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Lowered by the gigantic A-frame that dominates the stern of the R/V EDWIN LINK, the JSL submersible sets off for its first dive of this mission -- the 3,154th dive of its impressive career.
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Cindy Stoffelen, a researcher from the Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands, begins the sponge cell isolation process. |
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With the sun beating down at midday, I took refuge on the bridge -- the high-tech nerve center of the Research Vessel EDWIN LINK (RVEL). Second Mate Matt Skelly was in command, coolly staring across the water, occasionally raising a worn set of yellow binoculars to check on fishing boats infringing into our space.
The bridge is full of monitors, and countless flashing lights, and I was surprised when Skelly walked across the bridge and pulled out a good, old-fashioned nautical chart.
"It looks like it's about 12 hours to Dry Tortugas," he said after walking a set of dividers across the map. "Then, we'll head through the Straights of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico."
The sponges collected this morning will allow scientists to begin their research during our transit to the Gulf. Perhaps they will take the first first steps toward discovering a cure for some debilitating disease. Previous research and sound scientific speculation point to the potential powers of various compounds produced by these animals. But, only time and experimentation will tell for sure.
August 7, 8:33am, 20 miles north of Dry Tortugas -- The day is well underway. Marine invertebrate cell biologist Robin Willoughby, a research specialist at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, readies samples in her lab. Today, she and several of her colleagues will begin the cell culture process, separating the sponges into their constituent cells.
Outside the lab on the ship's main deck, the submersible crew runs through a final check of the lights and thrusters of the JSL. We are approaching the dive site, 7 minutes from here. The echo-sounder on the bridge indicates we are in 150 feet of water. For all practical purposes, scuba diving is not advisable at these depths. Instead the submersible will drop overboard to collect an assortment of sponges for the researchers.
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our correspondent, Mark Carroll. |
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