Climate change and increases in sea surface temperature (SSTs) are projected to be very likely in the coming decades. Combined with the acidifying effect of increasing dissolved carbon dioxide in the ocean, there is a clear research need to understand the likely impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.

Coral reef ecosystems are sensitive to climate changes in the physical environment. Coral bleaching caused by unusually high sea temperature has had devastating and widespread effects worldwide. Numerous physical factors reduce the incidence of coral bleaching such as low light, high flow, lower temperature and higher nutrients. The link between physical conditions and the biological responses that lead to coral bleaching allows for the prediction of when corals may bleach based on measurements of the in-situ physical parameters. Monitoring of these parameters therefore becomes an important part of understanding and responding to coral bleaching events.

GLOBE Thailand, led by Dr. Pornpun Waithayangkoon (Thailand GLOBE country coordinator and IPST President), strongly supports the Thai Coral Project. GLOBE Thailand funds five GLOBE coral student research projects per year since 2009. Dr. Krisanadej Jaroensutasinee and Dr. Mullica Jaroensutasinee are the main scientists. Thai students will be using coral protocols, as well as some GLOBE hydrology protocols and atmosphere protocols, during their research investigation. Thai students have a chance to share their findings with SCUBAnauts International, led by Dr. Elizabeth Moses.

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Figure 2. Coral Database System and data visualization. (a) Coral database Homepage, (b) sea surface temperature data (SST), (c) SST and salinity, and (d) ecocam.

We developed Thailand coral protocol and the Coral Database System (CDS). The CDS provides an essential tool for querying, analyzing and visualizing patterns of coral data in Thailand. The CDS prototype is available online. There were five study sites: (1) Racha Islands, (2) Phi Phi Island, (3) Hinpae and Ngamnoi Island, (4) Tan Island and (5) Sinmana farm. Each site contained different sensor data. Coral Database System was comprised of four types of sensor data: CTD, HOBO Pendant, weather Data, and ecocam. Users can visualize data and ecocam by selecting study sites and sensor types, time data collected and then visualizing the data. This database was designed to assist students and researchers who interested in long term monitoring of coral sensor data.

Figure 3. Examples of coral project student posters presented at the GLOBE Learning Expedition.

Suggested Activity: Do you have coral reefs in your area?  Have you done any research connecting atmospheric and hydrological variables to coral ecosystem?  Send us an email at science@globe.gov or add a comment to let us know about your research!

If you go to the FLEXEforum Web page, you will find a plot that shows how the temperature varies with depth at a tropical site (9° N latitude) which should not differ too much from the Hawaiian region (20° N, 157° W).

The temperature inside the submersibles reached 15-16° C when they were 400 m below the surface. How cold was it in the water outside? If the graph applies (it should be close), the temperature outside was a bit cooler – more like 12-13° Celsius. If they could go down farther, they would have reached even cooler temperatures.

Why does the ocean get cooler farther down?

In the ocean, the wind stirs up the water. This results in a “mixed layer,” which is about 100 m deep in the figure. If we magnified the upper part of the figure, you would find that the temperature very near the surface can change with depth. When the wind is calm, the sun will heat up just the upper part of the ocean, and it can get quite warm. Flying over the ocean on a calm day, you can find pools of warm water — 30° C and higher in the tropics. Sometimes this water is recently fallen rain, which is less salty and hence less dense than ocean water, and thus won’t mix down as well as salty water when the wind blows. The instrument used — an infrared thermometer — is much like the one used in the GLOBE surface temperature protocols.

But this is only part of the story. From the Web site above, click your mouse to see ocean temperature profiles in other parts of the world. In the high latitudes, the surface water temperatures are much cooler, about 3° Celsius in the figure. This cold water, being dense (water is densest at 4° Celsius), can sink and spread out near the bottom of the ocean, beneath the warmer waters at lower latitudes.

Thinking about the SCUBAnauts, explore the FLEXE Web site further. There is even a link on the right hand side to try your hand at piloting a submersible (Alvin). And you can now follow the FLEXE Research Cruise and read a Teacher’s Blog from the FLEXE cruise where she and scientists are studying temperature variation in the extreme deep-sea environment, and looking to see how the vent ecosystem has changed since a major seafloor eruption two years ago! You can access all of these links from the GLOBE FLEXE page. Check back often for updates and during the week of December 17th and a link to a Phone Call from the Extreme between the research cruise and the GLOBE Program office.

Temperature as a function of depth, measured at 9 Degrees North. For further information about this plot and what is means, visit the FLEXEforum Web page.

The students made several interesting observations.

First, it was very dark by the time the submersibles made it to the sea floor, at about 400 meters. Life that depends on photosynthesis cannot exist below about 200 m underwater. (Remember when the students climbed, less air was exposing them to more ultraviolet light! Heights and depths make a big difference!)

Second, the submarine in the picture looks “like new.” “Why?” I wondered. I had read that sunken ships were often the home to coral reefs. A look on the Web indicates that most corals need sunlight to live, because the algae in the corals need sunlight for photosynthesis. The submarine, at 400 meters below the surface, is in the darkness, so corals can’t grow.

Third, there is still life there in the dark oceans. Some of the life we see at the surface. Sperm whales can dive 500 to 1000 meters below the surface to get food. Some animals in the dark depths feed off raining organic matter from above. Or they feed on animals that swam down from higher up.

And some life finds the energy needed to survive at the deepest ocean depths. FLEXE scientists are studying life in much deeper waters. This life depends on nutrients and a chemical source of energy that seep out of cracks in the ocean bottom, rather than the energy found in sunlight. You can learn more about FLEXE and monitor a FLEXE Research Cruise and a Teacher’s Blog of the cruise through these links.

Fourth, the divers have to go to 400 m in a submersible because of the enormous pressures at these depths. Remember that about 10 meters of water is equivalent to one atmosphere of pressure? At 400 m, weight of the water is around 40 atmospheres, so the total pressure is 41 x atmospheric pressure, counting the weight of the air as well as the water.

Day 12 – 22 October 2007

Location: Waters off Honolulu, Hawaii
Event: Deep Sea Exploration in Pisces IV and V Submersibles

Collin (Pisces V)

Anna and I arrived at the Hawaii Undersea Research Lab (HURL) vessel, Ka’imikai-O-Kanaloa (KOK), at seven o’clock Monday morning. We were brought to the vessel by my Uncle Ed Scheiffer since we stayed at his house last night. It was a beautiful morning with blue skies and calm waters typical of each day we have been in Hawaii so far. As Anna and I boarded the KOK, Terry Kerby and crew were busy preparing the ship and submersibles for departure so we were rushed to board and stow our gear.

I was extremely excited for this mission because I was finally doing it. After all the preparation and training, I was finally going to descend in a manned submersible to a great depth. It was something I never imagined I would be doing, especially at my age. Maybe it was because I was nervous, but it seemed that immediately after we boarded, the KOK left the dock and made for our destination.

Breakfast on the ship was great. They had a little of everything. But I was a bit nervous and wasn’t able to eat much. I was still thinking that there wouldn’t be a bathroom in the submersible so I didn’t want to eat or drink much. Although somewhat rushed, it was a great start to the day. On the way out, we had a fire drill which I was told was standard practice.

It wasn’t long before we reached our ship’s destination and began to prepare for the launching of the submersibles. I was to be the first in the water. When we received the OK, I began to make my way to the Pisces V (Anna was in Pisces IV), which was the submersible I would dive in. Then I made my way up the ladder and boarded through the hatch on top of the submersible. Once inside, the computer consoles and everything was lit up and it looked and felt as if I was in a space shuttle preparing for lift off and moving into a place where not many have ever gone before. I was overwhelmingly excited while we were lifted by a massive winch from the mother ship (KOK) and placed in the ocean. By the time I felt we were detached from the boat and we were on our own, I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my body.

While we were on the surface, Terry Kerby, the submersible pilot, conducted a systems check and we then started on our way to the depths of the ocean. As we descended deeper and deeper, the color of the ocean around us became darker and darker as we strayed from the sunlight. When we reached bottom, at about 1300 feet (about 400 m), it looked like something you would see on the sci-fi (science-fiction) channel. I observed orange fish that walk on the bottom, and corals that some of us have never even seen before. I can’t even describe how splendid it felt to be sitting in a submersible 1300 feet below the surface looking out into a world hidden in darkness. Everything looked amazing and peaceful on the bottom.

I was overwhelmed with awe all the way through the seven hour dive in the cramped sphere. It was difficult to move about, so the best position was to simply lie down. When we started our descent we already knew we were in the vicinity of the Japanese Midget sub that was sunk in WWII. We found the exact location by using sonar. Using the sonar, I was able to pick up shapes and objects great distances away from the sub. After about a half an hour of searching, we came across the midget sub and honed in. Suddenly, the stern side of the midget sub was staring straight at us. We had found it! I was overwhelmed at the sight. Looking at such a historical submarine that people rarely ever get a chance to see in all their life was fantastic. The sub appeared to be in great shape, exactly as it was when it was seen last.

After we were finished viewing the midget sub, we decided to move south and explore ocean that Terry Kerby has not yet seen. As we were moving south, our depth was increasing and the feeling in the sub was tense. We had no idea what to expect. Once, unexpectedly, a deep sea shark actually came up from under the sub and swam by the porthole. Other forms of life that we saw were different corals living on rock piles and fish we had not seen before. We also used the robotic arm to pick up two mugs and a Coca-Cola bottle from years ago. We made a final depth of about 1800 feet, and then we got the go ahead to rise from the depths. So, with that call we released the weights, and started to ascend. Once we were on the surface I felt that I accomplished something very special and that I enjoyed every part of the dive, but after seven hours in a tight space it felt good to climb out of the sub and walk.

Now that I am once again back on the ship and the submersible is secured, I have had an opportunity to reflect on this great and wonderful lifetime experience and what I have learned from it. One thing is for sure, that I have a deeper appreciation and respect for these scientists and submersible pilots and the work that they do. I also have a greater appreciation for the risks that famous explorers had undertaken before me. And I believe that I felt very much like they did at one time when we maneuvered Pisces V to discover ocean bottom that has not yet been seen by human eyes. It is an exhilarating experience and accomplishment.

Anna (Pisces IV)

I am glad that Collin went first, because I was able to watch Pisces V enter the water. First the three of them entered the sub which was then closed and the chase boat was deployed. Second, the giant wench placed the sub in the water and a man jumped from the chase boat to the top of the sub to disconnect it from the “mother ship.” Then Pisces V started to “dive, dive, dive.”

Then the Pisces IV was moved forward in preparation for the entry. Someone that worked on the boat came over and told me that I was the youngest person to go into the submersibles (Collin is older than me). Usually the youngest are grad students. Then I was told to climb the ladder and at the top I had to unfurl the Explorer’s Club Flag, I was so afraid of dropping it in the cool breeze.

Then I went down onto the submersible and Max and Bryan were also in, then our entry began. The sub was closed at 10:26am; we didn’t enter the water till 10:33am. 10:38 we began to sink and we reached the bottom at 10:55am. The sea floor was pretty and mostly sand and few rocks. Right away I was amazed to see this snake, eel type thing that was probably between 1 and 2 feet long. I also saw a few other types of eels, starfish, hermit crabs, shrimp, puffer fish, an octopus, and some small fish.

With the help of the mother ship and Terry Kerby we finally found the Japanese midget sub at 11:40am, the depth was 406.04 meters. At 3:00pm we were cleared to ascend and surfaced at 3:28pm. By 3:36pm the mother ship began to pull us in and I was standing on deck at 3:40pm.

Well my Hawaiian trip is ending, but I have made some of the greatest achievements of my life on this trip. I know I will never forget this. I am so thankful that I was chosen to represent not only SCUBAnauts, but my generation of youth explorers. This trip has, without a doubt, changed my life. I have a new confidence of the others that climbed the mountain with me and a new confidence in myself. This may affect my career because before this I had never considered exploration, research, marine sciences or even the military field.

On my last day with Mark Fowler he said, “You need to work through the valleys to make it to the peaks.” I think that this quote perfect to represent this trip. We worked through the valleys in preparing physically and mentally, also through some of the problems like the boat’s leaks. The “peaks” of this trip are pretty obvious.

When we were on a field program in the South Pacific, divers had not only to watch their dive profiles — they were forbidden to fly the day after a dive. This is because of the possibility that the aircraft might lose pressure at altitude. Also, aircraft at altitude aren’t pressured to surface pressure but to around 6000 feet.

In contrast, cabin pressure in the space shuttle is equivalent to sea level, according to Robert Mellette of the Yale New Haven Teachers Institute.

Day 8 – 18 October 2007

The two groups have rejoined and spent the day on four dives. The deepest one was to about 100 ft. They must follow strict control of their dive profiles to be able to complete all the dives. Several of them broke their profiles and had to sit out the last dives. The ODC students were also still recovering from the climb up Mauna Kea and two were too tired to make the dives.

The first dive is on a wreck, and the students did some archaeological surveys, using the techniques they learned in the classroom and practiced from shore the day before with Dr. Hans Van Tilburg.

The day ended with a talk by Astronaut and Shuttle Mission Commander Dom Gorie, who will take the ODC banner with him on his space shuttle mission, scheduled to launch 14 February 2008.

Madison – 13
SNI participant

We did a dive at the Yard Oiler wreck. I went to about 70 feet. There were huge turtles on the deck of the ship. We also saw a few Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, Hawaii’s state fish (a triggerfish). The second dive was on a reef. We saw a white tip and I did a swim-through. We also saw a sleeping sea turtle. Our third dive was on a flipped barge. We did photography with Dr. Gleason. There was a current. After our dives, we had a lecture given by Commander Dom Gorie, an astronaut. He told us about NASA and his previous and upcoming trips into space.

Mack – 15
Operation: Deep Climb participant

The first dive was a wreck dive. The wreck was in about 100ft of water and it was called the YO. After the first dive most of the ODC was tired so we stayed on the boat and took a nap. After the second dive we went back to port for a quick lunch and then it was right back onto the boat for the last two dives. The third dive was a wreck where we had to measure its length and width. On this dive most people broke there profile so most of us did not dive the fourth dive.

David – 15
Operation: Deep Climb participant

The water here was so much clearer than in the Tampa Bay. We had fun.

Anna – 16
Operation: Deep Climb participant

Today we went diving with Island Divers. The ODC kids and I had to rent gear. For the first dive I was buddies with Santannah, and we dove on a wreck, I saw sea turtles. I was very tired and wasn’t up to the second dive. Then we docked for lunch and went back out for two more dives.

I did the first dive of the afternoon, but I broke my dive profile, so did many other people. Only about five people were able to do the last dive. It didn’t bother me that I missed it because I just enjoyed watching a sunset from a boat in Hawaii. What more could you ask for?

Tonight we had pizza while Commander Gorie (Andrew’s Dad) told us about his career as an astronaut.

Day 7 – 17 October 2007

Anna – 16
Operation: Deep Climb participant

Today Sergeant Gregory, Captain Rob, the other seven teenagers and I flew back from the Big Island [to Oahu] and returned to Pearl Harbor. Tonight we had a barbecue with the entire rest of the group. It was nice seeing everyone else again and hearing about their trip and telling about ours. Mr. Stephens, who I haven’t talked to a lot, congratulated me on completing the mountain. I really appreciated this because Mr. Stephens has done so many outstanding things and his comment seemed really sincere.

Mack – 15
Operation: Deep Climb participant

Today we were allowed to sleep in a little till around eight thirty when Mark one of the producers told us the bad news. The KOK had needed to undergo some repairs that they thought would be down by the time we got off the mountain, but they were wrong. The KOK was still not fixed so instead we were flown back to Honolulu to catch back up with the other group. When we got back to the Bachelor’s Officer’s Quarters we were allowed to relax till dinner which was a BBQ. After the BBQ we all went back to sleep.

Many of you probably like dinosaurs, and I do too. The methods used by paleontologists are similar to those used by archaeologists. (Although I knew about underwater archaeology, I had never heard of underwater paleontology, until I searched the Web did and found work on Mastadons in the Aucilla River in the Florida Panhandle.) I have been on dinosaur digs with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. At each dig a person is assigned to locate every bone dug up and how it was oriented, so that you can later draw a map showing where the bones were found. These relative locations can give you clues about what was going on when and after the dinosaurs died. In archaeology, relative locations at some sites can give you clues about what was happening when people lived there.

On the land or underwater, mapping and careful observations make sense. When you are in the field you are not only “doing science” but coping with some discomforts (on the dinosaur dig, dust, insects, heat, and bright sunlight; or if you are underwater, challenges associated with communicating or recording underwater and currents, as noted in the blog below). And most people cannot remember details when they need them later. So, you record the locations of artifacts or bones as carefully as possible, so that you have the important facts when you are trying to make sense of your discoveries later on. Cameras are useful too – as you will see from the nice photographs below.

Day 7 – 17 October 2007

Madison – 13
SNI participant

We had a classroom session about Maritime Archaeology, and learned how to create maps using a baseline.

Gage – 13
SNI participant

Today we woke up early to go see Doctor Hans VanTilburg about underwater archeological studies. Then we went to a dive on a beach to take archeological surveys on old equipment for a sugarcane plantation. Josh and I took measurements of a steam powered crane.

Connor
SNI participant

Today we did our archeological dive. It was a shore dive with an annoying current that kept on pushing back and forth, and mix that with trying to take measurements and you get a pain in the rear. The dive was nice though, and the site we were at was an old rusty piece of machinery used for plantations I think.

Notice that Anna really worked hard to get fit for the climb – this seems to make a difference, even with changes in altitude. If fitness didn’t help reduce the effects of altitude on the body, the Universities of Colorado (5400 feet or 1600 meters elevation) and Wyoming (7200 feet or 2200 meters elevation) would win more home games in basketball and American football!

The hikers were obviously surprised by the power of the sunlight at these elevations. There are two reasons. First, there is less atmosphere overhead to filter out ultraviolet radiation. According to the World Health Organization, levels of ultraviolet radiation increase by 10-12% for each 1000 m altitude. And secondly, the rock reflects sunlight, so that normally shaded parts of the body might get more than if there were ample vegetation.

Why is there less vegetation higher up? The grasses the students walk through on Day 5 may not be able to exist in the cold, dry conditions higher up. The dry air that is good for astronomers isn’t necessarily good for plants. I wondered also about whether vegetation might have been destroyed by eruptions, but some quick research on the Web indicates that Mauna Kea is considered a dormant volcano – it last erupted 4,500 years ago.

Day 6 – 16 October 2007

Anna – 16
Operation: Deep Climb participant

I didn’t have a great sleep last night. The left side of my neck hurt and I realized that I must have been sunburned. I had forgotten to use sunscreen yesterday and I think this is the worst sunburn that I have ever suffered. My left arm and hand we so red they stung to the touch and the left side of my neck and even my left ear were throbbing from the pain. It did not help to have the strap of my pack rubbing it. It turned out that everyone had been burnt from the sun, but mine wasn’t the worst of it.

Before we started the hike David and I were chosen as team leaders. We were able to have some say in the rest our teams. David’s team included Collin, Santannah and Savannah. That leaves Evan, Andrew and Mack in my team. This morning when we started off my team was in the lead with Bebe, and David’s team kept falling further and further behind so we kept stopping for them. It turned out that some of David’s team weren’t feeling well and may have been experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness. So David and I talked it over and decided that my team would slow down and David would keep an eye on his teammate’s symptoms and make sure that no one’s symptoms became worse. This definitely worked out successfully, it was hard to keep my team’s pace in check but because the three other people in my team were cooperative and understanding we were able to help the other team.

Today the terrain we saw was either many large boulders or no rocks at all but just gravel. For most of the day we could see the telescopes at the summit, but they never seemed to be getting closer. At one point we came across some shrapnel from a helicopter crash from years before. When we stopped for lunch we all cooled down and started to get really cold and so we added more layers, which once we started hiking we had to take another break just to put our jackets back in our bags.

After a little while we came upon the dirt road that led up to the summit and then I knew that there was no way that someone wouldn’t make it. This road took longer than I thought but it seemed to give most people a burst of energy. We reached the top and had to wait for someone to come back from the summit before we could pass the guard rail to finish the last two minutes. Waiting at this point I became really cold, mostly because the sun was getting close to setting.

Then we were told that the time had come to finish the climb. This last part was very short, but in these few minutes I thought about my triumph and I realized that the main reason that this accomplishment was so significant to me was because of what I had done to get here. After weeks of running cross country, going to gym, stressing over packing, wondering if I would let my team or SCUBAnauts down, and not collapsing under the pressure of probably the greatest achievement of my life; I had made it. I had started off the trip doubting myself and gradually each day I realized that I would make it to the top of the summit.

The people that I was with made an impact on the journey; if anyone hadn’t been there, the trip wouldn’t have been successful. I am so thankful that Mark Fowler, Devin and Sergeant Gregory were with us.

Once we were at the top we unfurled the flags and took a lot of pictures. As I stood on the top of Mauna Kea holding the Explorer’s Club banner I could not help but think that I was now a Mountain Climber. I remembered reading something Sir Edmund Hillary, the most famous climber of all time, had said about reaching the summit of Mount Everest. He said “We knocked the bastard off!” Standing here I know what he meant. It wasn’t just the 13,796 foot (4206 m) climb but every other hardship that we had overcome to reach this point. From hard physical training, car washes to raise money, studying for the trip on top of my school work, blisters, sunburn, altitude sickness, freezing wind chill, no showers for three days, and sleeping on rocky ground. But my friends and I had overcome all of that and we had “knocked the bastard off!”

We left right before the stars came out; I am kind of disappointed that I wasn’t able to stargaze. We were taken down in vans back to Doug Arnott’s lodge where we had pizza that everyone practically inhaled. My sunburn was very painful and Bebe showed me a tea leaf to use to help take the heat out. Now I am lying down to go sleep and I can predict this to be the best sleep of my life.

Mack – 15
Operation: Deep Climb participant

Day six once again started before the sun even rose. We started off by breaking down our tents, filling out water, and cooking our breakfast. After a short talk with our guide we hit the trail for a semi short day. The terrain was once again just a bunch of lava rocks. Around two o’clock in the after noon we stopped for lunch, we where about half way down for the day. After lunch we hit the trail and hiked up the rest of the way to the summit. We finally reached the summit at about five-thirty in the afternoon.

When we reached the summit the sun was setting, making it a beautiful site. After we spent a little time on the summit we hiked back over to the observatories where our vans were waiting to take us down the mountain. The drive back to out hotel lasted about an hour and a half, most of us fell asleep. When we reached the hotel we all took showers and then went straight to bed.

David – 15
Operation: Deep Climb participant

Today is the third and final day of the hike of Mauna Kea. I am very happy because I was chosen as a group leader. At first, my group started off slow; but with little adjustments, we were able to keep the groups together. Today we were able to do a lot better because everyone learned that one of the things that really help was pacing. Because we paced ourselves, we had fewer breaks and were able to get to the summit on time. At the end of the day, we went to the summit where we were able to hold up our flags and show how we were the first kids to hike the whole mountain. In the end, I learned so much about myself and other things too. I learned that even though at times you may feel like giving up that if you just strive to be the best that you can be, you can accomplish anything. You just have to try whether it is big or small (in this case, big)!

Savannah – 14
Operation: Deep Climb participant

The third day. The best day and worst day of the trip. The route will be shorter, and we will reach the summit, but after that we will be over with our expedition. The third day was the hardest as it turned out because we were so tired that walking on the sand like lava rock was taking a toll on our muscles. When I reached the summit I felt as if the last three days were worth everything I went through. The view was so beautiful. We also saw the only space shadow that you can see from earth which was amazing. When we finished the climb, we went straight back to the Arnott lodge. They served us pizza which tasted so good.

Santannah – 14
Operation: Deep Climb participant

It was now the last day of our hike and I felt so far under the weather that it couldn’t even find me. Everyone had nothing but positive reassurance though. Amazingly, just like the days before I started off extremely slow and the suddenly progressed to super speed. If anything I think the thing I learned the most was my limits. I feel as though that was my body’s way of pacing myself, that without it I might have gone into overdrive and burnt out completely or injure myself. Either way it didn’t happen due to my body’s knowledge of how I try and operate. This was an amazing point for me to grasp.

The last bit to the summit was the hardest. I had three days of exhaustion, two days of sleep deprivation, soreness to last me a life time, and a core temperature that could freeze water. I couldn’t do anything but cry. Why was I crying I don’t really know. Maybe because of the joy of reaching the end brought me and maybe just simply because I couldn’t function and this was my response. Like I said, I don’t really know why I was crying.

We went back to Arnott’s lodge and stuffed my face with what had to have been a whole pizza. The funniest part of the night was that we finally got beds and none of us wanted to sleep.

The sulfur fumes that Gage was describing probably come from one of the volcanoes on the island. Based on measurements, water vapor is the most common gas coming out of volcanoes, with carbon dioxide second, and sulfur dioxide third. Also released are hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide, and other gases. Both sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide have strong smells and irritate the respiratory tract. Sulfur dioxide also irritates the eyes and skin, and sustained exposure to high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and cause illness. One or both of these are probably the “sulfur fumes” in the blog, so it’s not surprising that the students changed their lunch plans.

Day 6 – 16 October 2007

Madison – 13
SNI participant

We hiked out to the petroglyphs, made up to 1,000 years ago. They were carved into the pahoehoe that resulted from the lava flowing uphill. It is believed that the carvings signify family. We later went to Akaka Falls. It is 450 feet (137 m) tall, and very thin. It’s in a rainforest.

Connor
SNI participant

The symbols called petroglyphs have many meanings, there were pictures of stick figure people were most likely just that; people. Little dots were supposedly representing a baby born, and that they put the umbilical cords underneath them. There were tons of other symbols, but they are kind of hard to name.

Gage – 13
SNI participant

We went to a place where there were petroglyphs carved into the lava, it was pretty cool. Then we had to move our lunch place because there was a ton of sulfur fumes in the place we were supposed go, so we had lunch in a parking lot. Tomorrow we fly back to Honolulu on Oahu again.

Notice that we could estimate the air pressure the climbers were experiencing on Mauna Kea. What about the pressure below the water? A rule of thumb is that the pressure increases by about one atmosphere (1013 hectoPascals or hPa) for each 10 m below the surface. While the Operation Deep Climb hikers were experiencing an air pressure of around 696 hPa at 3200 m elevation, the SNI articipants were experiencing a total pressure of:

You can feel air pressure changes if you go up or down quickly in an elevator, in airplane, or on a mountain road: your ears “pop” as pressure from the inside and outside balance. (The air inside a commercial aircraft at cruising altitude is pressurized so that the pressure is about 15% lower than at sea level — much higher of course than it is outside!)

Day 5 – 15 October 2007

Madison
SNI participant

We went to a black sand beach. The most durable minerals survived when the lava flows are eroded, they wash up on the beach, forming black sand. There were many turtles on the rocks.

Then we went to the southern-most point of the U.S. It was a cliff that dropped off into the Pacific.

Later we did our first dive in Hawaii! The first dive was in Garden Eel Cove, it was a 40 minute dive at 50 feet (15 meters). We saw a garden eel and lots of urchins. The coral was really pretty. Our second dive, a night dive, was also at Garden Eel Cove. It was an hour long and at 40 feet. We sat at the bottom in a circle, and huge manta rays came overhead. Sometimes they got really close to the top of your head. They were 15-20 feet (4.6 – 6.1 meters) across, and the baby was about 6 feet (1.8 meters). Their mouths were about a foot across (0.3 meters). The water was turbulent because the rays were disrupting it while swimming around. They came to the lights to feed on the light-attracted plankton.

Connor
SNI participant

The black sand beach was incredible! We saw many crabs, fish, and even a baby eel in one of the tide pools, and a couple of turtles resting on the beach.

We also had our first dives of the trip today, our first dive was o.k. we got to swim around and see garden eels, colorful reefs, and fish.

But, the first dive was nothing compared to the second dive, which was the most amazing dive I’ll ever go on! It was the manta ray dive, which was so awesome. We got about 10 manta rays, which is pretty good the captain said, because sometimes they don’t get any. But, it was the coolest thing ever!

To avoid altitude sickness, serious mountaineers wanting to summit 8,000-meter peaks not only spend a lot of time exercising to bring their body to a peak fitness level, but they try to spend some time at higher elevations before the climb to get their bodies acclimated to higher elevations. For comparison, the height of Mt. Everest is roughly 8,850 meters. Using the data from the Hilo sounding for 14 October the air pressure at that height is 332 hectoPascals, the temperature is -32 degrees Celsius, and the air density is 0.48 kilograms per cubic meter, which is 40% the value at sea level.

Day 5 – 15 October 2007

Anna – 16
Operation Deep Climb participant

Once I woke up this morning I began to pack my things. We talked with the cameramen and producers and today our teams would be different. Savannah was a team leader; in her group were David, Andrew and Collin. Mack was the leader of the team I was in; also with us were Santannah and Evan. We were also told that the groups would be kept together and so when would take a break so would the other. Today we started off hiking through very thick, knee high grass. Then we started to see rocky ridges and valleys. Then the terrain changed entirely to rocks, gravel and few trees. At one point Sergeant Gregory explained to us how to identify a poisonous plant, and most of us ate a dandelion. I tried it and it was a little tart.

Soon I noticed that there were no more trees or plant life and the landscape seemed more “like Mars.” At one point I had found a very interesting lava rock that I wanted to keep as a souvenir, but when I asked Bebe if I was allowed to take it, she said no and that Madame Pele would curse me if I did. Later I found an old horseshoe that Madame Pele would let me keep, so I am carrying that with me now. Today one of the members of the team I was in started to feel a little lousy. Mack was a good team leader and adjusted the rest of the team to help out our teammate. I also helped by helping to get my friend’s mind off of their condition by singing, you are lucky you couldn’t hear us.

Our camp tonight is at around 10,500 feet (3,200 meters) of elevation, we were told that we were getting close and then the time went a lot more slowly. We finally saw where we would be spending the night. It was within walls of rocks that seemed to tower over our small tents. The view from this location was one of my favorite sights of this trip so far. We had passed the cloud level today and we were lucky enough to see the sunset at the cloud level.

I don’t know how but the producers brought us hot chocolate for our Nalgene bottles. I was told that the wind chill made it feel like it is in the forties (4.4-10 ° C), which is freezing to this Florida girl. Tonight I shared a tent with Santannah and Savannah. It seemed that everyone went to bed pretty early, I think that this happened mainly because it was so cold once the sun went down; there was nothing to do, but go to sleep. So far I have enjoyed this trip, I like the people that I am with and the production crew is also really fun. Everything we have said on camera is our own words, I have never been asked to say something or read off of a card. Sometimes when I was being filmed while answering a question, just to someone say, “Can you repeat that in a full sentence?” I think the strap of my pack may be bothering my neck, but this won’t stop me.

Mack – 15
Operation: Deep Climb participant

Day five started before the sun even rose, we had to get an early start because we where going to be covering a lot of ground today. The terrain for the beginning part of the day was long grass that was annoying to hike on but the worst was yet to come. At about noon we crossed the cinder line, which is where the trees end and the lava rock begins. The rock was really had to walk on especially up hill. People kept slipping and falling on the loose rock. We stopped for the night by a rock pile where we set up our tents, cooked our food, and went to sleep; for we were all very tired and knew the next day was going to be the day we summited.

Santannah – 14
Operation: Deep Climb participant

The next day of the hike was the longest and most exhausting. Like yesterday, in the beginning of the hike I felt terrible. It was hard to breathe, I had a splitting headache and my body had not had time yet to recover from yesterday’s adventure. Then suddenly I felt amazing, better than amazing, as if I was a new person. The was around the same time that the scenery changed from a rolling hills like terrain to one that look as if it came straight off of Mars. Nothing but red rock and sand surrounded us. Soon my “buzz” wore off and I was back where I started, the back of the pack. I was cold, tired and my body just wanted to shut down. The closer I go to camp the further away it seemed.

When we finally reached camp we set up our tent and I put on as many layers as I could. I drank a lot of water and then slept.