The scientists will dive more than a mile to the ocean floor to explore the vast underwater world of the Hudson Submarine Canyon off the New York-New Jersey harbor from Sept. 16 to 21 as part of Deep East 2001, a three-week research voyage aimed at exploring the resources and ocean dynamics off the East Coast.
Sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Washington, D.C., the voyage is the second leg of a three-part exploration of waters off the East Coast by the research vessel Atlantis and the deep sea submersible Alvin. The voyage begins Sept. 9 at Woods Hole, Mass., and ends Oct. 1 at Charleston, S.C. Both vessels are operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Fred Grassle of Rutgers' Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS) will lead the exploration of the ancient underwater section of the Hudson River Valley, which extends more than 400 miles seaward across the Continental Shelf to the Atlantic's deep basin. Other team members are Peter Rona, also of IMCS; Michael Bothner of the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C.; and Mary Scranton of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Grassle, a professor of marine science and director of IMCS, notes that, "Because the underwater canyon serves as a conduit to the deep ocean, it also offers us a chance to see how a major urban area with a highly concentrated population affects the canyon and the deep ocean."
The voyage will also provide the Rutgers team with greater understanding of how sediments and pollutants from urban areas travel along the canyon and concentrate there, says Grassle. To determine how well the canyon environment can recover from pollutants, the researchers will explore a major offshore dump site for municipal sewage sludge that was closed in 1992.
According to Rona, a professor of marine geology and geophysics at Rutgers, past undersea investigations show that the canyon has great potential for discovery of unusual deep sea creatures that may provide insight into how life began on earth as well as life that might be found elsewhere in the cosmos. "Surveys have shown an impressive diversity of sea life in the canyon," the scientist says.
The researchers also will investigate a potential source of off-shore energy -- gas hydrates -- that are believed to greatly exceed known worldwide petroleum reserves. Gas hydrates are ice-like substances formed when methane and other gases are trapped with water under pressure. Vast hydrate deposits exist below 3,000 feet all along the East Coast, including the Hudson Canyon area, says Grassle.
Other legs of NOAA's coastal exploration project will be completed by scientists from the University of Maine, the University of Connecticut, the College of William and Mary, Georgia Institute of Technology, Louisiana State University, and the University of South Carolina.
Rutgers' participation will culminate in a port day for students and teachers from 12 area schools Sept. 21 at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in Manhattan. Alvin and Atlantis will be berthed alongside the Intrepid for visits by the students. To prepare for the event, participating teachers will attend a Rutgers-sponsored workshop at the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn Aug. 21.
Port day will end with an evening event at the American Geographical Society's Wings Club in Manhattan. Those expected to attend include NOAA Acting Administrator Scott Gudes, federal and state legislators, industrial leaders, scientists and other supporters of ocean research.