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Over the next several days, Dr. Armstrong teaches you how to pilot the Deepworker. You control the tiny sub’s movements with foot pedals. That leaves your hands free to operate the video camera and the mechanical arms.
“With the arm, you’ll cut off tiny samples of the coral,” Dr. Armstrong says. “Then we’ll study them here at the research center.”
After a lot of training, you’re ready to pilot the Deepworker. Dr. Armstrong tells you to explore one of the mesophotic reefs and bring back samples. You open the plastic hatch and climb into the submersible. Your heart is racing. Once you go down, you’ll be alone. You’ll be in radio contact with the research center. But it won’t be like your training dives, when people were always close by.
A crane lowers the Deepworker into the water. Then you begin to go down. As the sea darkens, you turn on the sub’s outside light. You can see that the corals here are different from the ones near the surface. They look more like plants. You grab the control of one of the arms to pick up a rock with some corals on it. You turn the camera toward a rock. Now Dr. Armstrong can see what you’ve found too.
“That’s a beauty,” she says over the radio.
You spend several hours exploring and getting coral samples. As you begin to head up, you see several creatures swimming toward you. You realize they’re squids.
“Don’t worry about them,” Dr. Armstrong says. “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.”
You’re not sure what you think. But you don’t want the scientists to think that you’re afraid.
Suddenly, the water is filled with a green cloudy ink.
“One of the squids is shooting its ink at me!” you tell Dr. Armstrong.
The common reef squid is often found near coral reefs. “They’re just trying to scare you away,” she says. “Swing around them and keep coming up.”
Soon, the squids are out of sight. You make it back to the surface and open the hatch. Dr. Armstrong is waiting for you.
“Excellent job,” she says.
You’re proud of your work in the Deepworker. And you know the samples you collected will help the team better understand mesophotic coral reefs and find ways to save them. You can’t wait to get into the water again.
THE END
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Dr. Armstrong leads you over to the researchers getting ready to dive. You see Sandeep, the researcher you met on the trip to Palau.
“You’re going down too?” he asks.
You nod. “I just have to get my suit and gear.”
“I’ll wait for you,” Sandeep says.
You go into the research center and get your equipment. Back on the dock, you join Sandeep. The two of you dive into the water. As you dive, you see the different reefs. You also see some that are bleached. It’s heart-wrenching. You will do all you can to save the corals here.
You continue to explore. The deeper you go, the darker it gets. Lights that you’ve brought along help you see.
For this dive, your assignment is to collect some of the fish that live in the mesophotic reefs. Some of these fish have just been recently discovered. Scientists want to know more about them. They also hope that by finding the new species, people around the world will be more interested in protecting mesophotic reefs.
It takes just a few minutes for you and Sandeep to reach the bottom of the dive. You both go to explore a nearby reef.
“Let’s collect some fish on this side,” Sandeep says, pointing to the left side of the reef.
You notice that Sandeep’s voice sounds funny—it’s much higher than usual. He sounds like a little kid.
“Ok,” you say. “But why do you sound like that?”
“One of the gases we’re breathing in is helium. It’s also used to blow up party balloons,” he says. “It’s safe but can change our voices.”
Two scuba divers swim near a coral reef teeming with fish and sea anemones (bottom right). Sandeep catches a fish swimming through the reef. He puts it in a special container you’re holding. It’ll take time for the fish to adjust to living on the surface after being so deep underwater. The container will make sure the fish stays alive.
Sandeep looks at his watch and points up to the surface. You can only stay this deep underwater for about 10 minutes. Now, it’s time to go back up. The trip back will take hours. You have to go up slowly. The gases you breathe are now in your blood. If you go up too quickly, some of the gases could turn to bubbles. This is very dangerous. It can shut off the flow of blood.
If that happens, your brain or other organs could be damaged. You could even die. On your way up to the surface, you rest several times.
About 100 feet from the surface, Sandeep says, “Something’s wrong. My head hurts, and I feel dizzy.”
These are signs that his rebreather is not working correctly. Sandeep could be in real trouble. He needs help. You could continue going toward the surface for help. But should you leave him alone in the water?
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You don’t want to leave Sandeep alone when he’s in trouble. But you have to get help. If his rebreather isn’t working, he could die.
You take off for the surface of the water. But you’re going a little too fast. You worry about how your body will react. You start to feel some pain in your joints. Divers call it the bends. You try not to think about that. The most important thing is helping Sandeep.
Finally, you reach the surface. Dr. Armstrong is surprised to see you. She knows it should have taken longer for you to come up safely.
“Sandeep needs help,” you say. “I think his rebreather is malfunctioning.”
Dr. Armstrong and Carol pull you out of the water.
“We have the Deepworker sub ready to go out,” Dr. Armstrong says. “I’ll have the pilot bring down another unit and find Sandeep. The sub can stay with him until he makes it back.”
Researchers release a robotic submarine into the ocean. “And you should go to the hospital,” Carol says. “The doctors there can check you out. You may need oxygen.”
You nod as she helps you take off your scuba gear. Then she takes you over to the van. As you drive away, you hope you’ll be able to dive again on this trip. But more importantly, you hope Sandeep is ok. You can only imagine how much pain he is in right now.
THE END
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It’s a risk not to go for help. But you don’t want to leave Sandeep alone in the water.
“Are all your gas levels set right?” you ask him.
“I’m not sure,” Sandeep says.
You go over and look at the small computer on Sandeep’s wrist. It controls the amount of oxygen he gets. The levels are too high.
“I’m going to reset your gas levels,” you tell him.
Sandeep is alert, but you can see that he’s getting weak. You need to move quickly to save him.
“I’m going to help you go up to the surface,” you tell Sandeep. You put your arm around his waist and slowly begin to rise. You know you can’t go too fast, or you both could be in danger. Finally, you see the surface above you.
“You’re doing ok?” you ask Sandeep.
He nods. “But I should probably go to the hospital just in case.”
You help Sandeep over to Dr. Armstrong. She calls for the van to bring Sandeep to the hospital. You realize now that diving so deep can be dangerous. But all the scientists are willing to take that risk to try to save the reefs.
THE END
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re.
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CHAPTER 3
DIVING DEEP
You’ve always wanted to go out on a research ship. Another researcher named Amy joins you on this mission. Dr. Johnson explains to both of you that a research team is about to explore part of the coast of the Eastern United States.
“There’s an area from the tip of Florida to southern Virginia that is filled with deep-sea corals,” Johnson tells you. “But in large parts of that region, we don’t know exactly what kind of corals live where. You two will join our team to look for and explore new reefs.”
The next day, you leave Carrie Bow Cay and head for Massachusetts. That’s the home of the Seahorse, a 275-foot long research ship.
The Seahorse will take you out to sea. On board, you spot a white vessel with an orange top.
“I wonder what that is,” you say, pointing to the vessel.
“You don’t know?” Amy says. “That’s Fred!”
“That’s right,” a man behind you says. You turn and see him approaching. He introduces himself as Dr. Steve Cook. He’s one of the scientists on the Seahorse. “Fred is a submersible,” Dr. Cook says.
You learn that the sub can travel more than 3 miles underwater and stay there for up to 10 hours. Inside, scientists use its robotic arms to pick up pieces of coral.
“That’s incredible,” Amy says.
“Just wait until you see Nemo,” Dr. Cook says with a smile. “That’s our remotely operated vehicle, or ROV. It’s like a small, underwater robot that we can control here on the ship.”
As you walk, you can’t help but be amazed at all the technology the scientists have on board. You can’t wait to use it. You follow Dr. Cook into the lab.
“I’d like to introduce you to the scientists in the lab,” he says. “You’ll be working with them to preserve the samples of coral reef and other sea life we collect.”
You see rows of bottles labeled with the names of different kinds of coral. You’ve never seen so many coral species.
Scientists in Florida are collecting coral samples to try to save the reefs from being killed off. “Collecting coral samples is just one of the jobs we do,” says Dr. Sarah Strauss, another scientist on board. “From the deck, we drop instruments into the water to measure the salt content and temperature. We also collect water samples to study the tiny sea creatures that are food for fish around the reefs.
Dr. Cook turns to you. “Would you like to collect water samples or get a closer look at Nemo?”
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“I’d like to work with you on the deck, Dr. Strauss,” you say.
The next day, Dr. Strauss leads you to a device a few feet taller than you.
“This is called a CTD,” she explains. It has a round metal frame. All around the frame are plastic bottles. “These will collect the water samples,” she goes on, pointing to the bottles. “And at the bottom of the CTD is the electrical equipment that takes measurements.”
Dr. Strauss introduces you to the crew that will put the CTD in the ocean. The skies are gray. While the sea is not as rough as it was overnight, you still see large swells of water.
You turn to the crew leader, “Is it safe to launch this in such rough seas?”
“We have to be careful,” he says. “The cables can get twisted. And if the CTD breaks loose, we’ll lose some pretty expensive equipment.”
The CTD is attached to a winch that lowers it into the water. But before the winch can lower the CTD down, a huge wave hits the Seahorse. You see the CTD swing wildly to the right, and then to the left—directly at one of the scientists.
“Look out!” you cry.
Without thinking, you dive and push him down. You both tumble to the deck, the CTD swinging just above you. A sudden wave sends the ship rolling. You watch with horror as the scientist slides overboard. You see a life preserver nearby and toss it into the water.
“Grab it!” you yell.
The scientist swims for the preserver. Then, you and the crew members begin to pull him in.
Life preservers and flotation devices can help keep people afloat in the water while they’re being rescued. “We’ve almost got you!” you say.
You reach to pull the man onto the ship. Dripping with water, the scientist lies on the deck. He looks up at you. “Thank you.”
“That was quick thinking,” Dr. Strauss says. “That’s a good skill to have when we’re out at sea.”
Dr. Strauss tells the CTD crew to stop for today. “We’ll try again tomorrow,” she says.
You haven’t done any research yet, but you feel you’ve already done something important on this voyage.
THE END
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“I’d love to get a closer look at Nemo,” you say to Dr. Cook.
Amy decides to collect water samples with Dr. Strauss. Dr. Cook takes you out on deck and introduces you to Roger, the engineer in charge of keeping both Fred and Nemo running smoothly. Then you get your first look at Nemo. It’s about 3 feet long, with two metal arms in front that are attached to a cylinder.
“We’re testing out Nemo on this trip,” Roger explains. “We want to shrink the lionfish population.”
“Why?” you ask.
“Certain fish protect the reefs by controlling the amount of seaweed and algae around. But lionfish eat these helpful fish. No other fish eat the lionfish, so their population keeps growing. ”
“How will Nemo help?” you ask.
“We can guide Nemo to the areas where the lionfish live,” Roger says. “Our goal is to catch some of the lionfish and sell them to fish markets. ROVs like Nemo are cheap. In the future, fishers could buy their own ROVs and then sell what they catch. They’ll help reduce the lionfish population, and the coral reefs will be protected.”
Dr. Cook brings you over to the team preparing to launch Fred. Leading them is Dr. Aleisha Davis.
“We’re hoping to find some species of coral polyps that we’ve never seen before,” Dr. Davis explains. “It promises to be an exciting trip.”
Dr. Cook says, “So, which would you like to do—work with Nemo or go down into the ocean in Fred?”
You like the idea of stopping lionfish from damaging reefs. But finding new polyps could lead to new ways to save these and other reefs.
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“Let’s go catch some lionfish and try to save a reef,” you say excitedly.
Dr. Cook takes you back to Roger, who explains a little more about how Nemo works.
“We control Nemo from the ship using a joystick, similar to what you would use to play a video game,” Roger explains. “We receive video images from Nemo’s onboard camera.”
An ROV is launched from a ship. “How do you collect the lionfish?” you ask.
Dr. Cook points to small panels at the end of each metal arm at the front of the ROV.
“Those panels send out a small electrical jolt,” he says. “It just stuns the fish. Then Nemo collects them. On a good trip, we can catch about 10 fish.”
Roger leads you into a small room on the Seahorse with the controls for Nemo. Some crew members have already put the ROV into the water. On a video screen, you see what Nemo sees with its camera. It dives down at about 100 feet per minute.
After a few minutes, you begin to see some lionfish in the water. Roger guides the ROV toward one. He presses a button to send the electrical current into the panels.
Soon, the fish has been collected by the ROV.
Roger points at the joystick and asks, “Would you like to give it a try?”
You’d love
to try working the ROV, but you’ve never controlled one before. You’d hate to damage such important equipment.
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“I’m pretty good with video games,” you say with a smile. “So, I should do all right with this.”
You move Nemo around with the joystick and soon spot a lionfish. You carefully move Nemo toward the fish. Then, you push the button that sends the electrical current into the panels. With the push of another button, Nemo sucks the fish inside.
You and Roger take turns catching lionfish until Nemo is filled with all it can hold.
Lionfish have fins that fan out like the mane of a male lion. “Ok, let’s bring Nemo back up,” he says.
Roger lets you guide the ROV back to the surface. In a few minutes you’re out on deck, watching the crew haul Nemo out of the water. Through its clear plastic body, you see the stunned fish are moving again.
You know that with fewer lionfish in the water, you’re helping to protect the coral reefs. You’re glad to have even a small part in this important work.
THE END
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You decide to observe as Roger searches for another lionfish. Nemo is now near some underwater cliffs. Roger carefully steers the ROV alongside them.
“There’s one,” you say, pointing to a corner of the video screen.
You watch as Nemo moves toward the fish. It darts inside a crack in the cliff. Nemo moves closer. You see the fish inside.
“Let’s see if I can get it out of there,” Roger says.
Can You Protect the Coral Reefs? Page 2