MARINE SECRETS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 February 1934, Page 6

MARINE SECRETS

, RESEARCH./SHIP’S. WORK

EQUIPMENT OF., DISCOVERY II V . * ,V‘ a;/' '’nn.’Uv. • vJ li

.Scientific research of an advanced order under' arduous conditions is the essence/ of life on the ’ Royal . research; ship Discovery 11., which is now lying against-Prince’s Wharf while the / crew enjoy a respite from the crowded ./days, of,: work. dn the Antarctic seas.,To the unscientific observer [her businesslike decks mean very little and it ■is hard, to realise that is the finest . research .ship .afloat..-Every inch of her space lia s been planned following the experience gained, in - many other ships of her . kind.. • She. differs ; from most of her predecessors in the comfortable quarters for. her ship’s company. It had been realised.-, Jfchflt her work necessitated almost continuous life aboard .ana -that- far ..better results would be possible by the provision of good working conditions.

.The broad idea of the work of' the .. Discovery investigation • is the study of the distribution of whales. The indiscriminate: taking of the apparently unlimited supply of whales - has caused the .Government of the Falkland Isl a nds concern as to -the possibility of their extermination. For some years now a .’succession of research ships manned by crews well versed in .a specialised form of/navigation and staffed by scientists •who .are making a life’s study of marine .. life, have worked' quietly and .efficiently in this most useful work. ,

Diet 07 .Shrimps.

The , distribution of the whales is determined by a long chain of causes arid effects. The Antarctic : whales ' feed on. animals of the shrimp type and these •feed on.,the, “krill,’’ % % microscope plant population. v The. distribution of the krill ■depends, on many factors, the intensity of the . light, . .the nutritive salts in the water, the depth of the ocean, the temperature of. the water, .and the presence of . ice. Again, the whale’ popu- , lation varies in the same -pi«cw from year to year, both in density .and in ,the types of whale. • Thus,- successive observations’ have to be made in the .same place.' •At least o»ce a; day, a complete set of data is collected. The' ship is hove to and the scientific staff and. their assistants from the crew take up their stations. JTlhen, with a skill . born of long practice, the various sets of gea 1 ’ are/adjusted to be sent overboard, r: The; daily observation is usually d° ne at eight o’clock each evening. -This is because the .forms of sea life in which the 1 expedition is most interested come nearer the surface by night and recede by'day. (Well-placed electric lights enable this work to go on without inconvenience..

The- :Mw ,f e set on .the lilies to operate .at ..different 'depths. The -.-Bottles are strong metal cylinders, which afe. "sealed when inverted. When the whole series a l ® in the "desired position a weight is sent down the cable. On reaching the ' firsUbbttle this turns it : over; thus trap'ping .a sample of' sea water at that depth .and fixing tli* thermometer - that is'inside the steel cylinder. At the same time there is released, .a second weight winch travels on to the next cylindei to"'repeat the • pefiormance. This goes on right down to' the last bottle and the whole series is', then slowly and carefully hauled' to the surface.

Samples of Marine Life. From the other stations of the ship nets are lowered to different depths to take special samples of marine life. These nets vary from those of the finest silk, which are capable of trapping the most minute forms of life, to the nets'-, of larger. mesh, which take up the, shrimp ,life which forms the actua* , feed of tjhe .whales- When necessary/ other forms of ..life are taken a. s these haye a bearing, directly or indirectly, on . the ' general distribution of the whales. ■■ y. VTv ‘

Another form of recording is that of the .'actual depth of the ocean- . This is .done by one of. two special, echo soundranging instruments operated form the bridge. .Both rely on the echo from the bed'of the-ocean of a • heavy hammer, .which .strikes, the bottom of the .ship Svith a : loud ‘.metallic clang. The latest type actually draws a;graph of the bed of - the ocean at • anjf required interval. The other is worked, by an operator, who .listens for. the echo and ivories, out, the result..from a -large .dial. . .Good work, is also done by the Discovery .II in actual additions and corrections'to the existing charts. Many of the sub-Antarctic islands and their surrounding waters have ben 'but imperfectly charted and at least a month on 'each commission is spent on this work alone. - The busy fou r hours just described form only part of the daily task. Each sample has to be carefully Worked out from several angles. In one part of the fine laboratory two scientists are kept'.hard at work doing delicate tests of the sea water for its salt content and its temperature and density. Identified and Numbered. In : the other the net hauls are put into .separate vessels and each form of trianhe' '.li fe is ! identified " and estimated as to number. When it is realised that as many as. 20,000 ,ar ; e taken at a’ time some idea of the task involved ’ can be (imagined. .S2impl.es tare bottled for future' reference and numerous entries made on specially-prepared charts.. ' -Actually so much work mus; be done betwebn one haul and the next that all members of the staff find little time cm their hahds,,7The: essence of their life "is h.a"rd', cphpejn.tr;,ted work of a

highly-technical order. All this is done under conditions that would be .impossible for any but those used to the work. Microscopic work is particularly trying in a laboratory that is never still. . Apart from a most complete library, containing almost every scientific work written .on work in the Polar seas, there is every conceivable form of equipment, and special- provision has to be made to allow for the long intervals away from the sources of supply. Below decks are comfortable cab'-ns for the accommodation of the c rew where life goes on happily. 'On the Discovery II one finds a proof of the maxim that the happiest people alive are the busiest.