Undersea Lab's Special Access Mission Has Multiple Goals

Beginning Monday, October 9, a diverse group of aquanauts will take up residence on the ocean floor near Key Largo, FL in Aquarius, the world's only undersea laboratory. Aquarius is operated by the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), and is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The mission of NOAA is to describe and predict changes in the earth's environment and to conserve and wisely manage the nation's coastal and marine resources. "This month's mission is different from the previous eight conducted this year," said Dr. Steven Miller, Director of NURC. "While several science projects will be conducted, there are other objectives that fall under a broader category we're calling "Special Access." One project is a cooperative effort with NASA, named SEATEST (Space Environment Analog, Testing and Evaluation of Systems and Training). SEATEST is a program where NOAA and NASA will evaluate Aquarius as a tool to develop and exchange ideas on techniques and concepts for living and working in extreme environments. There are many parallels between inner and outer space, not the least of which is that both environments are alien and hostile to human habitation. NASA previously worked with the Tektite, Hydrolab, and Aquarius (when it operated in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the late 1980s). On the science side, Dr. Miller will initiate fish tagging studies to determine how far snappers and groupers range from Conch Reef, one of 23 marine protected areas in the sanctuary, and to measure the growth of fish tagged. Traps and tags will be tested as part of a program planned for next year in partnership with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Mote Marine Laboratory, and the New England Aquarium. Dr. Miller will also deploy time-lapse video to monitor the growth and reproduction of Halimeda, a green calcareous alga that is commonly found at Conch Reef. These studies continue work started last month by Dr. Celia Smith's research program. Coral reef monitoring and assessment will also be conducted at several of the deepest reef sites accessible from Aquarius - extending studies started in 1994, and continued in the August Aquarius mission. Finally, the aquanauts will conduct a "reef clean-up," recovering lost anchor line and fishing gear that accumulated at the site prior to its designation as a marine protected area.