Expedition 13 Mail Buoy

My question is about the power source for Alvin. What is the total available power? How many battery cells are there? How does the power system work? Is there anywhere to find information on how this type of power system operates?

Charles Martin

Dear Charles:

Our batteries are lead-acid batteries—just like the ones in a car, but much bigger. We have two 60-cell batteries that weigh a total of about 2,000 lbs and that we can jettison if we ever needed to in an emergency. They put out 120 volts of DC power. After every series of dives we take them out and recharge them.

—Dave Walter, Alvin pilot

The following questions are from Ms. Sheild's 7th grade science class, Clarke Middle School, Lexington, MA

Hi. I'm in Miss Sheild's class. I was wondering how Hydrogen Sulfide is changed into glucose in chemosynthesis? Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

Anthony Wiryaman

Dear Anthony:
Chemosynthetic organisms don’t actually convert hydrogen sulfide to carbohydrates like glucose. Instead, they take an electron from the hydrogen sulfide molecule (a process called oxidation) and use that electron to power the “cellular machinery” that converts inorganic carbon (CO₂) to organic carbon (carbohydrates).

—Helen White, Haverford College

Hi. I am one of Ms. Sheild's seventh grade students. Did the oil spill cause any deep sea organisms to migrate? Thank you for your time.

Omer Geva

Dear Omer:

We don't know if the oil is causing animals to migrate, but we do know it has killed some migratory animals (sea turtles). The bigger question is whether the oil is affecting the migration of larva and other zooplankton that move between the deep and shallow water daily. Their diurnal migration is an important part of the marine food web. If a layer of oil or chemicals is preventing them from moving through the water column, it could be bad for animals that rely on these organisms for food.

—Tim Shank, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

I am one of Ms. Sheild's 7th grade students and i have a question to ask the scientists out at sea. Will the oil from the Gulf damage or destroy the Alvin submarine in any way? Thank you so much for you time!

Becca Pion

Dear Becca:

If we had gone down in the Gulf right after or during the spill, then yes—especially because of the solvents mixed in with the oil. We'd be worried about those damaging Alvin's hoses. But now it's OK. We dive where there's oil in the water all the time—particularly naturally occurring oil. Still, we considered the risks presented by oil in the Gulf and decided it would be safe.

—Bruce Strickrott, Alvin Expedition Leader

Hi I'm Caroline Blackett and in Ms. Sheilds 7th grade class. While diving how many new animals or species have you seen in your career? Do you have a favorite? Thank you for answering my question.

Caroline Blackett

Caroline:

I've had over 130 dives to the deep ocean, and we find something new on almost every dive. It just points to how poorly we know the deep sea. My favorite animals are the octopi—especially the "dumbo" octopus. I don't study them, I just think they're very cool.

—Chuck Fisher, Pennsylvania State University and Expedition 13 chief scientist

I'm a student in Ms. Sheild's class. Has the naturally seeping oil affected the way the fish breath? Do the fish have an adaptation to their gills that filter out the oil? THANK YOU.

Allyson Bartels

Dear Allyson:

Any oil that comes out of the seafloor at a seep site would rise very quickly to the surface and wouldn't necessarily pool there, so we don't see that limiting species at seeps. Instead, we generally see depth determining which fish can survive there and, in fact, we see many of the same fish at seep and non-seep sites of the same depth. However, some species of fish and other animals have adapted to the low oxygen often found at seeps with specialized gill structures. In addition, there are species that have adapted to the chemical conditions at seeps with internal biochemical mechanisms to help them process sulfides and other chemicals dissolved in the water.

—Andrea Quattrini, Temple University

(A note from Ken: I'm sitting next to Andrea on the cruise and your question has caused her to think about new avenues of research in her PhD project!)

Hi, I am one of Miss Sheild's students and we are studying the deep sea in class. My question is: Are there any producers in the deep sea other than bacteria? Thank you for answering my question.

Anna Zhou

Dear Anna:

That's a complicated question. When tubeworms or mussels act symbiotically to convert inorganic carbon to organic carbon, we call the entire organism a "functional autotroph." (An autotroph is an organism that is a primary producer.) We don't think that the bacteria could survive in the wild as well or in the numbers we see in the host organism, and certainly the host could not survive without the bacteria, so we say that the ecological role of both together is primary production.

—Erik Cortes, Temple University