Extreme 2004: Exploring the Deep Frontier Search

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Dive Log


Dive Number: 4070
December 10, 2004

Pilot: Pat Hickey
Port Observer: Michael League
Starboard Observer: Tom Niederberger


14.36 Tested Sipper on way down, fired #12, worked perfect

15.22 Found ball set of LVWS

15.25 At 2510 m, land next to LVWS, and Pat grabs it.

15.38 Head to M vent with LVWS

15.54 Arrive M vent, no Riftia, just scattered remains.

15.59 Drop LVWS diffuse flow where Riftia used to be 2505 m, +223, X4420, Y78898

16.05 Purge

16.13.19 LVWS noted to be filling visually by Pat

16.18 Sipper wand temp for LVWS source water 19.5°

16.22 Commencing Sipper work on Alvinella

X4415, Y78898, 2502 m  alt: 10.2 heading +118

(Fired Sipper 1, no problem, but then gave error on selecting bottle and Sipper 2 didn’t fire. Rebooted computer, and Sipper worked fine after that).

     Sipper #       Sipper in time       temp range°   pump time    fire time

          1                     16.25                    18.8-49             16.27              16.29.25

          2                     16.34.20                  30-40, 57      16.34.30         16.36.58

          3                     16.38.30                   21.3-29        16.38.53         16.41.25

          4                     16.42.55                   19-26            16.43.15         16.45.26

          5                     16.51.45                   30-40            16.51.54          16.54.10

          6                     16.56.35                    50                16.56.40           16.58.50

          7                     17.00                       47-48              17.01.03           17.03.13

          8                     17.04                    22.7-52.5           17.05.44           17.08.05

          9                     17.11.10                  28-47             17.11.20            17.13.42

          10                   17.15.24                 35-55            17.15.26             17.17.39

          11                   17.20.59                 40-43           17.21.01             17.23.29

17.24 Sipper work completed

17.26 Moving back to LVWS

17.28 Released LVWS

17.34 Sulfide temps taken from M vent:

        Sulfide #1 –     Top temp = 4.7° 

        Sulfide #2 (rounder shape)  Top =120-132

            Middle temp = 13.7°    Mid = 44°

            Bottom temp = 15.9°   Bot = 235°

17.36 Prototrap J temperatures -- Bottom = 39.8°, Top 39.7°

17.39 Both sulfides collected

17.40 Prototrap J collected

17.43 Grabbed a bunch of Alvinella

        X4423, Y78897, 2502 m, +109

17.44.56 At Sipper location, Arty Chamber 1 open

17.46 Worms removed from tubes and first worm into Chamber 1, temp range 20-35°

18.03.04 Approx. 5 worms, Chamber 1 flooded RNAlater

18.04.50 Worms removed from tubes and into chamber 2, temp range 20-30°

18.22.00 Approx. 5-6 worms in Chamber 2 and flooded with RNAlater

18.22 First worm removed from tube and into Chamber 3, temp range 30-35°

18.40 Chamber 3 flooded with RNAlater, over 5 worms in chamber

18.42 Finish sucking up worms, depart for Q vent

18.52 Arrive at Q vent

18.53 Pat modifies chimney structure

19.04 Frying pan deployed during Call to the Deep,

            X4427, Y78787, 2503m +257

            Original chimney = 149-155° at top, 315-324° a few inches away

            Temp after deployment at middle of frying pan = 244°

19.16 Phone call finished and head to Michael’s vent

19.28 Prototrap C collected at Michael’s vent, it’s covered with material

          X4435, Y78722, 2507 m, -46

19.29 Head to Tica

20.00 Arrive at Tica

20.04 Deploy crab trap in Riftia,

           X4585, Y78202, 2514 m, +194

20.14 Two prototraps collected from Riftia, no time for temps.

           X4586, Y78201, 2510 m +59

20.21 Pat parks Alvin in Riftia and rakes some crabs into biobox

20.23 Heading to Bio9

20.31 Arrived at Bio9

20.33 Picked up Mosquito,

           X4621, Y78014, 2508m, +10

20.37 Run out of power, drop weights.

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