Thrill of the chase enlivens day’ s dive
Tuesday was a fruitful day in the Jiaolong’s first dive into the Mariana Trench.
In the morning, China’s manned submersible descended 4.8 kilometers along the northern slope of Challenger Deep, the deepest spot of the trench measuring at 11 kilometers.
Staying underwater for nine hours, the vessel collected 26.3 kilograms of basalt samples, 16 liters of seawater, extensive survey data and high-definition video and photos, according to the State Oceanic Administration.
But the most intriguing rewards were the deep-sea creatures, including a sea sponge, a brittle star, two starfish and, as catch of the day, a 35-centimeter red sea cucumber.
Scientist first saw the giant sea cucumber as Jiaolong was descending to 4.8 kilometers, said Tang Jialing, the pilot of the submersible. But the visitor startled the creature and it fled “wiggling its body in an S shape, almost like dancing,” he said.
Half an hour later, Tang saw a similar sea cucumber, possibly the same one. “You’re not getting away this time,” he said, and he caught it with the Jiaolong’s mechanical claw. But the claw was too big, and the creature struggled to break free.
It eventually did escape, but swam in the wrong direction and into the sample container. “This is a very lucky day,” Tang said.
Chen Xinhua, chief scientist for this third stage of China’s oceanic expedition, said studying the basalt samples can help us understand the formation of the trench. The bio samples also have great research value in fields such as deep-sea biodiversity, ecosystem and biogeography.
The dive also allowed comprehensive testing of Jiaolong’s systems that showed the submersible was operating smoothly, said Wu Changbin, chief commander of Tuesday’s operation.