Pressurized Aquariums

I have been a marine aquarist for three years, and it has been quite a thrilling, and sometimes frustrating, hobby of mine. Now I have a tank that looks somewhat like a reef, perhaps a Pacific patch reef or rubble zone. I will try to talk about it in a later post. This tank has educated me about coral propagation and fish breeding (tank-raised animals I believe will enable us to maintain captive populations of reef organisms that will go extinct in the next few decades) the impossibly delicate water balance required to keep such corals and fish in health. Reef tanks have allowed thousands of amateur marine biologists like myself to make extensive observations on the habits of many organisms (albeit in a controlled environment, by no means perfect), helping scientists understand habits, food preferences, breeding behaviors, etc.
But what about the Deep Ocean? Aside from Tropical Reefs, I would posit in my unprofessional opinion that the Deep Oceans contain the second most threatened ecosystems, particularly Lophelia reefs and hydrothermal vents. Gulf of Mexico Lophelia reefs were hit particularly hard by the Deepwater Horizon spill and are extremely selectable to deep water trawling. Hydrothermal Vents contain unsurpassed species diversity in a mineral rich ecosystem. While somehow (another unanswered question!) species are able to survive the mercurial geological nature of these vents that are the lifeblood to these organisms, deep sea drilling will become a major industry in the next few decades (see Nautilus Minerals) We know nothing about how this ecosystem will cope with increased human activity, so we need to start picking up the pace on species description.
I'd like to see pressurized tanks that allow scientists, aquariums, and even hobbyists like myself to cheaply set up pressurized, cooled, dark tanks in which deep sea critters, be they pelagic jellies or benthic corals, can be observed over long periods of time. Sure we have subs and rovs that allow us to occasionally peak down into this environment, and we do have fixed data collecting stations (actually pretty cool - video) but none of these allow a consistent environment where experiments and observations are much easier, human contact becoming a constant.
Some pressurized tanks exist, such as this one for deep sea rockfish from Monterrey Bay Aquarium. See this discussion for a really good rundown of what technology is available for such a venture. I see several obstacles right now that are preventing us from enjoying aquariums of anglerfish and gulper eels in our living rooms; the pressure/temperature change from the time the organism leaves the depths until it reaches a pressurized tank is too much for many organisms, particularly fish whose swim bladders swell and gelatinous pelagic invertebrates which just disintegrate make just collecting organisms difficult (although some have tried - see this ngm article) Also, I'm no expert in physics, but to create cost-effective tanks with spacious viewing windows to contain water at a pressure of from 90-1000 atm seems near impossible.
Coral reefs are at the forefront of our imagination when we say Ocean Conservation because it is a highly accessibly environment; one can go to the aquarium downtown or build one in your own home for less than $2000. Although the glamor factor of deep sea worms is significantly less than sprawling brain corals, the uniqueness factor and importance of deep sea ecosystems should stand along with the recognition granted to reefs, polar seas, and mangroves. I believe the best way to do this will be to create these pressurized aquariums, so that we all can marvel at the deep.

A New Race for the Deep

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So I stumbled upon this clip from MSNBC and I wanted to quickly highlight the race that is quietly going on to revisit Challenger Deep, as well as to provide affordable vehicles to access the deep (which I see as the biggest obstacle right now in underwater exploration). I've known about Virgin Oceanic for a while and their plan for reaching Challenger Deep, and I was impressed with their slick sub design, more of a cruising sub than a scientific sub, one built for distance travel.

     But this was the first I had heard of Triton making an attempt to the bottom (I had only known them as a luxury, recreational sub maker). I have to say, their design may not be as sexy, but it looks cheaper to produce and more practical to the marine scientist. Anyways, I am following these stories with interest (and yes, with jealousy) and here's hoping to another renaissance in deep sea technology. On a similar note, I will discuss Underwater habitats and different underwater breathing mechanisms later.

Deep Sea Nudibranchs and Ocean Acidification: A Meditation

My favorite nudi pick ever, Nembrotha kubaryana Credit: NatGeo

I would like to apologize in advance for this long post, this is really just a stream of though exercise for me. Please comment!

Nudibranchs have always been some of my favorite marine animals. Their defensive mechanisms and bright coloration (called Aposematism) have always elicited fascination from me. My research project (please see Research Project ) on one particular species, Onchidoris bilamellata, revealed to me the amazing toughness of these shell-less creatures, despite their delicate appearance. They are found all over the world, from beneath the ice in the frigid Antarctic Ocean to temperate tidal pools to warm tropical reefs. They may be tiny, but they are found in every single habitat on earth. Everywhere, it seems, but the deep ocean, specifically hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and methane seeps.

Dendronotus comteti Credit: SSF

    Why is this? Sure, the deep sea is an enormously harsh environment. But hundreds, possibly thousands, of species of animals live at these sites, from almost every phylogenetic clade of life (except Plantae). The species here are of such great diversity and have such fantastic adaptation that one would think that one would think that such  fantastic adapter like the nudibranch would be able to adapt to these demanding habitats. Yet, this is not the case. Only one species has been named to date (Dendronotus comteti)in the Atlantic and a few unnamed specimens seen in the Bering Sea (Source 1).Why are there so few specimens in such a small area of this hardy organism in the deep sea?

Vent Snails Credit: DSN

Vent Mussels Credit: MBARI

        Although this question is unanswerable at the moment, I’d like to pose another interesting quandary. Nudibranchs may be rare in the deep sea, but mussels and snails are hugely abundant at these depths. Why would other shelled mollusks be much more present in the this environment than an animal as adaptive as the nudibranch? The mystery deepens when we realize that hydrothermal vents often are extremely acidic – around 2.8 pH. Since high acidity keeps dissolved calcium carbonate from settling out, how are there shelled mollusks that live at these vents? Calcium carbonate is necessary for building a shell, and if high acidity prevents snails and mussels from taking calcium carbonate out of the water, how can they grow? Acidic waters can even begin to dissolve shells, so how do they survive? One would think that snails and mussels would not be able to live in these acidic environments, leaving a niche open for the shell-less nudibranchs.

     

      What does this mean for the ocean of the future? Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the water is quickly acidifying our oceans, and it will be more and more difficult for shelled mollusks (as well as a host of other hard-shelled creatures) to grow, much less exist. One would think that being shell-less like the nudibranch would be a great benefit in these future acidic seas. Yet, we still face the perplexing dilemma of the acidic vents. Perhaps these snails and mussels have a special mechanism for absorbing CaCO₃, and perhaps nudibranchs have one physiological trait that prevents them for living successfully at depth or near vents. Either way, I am perplexed by the question I’ve raised, if anyone has a hypothesis, please comment below!

Launch

Well, this is my first blog post. I'll cut right to it and give a sneak peak about this blog; it has everything to do with the ocean, particularly the life within it, as well as exploration, photography, and a few stories about Terra firma that catch my eye. I will post scientific articles/reviews, photography, personal projects, etc.
As a quick introduction, I am a student who will graduate high school this spring and am looking to major in Marine Biology, but I find everything fascinating, from history to literature to music. I've worked at the Natural History Museum and the National Zoo as an assistant curator and assistant zookeeper, am a Rescue level SCUBA diver, avid whitewater kayaker, hiker, and an amateur photographer.
I will be putting up some of my first real posts within the next few days, and if you like what you see, please subscribe! Please message me (if blogger allows that, I don't know) with things to share and questions and I will try to post them/answer to my best ability.
Thanks, and Peace!