
This
is a photo of Carol in a DSV while on a deep ocean dive. In order to
get as much as possible in the picture a special camera lens (wide-angle)
was used that gives everything a "bubble" effect. The space inside the
DSV is very small, not much room for jogging, jumping jacks and stuff.
B.S. Earth Sciences
Send
a question to Carol
Carol Reiss
345 Middlefield Rd. MS 999
Menlo Park, CA. 94025
We've had some
thoughtful and curious visitors at Extreme Science who wanted to find
out more about Carol and why she became a scientist. Here
are her reponses to some really great questions from you!!
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As a geologist with
the U.S. Geological Survey, Carol's job is to assist in fieldwork
of various kinds. Her area of specialization is Coastal and Marine
Geology, so her field work is often done at or under the sea, rather
than on land. In the above photo Carol is on a dive inside the
submersible DSV (Deep Submergence Vehicle) Turtle working
as a scientific observer; it's the US Navy's equivalent of Alvin.
A Deep Diver
"It
takes about an hour or more to travel the 2,200 meters down to the dark,
murky depths of the ocean at this site. Here we are diving down to the
Juan de Fuca Ridge, in the North Pacific Ocean, where two
oceanic plates are spreading apart. The Turtle is taking us down
to the ocean floor, which is over a MILE down. On this particular dive
we were looking for a malfunctioning piece of sonar equipment."
"The monitoring
equipment we had previously deployed are intended to acoustically measure
the rate of sea floor spreading over several years to a decade. This
is one of the first scientific projects to attempt to measure the rate
and/or episodes of spreading on a daily basis, rather than estimate
and average them over thousands of years. It's a complicated problem,
because in order to measure the distance between instruments based on
the speed of sound through the water, one must also take into account
the changing water pressure (tides) and temperature."
Carol's
job as a scientific observer is also to take very detailed notes of
the volcanic rocks on the sea floor. During the dive, she checks out
what she's seeing through the submersible window, makes a note of it,
and also records the time of her observations. Then, once back in the
office, she and her team reconstruct the track of the submersible, using
a very sophisticated combination of satellite navigation for the ship,
and acoustic computer navigation equipment to triangulate the position
of the submersible at any given time. Finally, this positional/location
data is combined with the sea floor descriptions she made on the dive
and it's all put together to create a geologic map of the ocean floor.
A Real Go Getter
"I'm
(Japanese American) 5'3" and a slim 100 pounds, but I'm NOT a weakling!
Some people may look at me and think I might not be able to help much,
but those who know me know better. What sets me apart from others is
my willingness to try something new, even if I have no experience. Because
I am dedicated to learning new things (also coming up with new ideas)
and willing to work, I observe and take mental notes, and soon I can
step in and make myself useful.
"Willingness
to work hard, and self confidence; came after college, when I decided
to learn to fly. Yep, I am also a pilot, scuba diver, occasional rock
climber, wife and mother. I love life."
"Some
of life is being in the right place at the right time, but life is also
wanting and creating opportunities, rather than waiting for them to
happen. It was a bold step for me to ask to be an observer on a deep
sea dive, but my supervisor saw my dedication, and knew that I could
do anything I set my mind to. I was rewarded with not one, but two opportunities
to make dives."
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