30 FRONTIERS IN OCEANIC RESEARCH 



ing method is clearly analogous to the student of conditions prevailing in the 

 barren deserts of the great Southwest when he uses an airplane to fly at a 

 height equal to the greatest depth in the sea on a dark night. The samples that 

 would be obtained might include the tail of a lizard, a piece of creosote bush, a 

 bit of cactus, and a little sand and rock. From this he is expected to fit together 

 the overall picture of what the desert floor looks like and what dynamic happen- 

 ings are occurring there. Obviously, if man is present to view and correlate 

 the events, a great deal more information can be derived from this method 

 wherein a manned vehicle is employed. 



It is often difficult to conceive of the proper instruments required to extend 

 our knowings prior to making an observation of a particular phenomenon. As 

 more of the deep sea areas are probed by manned vehicles new instruments will 

 be tailored to extend man's senses. Prototypes of these instruments are best 

 evaluated when the operator is in close proximity to his device and he is cogni- 

 zant of factors that are affecting his measurements. 



Dives with the Trieste have given us some insight as to the quantity, size, dis- 

 tribution, and behavior of animals at all depths. The existence of near-micro- 

 scopic life throughout the water column and animals as large as a 1-foot flat- 

 fish at the greatest known depth indicates that devices are needed for selectively 

 sampling these organisms. Bioluminescence is present in the area below that of 

 sunlight penetration. The light level produced by living organisms is usually no 

 greater than that encountered on a clear night from the stars. It is, however, 

 a measurable amount and it would be advantageous to obtain readings of the 

 intensity. 



The magnitude of water current near the sea floor can be readily determined 

 when the bathyscaph reaches the bottom. Visual observations are being supple- 

 mented with meters that automatically record the current velocity and direction. 

 Currents off San Diego at 4,200 feet approached a velocity of 1 knot. At the 

 bottom of the Challenger Deep there was no detectable current present during 

 the 20-minute stay. Repeat dives to the sea floor off San Diego at approximately 

 the same location revealed that the current velocities are variable and more 

 observations will prove advantageous to our understanding of the variations. 



On the sea floor the types of sediment and rock outcrops can be viewed and 

 photographed. Physical and biological activities tending to alter the topography 

 and sedimentation processes have been observed. These observations would be 

 difficult to photograph and in some instances the detail that can be observed 

 cannot be resolved from photographs or television cameras. The behavior of 

 animals, their mode of locomotion, stimuli to move, and the effects of their 

 moving and general disruption of the sea floor sediments is clearly visible from 

 within the bathyscaph sphere. In the supposedly barren depths of the Mediter- 

 ranean, fishes were observed on nearly every dive and the water above the bottom 

 was seen to possess a variety of animal forms. Off San Diego the animal popula- 

 tion on the sea floor is more varied and the populations are significantly larger 

 than in the Mediterranean areas visited. 



The most significant observation made using the Trieste were those made 

 at the bottom of the Challenger Deep. During the landing a flatfish was ob- 

 served swimming close to the bottom or squirming into the very soft sediment. 

 A free-swimming shrimp swam through the area illuminated by the external 

 lights. These meager biological observations offer several types of evidence 

 about the physical conditions of the environment. Such animals are active types 

 that require oxygen. The principal supply of oxygen for these depths is gen- 

 erally recognized to come from surface sources where plants generate oxygen 

 and oxygen is dissolved in the sea water from the atmosphere. Current systems 

 are then responsible for carrying the oxygenated water into the great depths. 

 Although no current was observed at the time of the landing it is obvious that 

 currents were active in the past. What the magnitudes Of the current velocities 

 are and whether or not they are seasonal cannot be learned from a single dive. 

 The extent of vert Leal versus horizontal currents is also an unknown for this area. 



The oceans have served as satisfactory garbage dumps for many forms of 

 manmade wastes. Dispersion is asssisted by current systems and deep basins 

 have been utilized for chemical and explosive waste depositories. "Out of 

 Sight and out of mind - ' in the past, these areas are now within the operating do- 

 main of the bathyscaph and future dee]) submersibles. Already areas of interest 

 ..ft' California are out of bounds to bathyscaph diving as they are reserved for 

 hazardous materials disposal. 



A complete water temperature profile above the Challenger Deep was obtained 

 during the deep dive. It was clearly recorded that the temperature decreased 



