Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Key Largo, FL – The fourth Aquarius mission in 2005 takes science to new depths and educational programs to new heights.

The research focus of the mission is the lowly coral reef sponge, that turns out not to be so lowly after all. The special educational focus includes two days of broadcasts hosted by Philippe Cousteau, grandson of legendary filmmaker and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

Owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Undersea Research Program and operated by the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), Aquarius is a unique national asset – the only undersea research platform of its kind in the world. It rests 63 feet underwater and 3.5 miles offshore at Conch Reef in the Florida Keys. The 42-foot-long living chamber sits on a 120-ton baseplate anchored to the seafloor. Aquarius "aquanauts" live and work on the seafloor for extended periods using a special diving technique called saturation diving. Real-time data and video from the habitat and seafloor to the Web (http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius) allow the public to engage during missions.

The August 15-28 mission is led by Drs. Chris Martens and Niels Lindquist, UNC–Chapel Hill. Other aquanauts include Meredith Kintzing, Old Dominion University, and Howard Mendlovitz, UNC–Chapel Hill. UNCW Aquarius habitat technicians will be Craig Cooper (mission number 25) and Kea Foreman (mission number two).

Sponges are perhaps the least understood of all the major groups of organisms living on coral reefs, but they play critical roles in creating habitat, modifying water quality, and contributing to the nutrient cycling of the reef system. Experiments will be conducted using high-tech equipment and laboratory analyses to measure the oxygen and nutrient dynamics of sponges on Conch Reef, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Results from these studies will help scientists and managers better understand how environmental factors, such as nearshore to offshore gradients in light, depth, and potentially nutrient pollution, affect the biology of sponges. Ultimately these studies will provide a means to monitor short- and long-term changes in water quality, an issue of major significance in the Florida Keys.

This mission’s educational program includes two days of special broadcasts on Aug. 25 and 26, where students can follow the work of scientists and Philippe Cousteau as they conduct their studies and answer research questions developed by teachers and students from Smith Middle School, Chapel Hill, N.C. and other school systems throughout North Carolina. Philippe is continuing the work of his father and grandfather through projects that help educate the public about environmental and conservation issues, with a special focus on young people, the future caretakers of our planet. This educational opportunity is the result of a partnership among the following organizations: LEARN NC, EarthEcho International, UNC-Chapel Hill Marine Sciences, NOAA’s National Undersea Research Center at UNC Wilmington, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, and the Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence – SouthEast region. A live broadcast from Conch Reef will allow students to interact and observe the action via the Internet (http://community.learnnc.org/scienceunderthesea/). Instructional resources, technical requirements, and marine science content materials will be available online, including materials to use before, during, and after the Aquarius mission and links to more marine science resources and lesson plans on the Web.

During each Aquarius mission, anyone with Internet access can watch live Web cameras, read expedition journals from the aquanauts, view project summaries and pictures, and much more at the NURC/UNCW Aquarius Web site: www.uncw.edu/aquarius.

For more information on Aquarius and the science mission, contact Mr. Otto Rutten, 305-451-0233 x202, rutteno@juno.com. To learn more about the mission education activities, contact Melissa Thibault, mthibault@learnnc.org.

Media Contact

Mr. Otto Rutten 305-451-0233, Associate Director, NURC/UNCW