ANSWER:

 Neat question Georgina - The oceans are really large basins fringed by continents. The continents weather - this goes into our rivers which dump into the ocean - so you would think that Oceans would get shallower. However, with a lot of time the mud slowly moves toward places where tectonic plates collide and eventually are sucked under and re used to make new plates. Where the plates come apart - where we find vents - new rock is being made. The depth here will pretty much stay the same forever - at least for thousands of years.

QUESTION:

What feature on the Pompelii allows it to survive in such hot conditions?

Student Name:nicole
State:NEWZEALAND Country: New Zealand

ANSWER:

 Hi Nicole - Well we don't know much about the worm itself. For sure it has proteins that are somewhat high temp tolerant and we know it probably uses behavior (jumps out of its tube) biochemistry (special proteins) to help it. I also think the bacteria play an important role. I think the hairy bacteria on its back act like a thermal blanket (like your hair) - so when a burst of hot water comes through the bacteria provide a small protective shield to the worms skin - kind of like a fire fighters fire blanket.

QUESTION:

What and how does the pompeii worm eat?

Student Name:haidee clausen
State:NEWZEALAND Country: NZ

ANSWER:

 Hi Haidee - go DIO! I have been getting some amazing questions from you guys - thanks for being so enthusiastic about Extreme 2008. If you take a look at the 3D picture on the website you will see up at the top of the worm a structure that looks like spaghetti - this is called the buccal feeding structure. This little thing reaches out to grab bacteria that cover the tubes the worms make. They often even eat the bacteria that are attached to their backs - kind of like carrying a farm on your back!

QUESTION:

What is it like to go down in the submersible Alvin and collect samples from the ocean floor?

Student Name:Kaila veitch
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Kaila - well in a few words - Amazing - fantastic - thrilling and most important a gift. To do what we do is never taken lightly or for granted. It takes years to get a cruise planned and so much rides on it. I have been in the sub over 40 times - an yet even having done it so much every time is equally exciting and rewarding. I dive never goes by where I don't learn something new. We spend so many years in school and yet life presents new and exciting things to us everyday - we just have to have our eyes open and ready to embrace them

QUESTION:

How is Alvin protected from sharks and other animals?

Student Name:Houston
State:WV Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Houston - Well we sit in a metal ball 2.5 inches thick and that is surrounded in 12-20 inches of floatation foam. We also have some pretty amazing mechanical arms. I feel pretty safe.

QUESTION:

How fast can "Alvin" travel?

Student Name:Justine
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Justine - Alvins Maximum Speed is 2 knots (2.3 miles/hour) The Cruising Range is 3 miles with a payload of 1500 pounds max for a Dive duration of 6–10 hours.

QUESTION:

About how long did it take to pack the essential items needed for the 2008 expedition?

Student Name:Virginia
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Virginia - thanks for the question: It took us about 4 months to order everything, pack and ship our stuff to San Diego where it was put on the ship There were literally hundreds of orders that needed to be place and ordered from some 45 companies

QUESTION:

What is the reason you want to be on this trip?

Student Name:Olivia
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Olivia- I love science and I love the sea. What better way to combine the two. As Chief Scientist I am in charge of making sure everyone's science gets done and this means getting them what they need from the seafloor.

QUESTION:

What kind of creatures do you study the most? Do you have a specific kind that you study the most?

Student Name:Ethan Turner
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Ethan - sorry for the delay. Most of the time I study Bacteria - not really a creature but microscopic. For many years I have studied the bacteria that either live in or on the bigger animals in the vents - tube worms, the Pompeii worm, crabs etc. On this trip we have been studying Viruses and microscopic single celled organisms called Protists.

QUESTION:

About how cold does the Alvin get when you are in the deep cold part of the ocean water?

Student Name:Kelly
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Kelly - sorry for the delay. I would say it gets down to 10-15°C (you can figure out what that is in °F). Cold but not too cold. We wear sweats and wool caps to keep warm. The computers and air scrubbers also put out a bit of heat that help keep us warm. If it gets too cold we also have blankets.

QUESTION:

Why did you choose to set sail from Manzanillo, Mexico? What's the difference of setting sail from other locations?

Student Name:Kathy
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Thanks for the question Kathy - sorry for the delay. Great question - first time anyone has ever asked me that. Manzanillo is a perfect location for us - nice port, good fuel for the ship, has an easy airport, and lies perfectly North of the 9°N dive site. A 2 days steam south puts us on site. The Mexicans love us coming to town and we really enjoy being there.

QUESTION:

What exactly do you have to bring on your trip and how many people are involved?

Student Name:Jeremy
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Jeremy- sorry for the delay. Besides all of the science equipment (we need to bring everything) I bring just a few personal things to keep me company. Old clothing - because life out here is a bit dirty with all of the machinery on the ship, exercise stuff - I run 5 miles a day while on board, music, and my computer. We have 22 scientists on board and 33 crew and Alvin group.

QUESTION:

What would happen if someone were to become sick and couldn't getbetter without medical treatment?

Student Name:Rich
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Rick - great question. We have a full medical facility on board to treat just about anything. Several of the crew (Chief Mate) are trained in First aid. In the event we had a medical emergency we call a special doctor who can advise by phone what to do and how to treat the problem. In the event it is serious - the ship will immediately steam to the nearest port with the right medical facility.

QUESTION:

what is the best experience you've had so far?

Student Name:Taylor
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Taylor - wow - that is a hard one. I guess I would have to say every time I take someone in the sub that has never been down. My most memorable experience like this was when I took my university professor down. Here was a guy that had taught deep sea biology for 30yr and was the one that turned me onto vents. He had never in all that time seen it for himself. He had just retired and was about to settle into a quite life with his wonder wife when I ask him if he would come out with us. I took him down on a dive with me and it was magical - he never stopped talking and telling about everything he saw out the window. When we got back to the ship he gave me a big hug and said that it was one of the greatest experiences of his life. Yep - I would say that was the best!

QUESTION:

What made you want to become scientist and what do you absolutely love about your career?

Student Name:Khiana
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Khiana - Great question. I guess I have always been interested in nature and how it all works. Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated with living things. My Mom said that she knew I was going to be a scientist when I was 5yrs old because I loved to pick up rocks and watch what crawled out. My Dad loved the sea and took me sailing every weekend when I was a kid - I guess that it was this experience that gave me the sea. What I love most is the freedom - to be able to see something in nature - ask a question - and then go after answering that question with fun research. Also - coming out to sea is my absolute passion - being out here, if only for a few weeks a year is where I get recharged.