Deep Ocean Expeditions

On board RV AKADEMIK Keldysh and its two Mir submersibles
Offered by the P.P. Shirshov Institute and Deep Ocean Expeditions
June 13th to July 13th 2002

A Journey to the Edge of Creation
There are few people privileged to witness first-hand the awe-inspiring sight of an active hydrothermal vent system at the deep ocean floor. As Richard Ellis described in his book - Deep Atlantic "...The landscape of hydrothermal vents is one of the most amazing sights on earth. It is also one of the least-viewed directly by human eyes; from submersibles only a handful of people have ever seen the pillow lava, the black and white smoking chimneys and the hot, shimmering water of the vents..."

These vent fields are found along the length of a 40,000 mile long submerged mountain ridge that encircles the earth. It is along this mid-ocean ridge system that the earth's tectonic plates are continuously created by molten rock spewing forth from the fiery cauldrons deep in the bowels of the earth.

As well as the geological and topographic uniqueness of these fantastic areas, the fauna that has evolved around them is even more bizarre. All early theories and predictions characterized the deep-sea environment as very food-limited and sterile. So it was with great surprise that the scientific community greeted the discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents and their rich attendant faunas in 1977. As Cindy Van Dover stated in her book -The Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents - "... one can hardly imagine a greater contrast to the biology of the typical soft-sediment deep sea than the terming oases of life at hydrothermal vents."

These sites are biological wonderlands of alien marine life. Vast colonies of white crabs, blind shrimps, mussels, clams and ribbony fish populate these deep ocean ecosystems. What is extraordinary is that life here survives on a chemosynthetic process rather than a photosynthetic (i.e., sun-driven) system. "These animals have one of the most stressful habitats imaginable: high pressures, no light, therefore no photosynthetic productivity; and waters laden with toxic substances. Through evolutionary changes, the vent animals met these challenges, and can tolerate and even thrive in their unusual environment." (George Somero)

As Richard Ellis concluded "... these creatures of the hydrothermal vents flourish in a pitch-black, superheated, sulfide-rich environment without any connection whatever with sunlight. They are as far removed from life as we previously understood it, as life on another planet." Prior to the discovery of the hydrothermal vents no scientist would have predicted the existence of such a parallel life system here on earth. A life system that depended on the synthesizing of hydrogen sulfide and other normally toxic chemicals would have seemed like the plot of a science fiction book or a prediction for possible life forms on other planets or other solar systems.

A dive to an active hydrothermal vent is very similar to a voyage into space. Rather than "outer space" we are journeying into "inner space" on what NASA has rightly labeled as a "mission to planet Earth". These are journeys back in time to the first cataclysmic days that saw the birth of nature on the blue planet.

Much science has been done on those worldwide hydrothermal vent systems since their discovery 35 years ago but much more remains to be done. In June and early July of 2002, the Russian research vessel RV Akademik Keldysh and its two deep-diving submersibles Mir I and Mir II will depart from the Azores Islands in the Mid-Atlantic on a four week voyage of scientific research and discovery at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vent system. The plan is to carry out multiple dives on 5 different vent locations and to conduct scientific observations and research at each of those.

The main scientific program will be planned and carried out by scientists from the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology and the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Dr. Anatoly Sagalevitch, a world-renowned scientist and submersible expert, will lead the science team. Scientists from other countries will also be invited to participate in a joint collaboration with the Russian science team.

What makes the Shirshov Institute programs different from other excellent deep-sea programs of different nations is the use of two deep-diving submersibles on one "mother" ship. This is a totally unique situation and provides extraordinary flexibility and opportunities that are not always available to a "one submersible" operation. One special opportunity the "two submersible" system creates is that we can offer to a very limited number (6 persons) of the general public the chance to participate in and support this scientific expedition.

The expedition fee paid by each of the general public participants will be used in its entirety to help fund the expedition. In return, the participant will be aboard Keldysh for the full expedition and will have the opportunity to occupy an observers' seat on three (3) different dives to hydrothermal vents. Each person will dive on three geographically distinct vent fields so that there will be a fascinating diversity on each dive. The dives would normally last from 6 to 9 hours depending on the depth of the individual field. Also, for couples or friends it will be possible to share this experience. They can divide the three dives between themselves as long as they are willing to share a cabin on board Keldysh.

All dives will participate in the overall scientific and underwater imaging programs. The underwater operations will be recorded on board the submersibles using latest generation underwater video systems both for scientific and documentary purposes. All participants will receive a video for their personal use at the end of the expedition showing the work on the vent sites.

On board Keldysh there will be ample chance for the expedition participants to talk to and mix with the international scientific team. You will be welcome to observe technical and analytical work on deck and in the laboratories. A series of lectures and orientation briefings will be presented; there will be very much a 'learning atmosphere' on board. A specialized library of books and videotapes, with a particular focus on the deep sea in general and hydrothermal vents in particular, will be available for 'self-study'.

Remember that very few scientists have had the opportunity to dive to the spectacular and unique hydrothermal vent sites. Even fewer 'lay' persons have had this opportunity and none of them has dived to three different hydrothermal vent locations. Membership in an extremely rare and unique 'club' beckons. This expedition will appeal only to a few but they will be special human beings with a highly developed curiosity and sense of adventure as well as being driven by a desire for a unique definition of themselves. They will also feel a keen interest in supporting ocean science at its frontier. Many scientists believe that vent life systems may have been the overall cradle of life on earth and there is strong conjecture that chemosynthetic life systems may exist on other planets or moons. This expedition truly involves being at the boundaries of evolutionary life and fundamental geological processes.

This exciting program comes about through our close collaboration with the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology and the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. It is their scientific expedition aboard their vessel and submersibles. The Shirshov Institute, Dr. Sagalevitch and his scientific team have kindly given us the permission to offer this very limited participation in the expedition and to select 'lay' participants/observers.

There is one other possible variation on this participation. Many 'lay' persons interested in the natural world have close personal or professional contacts with scientists. So they may wish to sponsor or support the work of a particular scientists. Therefore in our program it would be possible for our participants to pay the expedition participation fee and then divide the three dive seats between themselves and a scientist of their choosing. Any individual science program, however, would need to be reviewed and accepted by Dr. Sagalevitch and the Shirshov Institute. Also, any resulting scientific papers would need to be co-authored with the Shirshov Institute or an individual participating Russian scientist.

Finally, It is important to remember that this will be a "full fledged" scientific expedition. Participants will be part of the expedition and the focus of the expedition will be scientific research. This is NOT a "tour". Onboard comforts are very good and your opportunities to learn will be extensive but participate with an expedition approach in mind.

Hydrothermal Vents (PDF)