Table 2. Environment at Test Site I 



Environmental Factors 



Surface 

 Water 



Test Site I 



Depth, ft 



Water temperature, °C 



Dissolved oxygen content, ml/I 



Salinity, o/qq (ppt) 



PH 



Hydrostatic pressure, psi 



Current, knots 



Sediment 



13.0 

 5.6 



33.6 

 7.9 



6,800 



2.1 



1.71 

 34.52 

 7.84 

 3,000 



Green mud containing 

 glauconite, Foraminifera 

 tests, quartz, etc. 



Biological Activity 



When NCEL first decided to place STU 1-1 on the sea floor at Test Site I in 

 March 1962, neither the topography of the sea floor nor the kind of deep-sea 

 creatures that would be encountered were known. In order to obtain some informa- 

 tion, a deep-sea camera was lowered from the stern of a vessel while at the same 

 time STU 1-1 was being lowered to the ocean floor from the bow of the vessel. 

 Numerous photographs were taken of the sea floor close to where STU 1-1 was 

 placed. 



The photographs revealed that the topography of the sea floor in the vicinity 

 of Test Site I was generally flat except for small mounds built by mud-dwelling 

 animals. The presence of these mounds indicates that there is considerable biolog- 

 ical activity in the area. While the photographs of the sea floor were being taken, 

 a 5- to 6-foot-long shark-like fish with a large dorsal fin came into view of the 

 camera and was photographed apparently drifting near the sea floor in 5,300 feet of 

 water (Figure 4). 



Rock Samples 



Rock specimens were desired from Test Site I so that the fouling organisms 

 attached to the rocks could be studied; these organisms could be expected to attach 

 themselves to other materials as well. A 10-inch-diameter, 36-inch-long steel pipe 



