Hi! We are Sara, Titi, Ryan and Sophie, form Mrs. Herrmann's class in State College Pa. We are currently being introduced to the whole Polar TREC experience and we have a few questions for you... 1. What kind of sea creatures have you encountered while you were deep sea diving? (besides worms haha) 2. Is the temperature warmer when you are not under the ice compared to the outside temperature?

ps: We like your gear! (:

Thanks!

  • Sara, Titi, Ryan and Sophie!

(:

Nell Herrmann

Hi Mike! You will see that the "Greeting from PolarTREC Club" message was actually from my students. They sent it from my laptop while I was still logged in. We look forward to hearing from you.
--Nell

Michael League

Hi Sara, Titi, Ryan and Sophie,Thanks for following along. You are so lucky to have a teacher like Mrs. Herrmann! I can't wait to follow her expedition.
To your questions...
1. There are too many sea creatures to try and name them all and we see a ton during just one dive. On my first dive, I saw a seal, several different types of fishes, lots of anemones and sponges, feather duster worms, jellyfish, and sea spiders. Just to name a few. We'll look more at the different animals we are seeing in future journal posts. So keep reading!
2. I am not sure I understood your temperature question, but I think you mean "Are we exposed to the outside temperatures when we're getting ready for a dive?". The answer is no, we are in a heated hut. It isn't warm, but it also isn't cold and it is definitely better than getting dressed for a dive outside. Once we're in the water, the water temperature is the same everywhere. It doesn't matter whether we're shallow (right under the ice) or deep. It's all 28˚F!
3. I'm glad you like our gear! We're liking it too! It's keeping us relatively warm and safe.
Thanks for following along!
Mike