5 Days Until PolarConnect Event!

    Are you registered for the live PolarConnect event on Monday, October 3rd @ 1:30pm (EST)? If not, click here. Hope to see you virtually in a few days!

    Science Update

    The science team is powering through another long day of incubation sampling and CTDA research tool that is submerged in the water to measure conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth. casts. Although Incubation 1 is now complete, Incubation 2 & 3 are in the early stages and sampling for both continues. We are also resuming our Palmer LTER station sampling with a deep trace metal CTDA research tool that is submerged in the water to measure conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth. cast this morning followed by a conventional cast. We will continue to follow this transect line over the next few days to collect water samples at different stations for a general profile of the area. Kris Gomes and Laura Filliger, both PhD students from the University of Rhode Island (URI), are also collecting samples for their on-board experiment. Needless to say, the science team is BUSY.

    Craft Days

    Since we are back in the Drake, the science team decided it was time to take advantage of the deep waters and have a little fun. Many oceanographers use equipment that is capable of reaching great depths. This equipment is important for gathering information on the ocean, but it is also a way for them to fire up their creative juices and have a little fun during long days at sea. For the past few days, many aboard the RVIB Palmer have been decorating styrofoam cups. Images of seals, penguins, Antarctica, krill and even a hedgehog or two have found their way onto the cups. In total, approximately 50 cups were decorated and prepared for a trip to the deep ocean on the trace metal CTDA research tool that is submerged in the water to measure conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth..

    Loading the cups
    Marine Technician Jullie Jackson secures the bag of styrofoam cups to the trace metal rosette. During this cast, the trace metal rosette reached a depth of 3050m (~9500ft).
    WHY? Take at look at the before and after photos below to see what all the excitement is about and then keep reading to find out why this happens.

    Styrofoam cup before
    Prior to deployment with the trace metal rosette, the styrofoam cup covers the palm of a hand.

    Styrofoam cup after
    After traveling to 3050m (~9500ft) the styrofoam cup barely covers the lower half of the fingers on a hand.

    Under Pressure

    Hydrostatic pressure, or the pressure exerted by a fluid due to gravity, increases with depth. In the diagram below, you will notice that the water stream leaving the bottom of the container is stronger than the stream at the top of the container. This is because there is a higher level of hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the water column. This increased pressure helps to force the water out of the bottom hole with more force than the top holes. The water stream in the middle has some force because it is deeper in the column than the top.

    Hydrostatic pressure
    As depth increases, the hydrostatic pressure increases. In this diagram, the water stream at the base of the container has the strongest jet because the pressure pushing it out of the opening is higher than at the top.

    With every 10m (30ft) increase in depth, an additional 1,270kg (2,800lbs) of force is placed on an object. These object can be anything from a CTDA research tool that is submerged in the water to measure conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth. rosette, an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) unit, a fish, a whale and even a styrofoam cup. Equipment like the CTDA research tool that is submerged in the water to measure conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth. rosette and the ROV unit are usually made of less compressible material like aluminum, PVC, steel and glass. Fish and whales have adaptations that allow them to survive with the changes in the hydrostatic pressure. Styrofoam, however, is made of a compressible material called expanded polystyrene foam (EPF). This foam consists of air-filled bubbles that stick together to create the form, in this case as cup. At deep depths, the air bubbles are compressed, crushing the bubbles and shrinking the cups. The compression is uniform, so the cup looks almost the same in shape, but not in size.

    Classroom Resources

    If you are an educator and you are interested in introducing this idea to your students, there are a number of resources available online. I was able to find a few using my limited bandwidth and I have included them below. The catch? You need to contact an oceanographer who will take your cups with them to sea. Contacting these researchers can lead to even greater opportunities for you and your students. This connection may lead to classroom visits (in person or virtual), use of data from the field, etc. I am looking forward to continuing to work with the scientists from this research cruise to develop lessons and activities for my classroom and to share with fellow educators.

    The Incredible Shrinking Cup Lab

    Ocean Pressure Lab: Styrofoam Cup Squishing

    Love From Little Landlubbers

    Today's artwork comes from Sandwich, MA. Little JoJo made me a beautiful butterfly to decorate my cabin. Although butterflies are not found in Antarctica, it is a wonderful reminder of life in temperate regions. Thanks JoJo!

    Butterfly from JoJo
    Although butterflies don't live in Antarctica, this cute art project is a special reminder of JoJo. Thank you!

    Author
    Date
    Weather Summary
    Cloudy and grey with light winds and large swells.
    Temperature
    -1C/30F
    Wind Speed
    15-20 knots
    Wind Chill
    14C/7F

    Comments

    Vivian Tran

    Hi Mrs. Pekarcik. I bet you and the research team had fun shrinking the Styrofoam cups! By the way, do you know specifically how the organisms are able to survive under such high pressure? For example, there are many living things in sea trenches that are able to survive through high pressure and volcanic environments.

    Cara Pekarcik

    Hi Vivian-I know that whales have rather porous bones that can be compressed when
    they dive. I also understand that fish that live in the benthic (deep)
    zones of ocean are rather small, do not have open cavities or air sacs
    (like swim bladders), and usually have limited skeletal structures and a
    gelatinous flesh. This allows the fish to withstand the enormous
    pressure at depth. I am sure there are others - keep this question in
    mind when we get to animals adaptation in the spring - it might may a
    good project to explore!

    On 2016-09-28 11:07, PolarTREC wrote:

    Talia Viera Block A

    What kind of ocean life lives in the waters in the Drake?

    Cara Pekarcik

    Hi Talia - there are different species of whales and dolphins that pass through the Drake passage along with many different seabirds like
    albatross, fulmars, petrels and gulls. Penguins and seals can also be
    seen in the Drake as you move closer to land. Underwater, there are
    many different types of life from fish to numerous species of
    invertebrates.

    On 2016-09-29 01:59, PolarTREC wrote:

    Nha H, Block A

    If water is contained in the styrofoam cups and the cup is under pressure, what will happen to the water? As the cup gets smaller, will the water begin to spill?

    Cara Pekarcik

    I am not sure. When we deploy the cups, they are in water, so water might be inside or outside the cups.

    On 2016-09-30 06:57, PolarTREC wrote:

    Sam

    The Styrofoam cups look like they were a fun experiment. Did you do any other fun activities on your trip?

    Gloria Lee

    Hi Ms. Pekarcik ! My question is if the shape or the geometry of the container affects the hydrostatic pressure (given the same depth) ? For example, if the container of the diagram showed had a wider bottom but a narrower opening ( kinda like a Erlenmeyer flask shape), would it affect the ejection of the water (pressure) at all?

    Cara Pekarcik

    Hi Gloria - so nice to hear from you! During my research for the journal, I read that the shape of the container does not make a
    difference. The hydrostatic pressure would be the same. The pressure
    has more to do with the height of the water than the shape of the
    container. I may have misinterpreted this idea, so if there is a
    physics expert out there reading this journal comment, feel free to
    chime in.

    On 2016-10-01 16:08, PolarTREC wrote:

    Cara Pekarcik

    Sam - the entire trip was fun! From watching animals, to rough seas, to small boat ops - everything was a great experience!

    From: PolarTREC
    To:
    Sent: 10/20/2016 7:08 AM
    Subject: Re: Sam commented on 28 September 2016 Cup Crushers