Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Day 2

I went to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) with my mom and Amanda.

We met up with our tour guide, Robbie Laird at the Atlantis research vessel. The Atlantis research vessel with is a huge ship that has lots of cool technology used to study the ocean, such as the Alvin submarine. The Alvin submarine explores the deep sea. WHOI rebuilt the Alvin and now it can go up to 6,500 meters deep instead of 4,500 meters deep. There is a metal ball that the scientists work in.  Outside the main cabin, there are robotic arms that can pick up deep sea samples. The Alvin can hold 3 people and normally stays under water around 8 hours. Every several years they totally dismantle the Alvin and check for flaws. To learn more about the Alvin click here 

Scientists use the Alvin to study the deep ocean.  While underwater, the Alvin collects video and sensor data. They also collect samples including live worms.  Collecting live samples can be difficult because they cannot live without the pressure they are adapted to.  When the Alvin is going back to the surface the container they are in has to be pressurized so they don’t die immediately.  The scientist discovered and studied hydrothermal vents.  Hydro means water and thermal means heat, so hydrothermal means hot water vents.  Scientists were surprised when they found life, like crabs and tubeworms on the vents because they can reach 750 F degrees. Because of the immense pressure the water does not boil.  It has also explored the Titanic also.  Visit this link to learn more about hydrothermal vents: https://www.whoi.edu/main/opic/hydrothermal-vents 

Because there is such immense pressure the Alvin has to prepare.  The Alvin has lots of wires and mother boards to control the robotic arms, cameras and sensors. They needed a way to make sure the wires and mother boards can withstand the pressure and not erode.  To keep them from corroding they surround all the wiring in hydraulic oil and put a plastic tube over it. They need oil because oil cannot be compressed.   If they did not use hydraulic oil, the wires would be crushed inside the tube under the pressure of the deep ocean.  Every bit of metal frame is made of straight titanium because titanium is the strongest metal and can withstand the pressure. 

The Alvin took a bag of Styrofoam cups to the bottom of the ocean, so they could hand them out to people. When the cups got down to the bottom they shrunk and now have no air in them because all the pressure squeezed all the air out. A manager of the Ocean Science Exhibit Center, Kathy Patterson, gave me one of the Styrofoam cups.  I was so excited. The cup was hard and a little bigger than my big toe.  Here is a picture of the cup. 

You can also use a pressure cooker to simulate the pressure the deep sea would have on the Styrofoam cup.  To watch this, click here 

After touring the boat, we met up with Peter Traykovski. We saw his invention, the Jetyak. The Jetyak is an autonomous motorized research kayak that can be driven using a remote control.  There is also a GPS system that you can use a computer to control it.  It is a dot to dot system. There is a satellite view on the computer and with the mouse you click were you want it to go. The Jetyak travels to each dot you make on the map.  Unfortunately, the Jetyak cannot see obstacles so if there is a boat in the way it will run into it. 

Peter uses the Jetyak to predict erosion or how the ocean floor is changing. The Jetyak has a sonar (sound) sensor on the bottom of it that can study the ocean floor.  Even though they do not have cameras, they are able to get a complete picture of the ocean floor using the sound data.  One place Peter Traykovski has been studying is the Katama Bay and Chappaquiddick area on Martha’s Vineyard.  He’s using sonar scanners to predict the next time that the Katama Bay will open up. They also use the Jetyak to take measurements of glaciers.  Scientist cannot do this because at any moment a 50 ton block of ice could come crashing down on your head.  The Jetyak is prefect because a scientist is not actually in the boat.  Visit this link to watch a video about the Jetyak here