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February 16, 2007|Volume 35, Number 18


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A crab can be seen in this photograph Yale junior Alexis Jackson took during her deep-sea dive to hydrothermal vent sites.



Student finds unforgettable
world in ocean's searing depths

Yale junior Alexis Jackson felt a bit of anxiety before she descended thousands of feet into the ocean's depths.

But when she was just feet above the ocean floor, she found an enchanting marine world that she had previously only seen in two-dimensional television-show images of the unusual underwater life nearest the earth's core.

Jackson had the rare opportunity in December to make a deep-sea journey traveling on "Alvin," a three-person submersible used in oceanic research missions, which was notoriously employed in the exploration of the wreck of the "R.M.S. Titanic." The sub, operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, makes dives from its hangar aboard the 274-foot ship "R/V Atlantis," a U.S. Navy-owned marine research vessel also operated by the institute.

Jackson spent nearly a month aboard the "R/V Atlantis" along with about 50 other scientists, researchers and crew members who were engaged in an exploration of hydrothermal vents -- geysers on the seafloor that spew hot (up to 750-degrees Fahrenheit), mineral-rich water and are found along underwater mountain ridges where tectonic plates are moving apart. The seawater that seeps through the openings is heated by molten rock that lies beneath the earth's crust, causing the hot water to burst up from the ocean floor.

The Yale student was invited on the cruise by scientist Lauren Mullineaux, who was Jackson's adviser two summers ago when she was working on a fellowship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Since the trip encompassed the week of finals at Yale, Jackson had to petition her professors for permission to make up the exams during second semester. All understood that the opportunity for oceanic exploration was too good for Jackson -- who is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology -- to pass up.

"I was the youngest person on the trip, and the only minority student," explains Jackson, noting that her fellow passengers included professional scientists and graduate students but no undergraduates. "Very few people have the chance to be able to do dives such as this. It was an amazing experience -- one I'll never forget."

The passengers on the "R/V Atlantis" left from Mexico and then traveled far from land with the goal of studying the animals and organisms living in or near the hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise, part of the Mid-Oceanic Ridge that runs along the seafloor across the globe. According to Jackson, this is an area along the earth's mantle where a new crust is forming.



Alexis Jackson (bottom left), shown here with some of the research equipment aboard the "R/V Atlantis," says she was surprised to see so much color in the deepest parts of the ocean.


While aboard the research vessel, each scientist was allowed to make a dive in "Alvin" that brought him or her to depths of more than 6,700 feet below sea level.

"It's really kind of amazing that you can find life at such a depth and in such intense temperatures," says Jackson. "Not only is there a diversity of life, but there is a whole complex ecosystem. It was fascinating being able to observe something that is not accessible to most people."

On the night before her dive, Jackson felt some trepidation about how she would feel while confined in the sub, which is only 12-feet high and just over 23-feet long. Her eight-hour-dive on the sub included a one-and-a-half hour descent and an ascent of the same duration.

"Once you are in it, there is no hope of escaping," comments Jackson, who had to add more layers of clothing as the sub traversed to deeper depths in the increasingly more frigid waters.

Once at the bottom, however, Jackson's enthrallment with the sights from the sub's viewing holes kept any fear of claustrophobia at bay, she says. The sub is equipped with a variety of high-tech equipment, including underwater video cameras, which allowed Jackson to photograph an array of deep-sea marine life, including tubeworms, crabs, flying fish, sea anemones and jellyfish.

During the dive, the Yale student also had the chance to see "black smokers," the hottest of hydrothermal vents, which resemble smoke rising from smokestacks. These spew mostly iron and sulfide, which combine to give these hot vents their black color.

"The black smokers would rise up about 20 feet above us," says Jackson. "In spite of the fact that the water is really dense, we could see crabs feeding in the vents. Zooming in with a camera, I could actually see the crabs' mouths opening and closing."

Jackson also photographed the colorful rock formations along the ocean ridges.

During her time on the "R/V Atlantis," Jackson was engaged in research-related activities that ranged from studying the larvae of different animals found at hydrothermal vent sites, preserving samples of specimens and deploying specialized research equipment that tracked water flow or measured temperatures, among other responsibilities. As the massive research ship costs in excess of $30,000 a day to operate, its crew makes use of every minute of time aboard, notes Jackson, who was sometimes assigned to shifts that began at 4 a.m. and lasted until noon. The crew also worked on Christmas and New Year's Day.

However, part of her education on board the vessel took place during the more leisurely time she was able to spend with her fellow crew members, who came from all over the world.

"We spent time learning each other's languages and sharing songs," recounts Jackson. "Talking with scientists and listening to their stories, I got to see how research is different and similar in various places in the world and to learn about the research paths that led people to the ship. I was exposed to a lot of new things."

Stargazing at night and watching the sun rise and set were favorite pastimes for Jackson and other crew members.

"We were away from land for four weeks and worked long days," says Jackson. "At night, we would talk and laugh and look at the stars -- which were incredible to see away from the lights on land, unlike anything I had ever experienced before -- and admire sunrises and sunsets, which were also spectacular to see out on the ocean. These times were kind of our spiritual moments at sea, and were one of the highlights for me."

A favorite frivolity aboard the "Atlantis" was "initiating" those who made their first dives on "Alvin." This rite involved dumping ice-cold water over the sub travelers upon their ascent from the ocean's depths, the Yale student says.

Jackson, who hails from Oakland, California, spent some time last summer taking part in a biodiversity study in Indonesia while working for the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. She traces her interest in marine biology back to her early childhood.

"I know this sounds corny, but I think it all began when my parents gave me a stuffed orca whale when I was three. Its name is 'Sally,' and it is, of course, here with me at college. For as far back as I can remember, I've been interested in the ocean and ocean life."

In high school, Jackson was part of a nest relocation operation for endangered Leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica, a fieldwork experience that reinforced her desire to study science in college, Jackson says. She has since also gained laboratory experience, which confirmed her interest in scientific research.

"Field work is fun, but it can be tough to spend a lot of time in a lab dealing with data," Jackson says. "But I have discovered that I can be in a lab for 10 hours straight, and if I am engrossed, the time just flies by."

At Yale, she worked for three years in the invertebrate zoology department at the Peabody Museum of Natural History under Eric Lazo-Wasem, and she is now studying colonies of hydractinia (a polyp-like invertebrate marine animal that live on snail shells) in the laboratory of Professor Leo Buss. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. and hopes eventually to work in the field of conservation.

"I worked this past summer in Indonesia with a scientist whose job at Conservation International combined field work, research and policy making," Jackson says. "I think being able to integrate those interests is the dream job."

A member of the Yale step team Steppin' Out as well as Konjo, an undergraduate traditional African dance troupe, Jackson is also active in the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., for which she has done a variety of community service projects. She acknowledges that the field of marine science is currently male-dominated and not well represented by members of minority groups, but says that those realities have actually fueled her interest in achieving her goals.

"That's what attracts me to conservation work," says Jackson. "I'm drawn to the idea of preserving biodiversity in a field where there is not yet a lot of diversity."

-- By Susan Gonzalez


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Yale to consider feasibility of adding two residential colleges

New Yale chaplain will aim to engage people of all faiths

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Discoveries from Yale Ob/Gyn

Event celebrates renowned poet W.H. Auden

Week-long series of events designed to raise awareness about Islam

Rebellious Lawyering Conference to explore progressive approaches . . .

IN MEMORIAM

U.S.-China Forum to focus on the global marketplace

Recital will feature the winners of undergraduate music competition

Collection of Musical Instruments concert series to feature . . .

Campus Notes

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