Bioluminescent Dive

Part 1: Submersibles

Welcome to the Bioluminescence Hub Dive! Before we dive into meeting some extraordinary glowing creatures, we need to decide how we will travel to some impressive depths. Let’s start by learning about just how deep the ocean is. Check out this video from Tech Insider to find out.

We are definitely going to need an underwater vehicle to get us where we want to go on this journey. Let’s learn about a couple of submersibles or vessels built for underwater explorations.

Enjoy the first 4 minutes of the Bathysphere video to learn about an early submersible used to study marine life followed by Dr. Edith’s Widder’s Ted Talk and head over to the NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research page to watch her NOAA interview spotlight to discover more about her bioluminescent adventures and the submersibles that helped her complete her missions. Be sure to take notes in your science notebook about the vessels mentioned in the video and interview.

Exploring the world's oceans and creating and improving technology for underwater exploration is an active field of research. Take a look at explorer Victor Vescovo's 2019 TED Talk to learn about his impressive Five Deeps Expedition. There is an incredible amount of ocean left to explore, and your submersible invention could be the next in cutting-edge marine exploration technologies!

Create your own Submersible

Challenge time! See if you can create your very own submersible for our bioluminescent dive. Describe your invention and include any thoughts and sketches in your science notebook.

Possible Materials:
• Pen or pencil
• Paper
• Paint
• Crayons
• Colored pencils
• Clay
• Digital drawing software such as Microsoft Paint

Not sure where to start? Take a look at this guide of submersibles from NOAA and at the Underwater Research Vehicles resource from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. You can learn more about some of the special equipment required from watching this low light camera video from E/V Nautilus.

Hints:

• 1. It will be very dark the deeper we get!


• 2. Some bioluminescent creatures need to be touched or moved in order to show their glow, but we also do not want to harm them.

Questions to think about:

• 1. What type of submersible will you use (e.g. human-occupied, remotely operated, or both)?


• 2. What types of equipment will you need to observe bioluminescent creatures?


• 3. Can you think of ways to observe organisms without disturbing them too much?


• 4. Will you have equipment to help you communicate with light? (like Dr. Edith Widder's electronic jellyfish with the Eye in the Sea)


• 5. Will you collect animals? What mechanism would you need for specimen collection?


• 6. What color of light will be the least disruptive to the organisms?




After you have completed your submersible, work through our submersible checklist. If you are missing a requirement, think of ways you can add the technology to your submersible.




When you complete the submersible challenge, email us a photo of your creation to bioluminescencehub@gmail.com and we will send you a PRIZE!