VIDEO: Students live underwater, assist Fabien Cousteau in Mission 31

Image courtesy of Andrew Shantz

Camila Fernandez/Assistant News Director

Six miles off the coast of Key Largo, University students Adam Zenone and Andrew Shantz spent 17 days living in the Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s only operational underwater research habitat.

They participated in a 31-day mission led by ocean explorer and filmmaker Fabien Cousteau, grandson of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

From June 1 to June 17, the students studied how predators affect the behavior of reef fishes by using model predators and high resolution imaging sonars.

Also, they accessed the impact of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from fertilizers and sewage outfalls for example, on coral reefs. The pollution stimulates the growth of harmful algae on the corals.

To study these figures under sea was a dream comes true for both scientists.

Zenone, a graduate student, said he has always loved the ocean since he was a child.

“I knew that I wanted to be a marine biologist, and I followed that, and here I am,” said Zenone in a webcam interview with Student Media while stationed at Aquarius.

On the other hand, Shantz, a doctoral student, said he had never imagined that he would choose this career path until he started scuba diving a couple of years ago.

“I started diving and said, ‘This is awesome and I want to keep doing this and see where it takes me’,” he said.

Shantz, who was stationed at Aquarius last November, said that becoming an aquanaut at the reef base was on his list for things to do in life.

During night dives, the term ‘aquanaut’ truly took meaning for Shantz,  because it felt like he is in space, he said.

“It’s the most cool, surreal feeling in the world to see this underwater space capsule-looking habitat all lit up in the middle of the night,” he said. “ It’s amazing.”

Like in any mission, sometimes things go awry, like an air conditioner malfunction.

Zenone said that a one point, the habitat’s air conditioner stopped working properly to which led temperatures to rise up to 90 F.

“It was like Miami on a hot July day,” said Zenone.

However, that did not stop the FIU students from continuing their expedition.

With a supportive and experienced crew, Zenone said that everything in the habitat is really safe.

“This stuff is more regulated than traffic in Miami,” he said.

Shantz said they almost had all the luxuries of home – running water, a hot shower, a microwave, and even wireless internet.

During the mission, they sent out fake model predators that imitate the behavior of large predatory fish such as barracudas.

Zenone said the model predators allow them to understand how herbivorous fish respond to predation and its effect on reefs.

According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, the Florida Keys have lost over 90% of living coral. Much of this loss is due to man-made sources of pollution, such as agricultural fertilizers and human waste.

“It’s a reality that we’re going to have waste as humans, but there are better ways to handle it and they do exist. It’s just getting people moving on that,” said Zenone.

Their concern for the health of coral reefs is not only because of the effects on the marine ecosystem, but also because of the benefits reefs provide to the environment as a whole.

According to Shantz, coral reefs and their macro-built seawalls are a natural defense against hurricanes.

“When we lose coral reefs, we start to lose some of that coastal protection that they offer,” said Shantz.

“You go to the beach and you see this beautiful, expensive blue water, and you don’t really think about what’s going on beneath that water.”

 

-news@fiusm.com

About the Author

Camila Fernandez
A FIU School of Journalism and Mass Communications Student - Began working with Student Media in 2013.

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