Hobbies And Interests
Luminescent Life Forms
In his desire to discover underwater life, William Beebe teamed with engineer Otis Barton to develop the bathysphere. Their first submarine dive occurred in 1931. Beebe compared exploring the deep oceans to exploring space, but unlike space, the deep oceans proved rich in life. Beebe discovered creatures with large eyes, glowing teeth and phosphorescent lures to attract their prey --- creatures such as the hag fish, angler fish and bio-luminescent jellyfish. According to the William Beebe website, scientists scoffed at Beebe's claims to have seen such creatures. Carl Hubs of Michigan University disputed that Beebe could have seen fish "angling" for smaller fish with lighted lures and claimed Beebe's "six-foot sea serpent" must have been two fish in close proximity. Modern science has confirmed and filmed Beebe's luminescent discoveries.
Piccard and Cousteau
Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard was Beebe's contemporary. In the 1950s he developed the bathyscaphe, a two-man research submarine with camera and echo sounder. In 1960 Piccard and American Don Walsh descended the Mariana Trench in a U.S. Navy bathyscaphe. After a five-hour descent, they discovered flatfish living at depths of more than 35,000 feet. This discovery was confirmed in 1965 when scientists using a "diving saucer" developed by French submariner Jacques Cousteau identified a hitherto unknown flatfish. Cousteau, like Beebe, was a flamboyant promoter of undersea exploration. His popular film footage "proved" the existence of deep sea life forms and inspired a generation of oceanographers and marine biologists.
Giant Tube Worms
Exploring the deep oceans since 1964, DSV Alvin is a bathyscaphe owned by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In 1977 Alvin explored thermal vents on the ocean floor near the Galapagos Islands. Woods Hole scientists discovered that the warming effect of these undersea geysers enables abundant life at much greater depths than is usual. The vents proved to be inhabited by giant tube worms. These worms live without sunlight or oxygen and instead utilize hydrogen sulphide emitted by the geysers. According to the Woods Hole team, bacteria within the tube worms metabolize the hydrogen sulfide into sugars, upon which the worms feed. Worms live within tubes to protect themselves from toxic chemicals emitted by the volcanic vents.
Beneath the Ice Shelf
Until recently little was known about ocean life beneath the Antarctic ice shelf. Only snapshot views were available through remote cameras inserted through holes in the ice. In the late 20th century, global warming caused breakages in the ice shelf, revealing almost 4,000 square miles of previously unseen oceans. Scientists used unmanned, remote-controlled submarines to explore and photograph these waters. New species were discovered, including sea stars with 12 legs and with seven legs -- these creatures usually have five. Fifteen new species of shrimp were discovered along with new corals, sea anemones, jellyfish, ice fish and sea cucumbers.