Holothurian Distinction

After first being introduced to the "live" world of ocean exploration this last June, I have wrote a few articles on the finds of both NOAA's Okeanos Explorer, and the Nautilus, which is funded by many different exploration groups as well as by NOAA.

Courtesy of NOAA Photo Library

A creature that both have seen at their different destinations on more than one occasion is the holothurian, or sea cucumber. The terrestrial equivalent to these exciting creatures are the earthworm, as they share the common goal to recycle base nutrients in their environments and return them to the ecosystem. Thus their primary diet is earth.

Like the sea stars I have spoken of before, holothurians are Echinoderms. What all of the creatures in this phylum have in common is that they are radially symmetric, among other things. There are some classes of echinodermata that do not appear to be radially symmetric, such as the holothurian and echinoid, or sea urchin, but a closer look at their body structures reveals that they are.

Most of the holothurians we witnessed were purple or pink and usually very gelatinous. In the case of the Nautilus and their most recent expedition in the Caribbean, the holothurians have been seen time and again swimming through the water in a graceful sort of dance. The first thing that stood out to me when beginning my research was the continual reference to their benthic tendencies. Obviously, I was confused. The images I saw were of fat and solid-looking worms, more often than not prickly, nothing at all like the gentle, clear organisms I had seen live. I changed my objective to finding the difference in the species and found out a great deal.

Courtesy of NOAA Photo Library

The species I was looking for are called free-swimming holothurians. For example, the genus Enypniastes and species of Peniagone and Paelopatides. I was thrilled when I found this distinction. My research stump had a breakthrough. But unfortunately for you, this post has drawn to an end. More on the subject coming soon, so stay tuned!

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Changing My Mind - Again!

I know a few months ago I spoke of starting an Etsy shop and for the longest I wanted to but couldn't. Now I can, or just about, but I'm not sure I still want to. The thing is, at first it was the only idea I had for making a little extra money and it just followed that if I make things I should sell them. And so I was all gung-ho until God began providing other things.

For instance, He provided my job with Crochet Spot in March. Like I've said before, it was a big step for me, even if it wasn't such a big step in comparison to other things. I wasn't sure I had what it takes to create a crochet pattern once a week. Well, so far I have created 26 and have learned a lot in that time.

Summer Lace Fingerless Gloves - Crochet Spot Pattern 

Now Rachel, the founder and owner of Crochet Spot, is giving me the chance to take a step further and make store patterns. This will mean bigger (more involved) projects. I'm really excited about this step because I have a tendency to create bigger projects as it is. But at the same time I am a bit nervous. Every other week I will have to have such a pattern ready. I thank God for this chance and pray that He will give me ideas and patience to do my best.

Besides crocheting, I have an incredible passion for writing. I know I've said this before, but I just wanted to reiterate for the sake of the conversation. My dream is to become a published author writing fiction as well as non-fiction. I've considered freelance writing, and took a step toward it, but I have stepped back because I am still not sure I want to put my full effort into pursuing that direction. Of course, if anyone desires to offer me a writing job anyway, I would be thrilled.

In the meantime, I am blogging on things of interest, such as marine biology and technology, for the sake of fun and in the hopes of building my writing platform. Since being introduced to the field of ocean exploration more intensely, thanks to the availability of NOAA's last expedition on the Okeanos Explorer, I have began to wonder if that is an area I could move toward in my writing. Maybe, if I show that I am good enough, I will be noticed by topic-related magazines or sites. But which should I pursue? Without feeling absolutely positive I hesitate to take action. What if I run full force into writing a certain topic and find that I jumped the gun and I've lost interest? In other words, what if I jump ahead of God and find that He had something better in mind for me than what I chose?

Whale Shark sighted during Okeanos 2013 Northeast Canyons Expedition - Courtesy of Ocean Explorer website.

I am ambitious and I will not sit around waiting for God to just drop things in my lap. God gives us talents and skills to use and a responsibility to work hard. But deciding your future is not to be taken lightly. I want God's best for me. He provided the Crochet Spot job without my seeking it out. I simply prayed for God to provide and He did. So I am asking Him to provide a writing avenue for me in the direction He knows will be best for me. He knows me better than I do.

So, in conclusion, since my main passion is for writing, I feel that starting an Etsy shop would only take time away from it and wear me out. My first inclination would be to take it on anyway and make myself do it because it would be a good experience. But I have learned that I can do too much. Until God shows me otherwise, this is the direction I will pursue. And I know God will provide when He feels I am ready. Why else would He have given me the love of writing if not to use it?

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Echinoderms in the North Atlantic

As part of the series of blogs I have been doing on the recent NOAA expedition, the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013, today I want to turn your attention to Echinoderms. To be honest, I hardly expected to see any when I first started watching the live feed from the Okeanos Explorer in early July. But to my surprise, we have seen a handful of different sea stars, sea pens, sea lilies, and sea urchins.

Sea urchins were found on the flat ocean bottom, along with sea pens, while a few sea lilies were solidly grounded along the sides of rocky substrate. As for sea stars, well, that's a whole subject for me.

When I think sea stars I imagine shallow tidal pools or sandy beaches. I hardly expected to find them in the abyssal plains, but I suppose you learn something new everyday, right?

There are so many species of sea star, it's almost hard to believe. The Common sea star has five legs and is... well, common in appearance. But would you believe there are some sea stars that look so plump they appear to have no arms at all? A prime example of this is the Cushion sea star. Here is a frilly specimen with a similar body structure:

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Pink and adorable! A couple of other species we saw were plump in a smaller way. A guess at their diameter would probably be around 20 or more centimeters, give or take a little, whereas one sea star spotted couldn't have been more than a few centimeters.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

And yet, would you believe there is a species even smaller, though not observed on this expedition. Patiriella parvivipara is the smallest sea star on record, measuring up to one centimeter in diameter. A creature like this is easily missed.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Though commonly known for having only five arms, some species of sea star have been known to have up to 45 arms. We had the enormous privilege of seeing one, just one, with eight arms.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

But not every sea star keeps its appendages attached to the substrate. Brisingid sea stars are curious creatures. They hold onto the rock, sometimes upside down, and let their arms curl out in front of them. There is a very good reason for this. They are suspension feeders, which means they sit and glean their prey from the water current.

Many times the canyon walls or deep crevices in the walls were covered in brisingid sea stars, never moving, simply sitting and waiting.

Regeneration

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

I couldn't write a post on sea stars without mentioning one of their most fascinating aspects!

Everyone has heard about the sea stars ability to regenerate an arm after its having been broken off. And it's not everyday something like this is seen. But we had the chance to see one. It's definitely a peculiar sight to see, and sometimes reminiscent of a horror film. But it is an incredible characteristic. Because of the loss of two arms, this sea star most likely created another. Some people say this is only possible if the broken appendage still had a bit of the central disc. Either way, it gives a whole new meaning to the the idea of cloning.

Every glance we are able to get of the little known world below gives us more and more to consider. And there is still more to discover out there! Be sure to join me next week as I continue this series of posts examining the remarkable life in the deep!

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A Symbiotic Relationship

Years ago I studied Sea Stars for an article I was preparing to write. Unfortunately, I never got around to writing it due to uncontrollable circumstances, but what I learned was enlightening and a well of information I have been able to refer to since.

As I noted the numerous amount of ophuiroids (brittle stars), a relative of asteroidea (sea stars), during the recent NOAA Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013 I realized some of them are not nearly as brightly colored and appealing to look at as I once thought.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

This is a picture of a mussel bed. There is an adorable octopus but there are also many ophiuroids lying about. If you look closely you can see them lying across the mussels; they are long legged and spindly. Now not all ophiuroid look so plain but these found at over 1,000 meters in the North Atlantic are.

Brittle stars are very similar to sea stars in that they are both pentameric, a form of radial symmetry where the appendages are arranged around a central axis, among other things. The difference in their structure is that their arms are very distinct from their central disc, whereas in some species of sea star the disc is almost indistinguishable from the arms. Take a look at the picture below to see the underside of a brittle star.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

If you've read anything about sea stars you will have found that their main method of locomotion is through their tube feet. Water is pumped into the water vascular system that runs throughout the body via the madreporite, a porous pinprick usually on the top of the body near the perimeter of the central disk. Except in brittle stars the madreporite is underneath, along the oral surface, near the mouth.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

There are a few other differences between the two but what I noticed most was the apparent distinction in their choice of living space. It is common to see a sea star splayed out upon the ocean bottom or a rock surface but not so with brittle stars. Zoom in on a beautiful coral or sponge and what do you see but a dark serpentine creature wrapped in and out of its branches. At first I wasn't sure what it was. Some kind of sea snake? Marine worm? No, it's a brittle star using the coral or sponge as shelter.

My second question was the nature of this form of symbiosis. There are some species of sea star that feed on coral, like the crown-of-thorns sea star, but from what I can gather this relationship is commensal. The star depends upon the coral for shelter as well as oxygen while it collects its particles in the water that serve as its food. The coral or sponge doesn't mind the addition to its body and everyone gets along well.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Except in this case, I wonder if the coral finds it so agreeable. (See above picture).

Do you see the lighter color on the arms? This is the area from which the tube feet protrude. Similar to suction cups, the tube feet are essential to nearly all sea stars. Not only do they assist in movement, as I mentioned above, but they are able to "grab" food with them.

I know I have had the tendency to view sea stars as almost statue-like creatures but this study has changed my view entirely. Click here to see a video of a fast moving brittle star.

Has this post clarified a few misconceptions for you? I hope you have enjoyed reading, and be sure to leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear what my readers think!

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What They Can Do Without Bones...

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

The D2 moves along the rock face and stops to zoom in on an interestingly carved cavity. Inside is a light blue blob resembling an octopus with its tentacles curled around its body.

Though we expected a variety of fish as I mentioned in my last post, we did not expect to see so many cephalopods, i.e. octopus and squid. The detail the cameras on D2 were able to pick up was incredible. Take a look at the picture below.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Notice the eye. Cephalopods, which literally means "head-foot", have very intricate eyes, complete with a retina, cornea, iris, and lens. They are also capable of coordinating and storing information. I suppose that's why they have been known to work themselves out of their tanks when kept as pets. They are also able to open jars. If you don't believe me, look it up on YouTube. They are amazing creatures!

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Here is an adorable picture of a bobtail squid. The squid has the ability to pull its tentacles under its body to appear as merely a head. Someone mentioned it looked almost cartoon-like, which reminds me of the Goofy cartoon where he learns to water ski. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. (Visit this post for another picture of a bobtail squid).

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

During the last leg of the trip, the D2 got some good imaging of a few giant squid, or at least that is what I believe them to have called it. Just to clarify, they are "giant" in classification, not always in size. This guy was probably between 8 and 16 inches.

The first squid was dining on some unknown creature and took evasive maneuvers to avoid the ROV. It remained in view for a good many seconds before finally shooting past the ROV and out of sight. The squid uses its back fins to swim but what gives it the most advantage is its ability to siphon water and press it back out with such pressure as to send it off in the opposite direction with staggering speed. This ability is shared by all cephalopods.

Another specimen noted was this one in the picture above. Its colors continually shifted from soft to brilliant even though it remained sitting on the sediment. This was explained by an onshore scientist participating: Apparently, each tiny pigment is controlled by a muscle which contracts to make it broad and relaxes to narrow it. So obviously, when the squid is very agitated, the colors tend to change quicker and more frequently.


This is just a sample of what we learned while watching the expedition. And though we were sad to see it end we have now tapped onto another expedition on the Nautilus in the Caribbean. The water is definitely warmer but just as fascinating!

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What's Down There - The Unexplored!

View from camera sled Seirios of ROV Deep Discoverer (Picture Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer)

The NOAA Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition has drawn to a close. After 31 very profitable dives, the Okeanos Explorer reached her homeport of North Kingstown, Rhode Island on Saturday, August 17. Now what is left to do depends upon the scientists, analyzing the information gathered and cataloguing what they find. The geologists are fascinated, the biologists are enthralled, all in all it was a successful trip.

I can't help feeling a little down though. Sitting here at home watching the expedition from our 42" TV screen has been extremely exciting and enlightening. I wish it didn't have to end. There is just something about watching live footage of the least explored areas of our world and not knowing what you might see next. You can be one of the first ones to see a rare find or new organism. The advantage is incredible.

But the Okeanos isn't the only exploration vessel on a mission. The Nautilus is currently undergoing an expedition through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, with a mission to map the seafloor, collect geological and biological samples, and video it all via HD cameras. They are equipped with Telepresence technology as well which allows us the same ability to follow along as we had with the Okeanos. So when one mission ends another is beginning or taking place, drawing us closer to understanding more and more of the amazing aspects of the worlds' oceans.

Coral covering a canyon ledge (Picture Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer)

Specimens At Such Depths

During the first leg of the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expediton, ROV D2 began its exploration in Block Canyon. At first the location was flat and substrate fine and sandy. The most prominent specimens at this point were red crabs, cutthroat eels, and witch flounder. There were virtually no evidence of coral or other marine invertabrates of that kind. This was often the case in a variety of canyons until they moved on up. With a rockier substrate in view, beautiful corals and sponges were noted. Dive 3 of leg 2 was conducted in Oceanographer canyon where they observed deep-water corals covering the side of a rock face which was the case in many of the dives. The target area would be steep and rocky or clearly sheered off and the surface of the rock on every which side would be covered in many coral species. Bamboo and black coral were the most observable, as well as cup coral, various sponges and sea anemone. On leg 2, Venus flytrap anemone occupied scattered boulders over an otherwise barren seafloor, retracting at even the slightest disturbance in the water.

White glass sponge (Picture Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer)

I must admit I was surprised at first by the lack of fishes. One often thinks of the ocean as full of fishes but in these depths of 1,000 or more meters, fish were rare. A certain fact is deep-water fishes are less attractive in most cases than their tropical relatives and often bear a grisly or caricature-like appearance. One fish I found interesting was the fathead. Its body was bulbous at the head and tapered at the back like a tadpole, while its mouth looked like big lips spreading the width of its body. Despite my studies of marine biology in the past, I had never encountered this fellow and I found him very peculiar.

Then there were Black-bellied rose fish, Tongue fish, salp, lovely sea stars (my favorites in fact), barnacles, and et cetera, all of which I hope to discuss, if only briefly, at a later date. But for now I will wrap this post up by reiterating my earlier feelings: it is amazing to watch live imaging of the seafloor and I am completely grateful to the people who made it possible for us to view!

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Our Eyes Under the Sea

NOAA ROV Deep Discoverer (Picture courtesy of Ocean Explorer)

ROV is an acronym for remotely operated vehicle. These vehicles are explicitly underwater vehicles and not to be confused with remote control vehicles used on land or in the air. ROV's are incredible innovations allowing explorers the ability to actually see areas of the ocean that have previously been unknown to them. And not only see but take select samples and store them for later analysis.

The Okeanos' latest ROV, Deep Discoverer (D2), is pretty new to the water. Dave Lovalvo, project manager for NOAA OER’s Deep Submergence Group, and his team have recently built the new ROV to replace the smaller and lesser qualified Little Hercules used before. The 2013 season has seen the D2 on a shakedown mission where the team took it out for the first time and made some final tests. Now it is being employed on its current mission exploring the Northeastern U.S. Canyons.

Deep Discoverer is a high quality machine with a vast array of abilities. The 9,200 pound ROV is equipped with six cameras, two of which are high-definition, the latest in LED lighting technology, as well as 2 seven-functioning hydraulic manipulators. It also has a hydraulically actuated sensor platform, full color sector scan sonar, and a fully integrated inertial navigation system. A most convenient capability, one that most ROV's have these days, are its hydraulic thrusters that enable it to move any which way in the water. With a depth rating of 6,000 meters, the D2 may not be the deepest diving underwater vehicle but with the average depth of the ocean measuring around 4,000 meters there are fewer areas inaccessible.

The weight of the vehicle has been carefully measured and compensated for by the 'foam' on top so that it remains neutrally buoyant at its greatest depth. For more information on this see Ocean Explorers article on the ROV Hercules.

Launching NOAA ROV Seirios (Picture courtesy of Ocean Explorer)

As part of the 'buddy system', D2 is connected to the smaller ROV Seirios which has lighting and cameras of its own to assist D2 as well as keep a closer eye on it. Seirios is practically a metal frame towed up and down by the cable connecting it to the boat above but it is equipped with thrusters that enable it to move forward and backward with the ROV.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Okeanos was refitted to house the ROV's permanently, whereas the initial method was to make everything, the control room and equipment, transportable from vessel to vessel. Having the D2 and Seirios stationed on the Okeanos allows for less blips and glitches in the controlling.

I first became fascinated by submersible technology when I found an article in an old Popular Mechanics magazine. Already having a fascination with shipwrecks and shipwreck recovery, I read how they used the ROV Super Achilles to search for the HMS Sussex and this piqued my interest. I eventually collected another article on ROV's from Popular Science on the many types of underwater vehicles where I learned about the Japanese probe, Kaiko, and its expedition to the oceans deepest point, Challenger Deep. I realized then that there really was more to the world than what was already discovered. My conclusion, ROV's are the way of the future. Every single expedition presents scientists with more information and often times, more questions. And in my opinion, the day we stop asking questions is the day we die.

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Exploring the Mytilus Seamount

Of over 100,000 seamounts across the globe, the Mytilus seamount is just one of many that have not been explored. 

Screenshot of Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition: Live footage.

Leg 2 - Dives 4 & 5

During the last two days, the team of the Okeanos Explorer has left the canyons behind to travel some 100 plus kilometers to explore the Mytilus Seamount, which is a previously unexplored seamount belonging to the New England Seamount Chain. Dive 4 was spent on the north side while dive 5 on the south side, resulting in a diversity of marine life between the two. This has been an incredibly enlightening experience but, as the scientists themselves have admitted, there are more questions than answers.

Seamounts

Seamounts are underwater mountains created by volcanic activity. Magma pushing up through the oceanic crust, acting similar to terrestrial volcanoes, are the result of hot spots in the earth's crust. They do not reach the surface of the ocean so they are not considered islands or even atolls, though both have developed similarly. Now most are extinct volcanoes that can reach as high as 4,000 meters from the seafloor, and since they are so abrupt, have been known to be the source of grave danger to ships and submarines.

This elevation of rock from the seafloor also poses other consequences. Scientists desire to know more about these seamounts due to the changes they create in the oceans current, and therefore, the weather. The greatest danger is extrusion seepage in the seamount that eventually causes the sides to collapse, resulting in a landslide, which has the potential to induce tsunamis.

Screenshot of Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition: Live footage.

And yet, the resulting upwelling produces an above-average population of plankton making it prime property for suspension feeders like coral and bivalves. In their observations of the Mytilus seamount, the Okeanos team have noted many variances of marine life. At the base of the seamount, where the substrate was soft, fishes such as the frogfish and a few species of eel were present but not in great quantities. Moving on up the seamount, the substrate became rockier and large basalt ledges were observed covered in a drape of sediment. There were a great many occurrences of bamboo and black corals, often with associates like squat lobster and brittle stars. Added to these were sea cucumbers, sea lilies, hermit crabs, and even some barnacles.

Unfortunately, there are no known hydrothermal vents in the New England Seamount Chain (NESC). This is unfortunate because hydrothermal vents and their symbiotic communities absolutely fascinate me. In such excruciatingly hot temperatures, there is still life, and life uncommon to any other ocean biome. This is a topic all its own. But to my dismay, it won't be part of this expeditions logs.

The New England Seamount Chain is said to have evolved over a period of a hundred million years. But what if a series of consecutive catastrophic events created them in just a fraction of that time? What if there was a physical upheaval that caused the present geographic situation?

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Naval Ship Turned Exploration Vessel

Picture courtesy of NOAA

During highschool I studied maritime archaeology and enjoyed it immensely. I created a form sheet that I could use to catalogue the shipwrecks I studied because I wanted to have the details "spelled" out for me. I like details, or records. I take delight in having everything well documented, in its place, and easily accessible. If the article/story I read didn't have the ship's specifications already collected I would collect the information myself. To some people this might be boring and a waste of time, but keeping good records is never to be scorned.

Today's post is following the line I started a few days ago documenting, in my own way, the NOAA Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. I wanted to first take a look at the Okeanos Explorer itself before moving to the dives and marine life they've observed.

Okeanos Explorer

Picture courtesy of NOAA

Name: Okeanos Explorer, from the Greek "Okeanos", for ocean
Formerly: Naval surveillance T-AGOS class ship Capable
LOA (length over all): 224 feet
Breadth: 43 feet
Draft: 15 feet
Displacement: 2,298.3 metric tons
Berthing: 46
Main propulsion: Diesel electric with twin inboard turning screws
Speed: 10 knots
Endurance: 40 days at sea
Built: 1987 by VT Halter Marine, Inc., Moss Point, MS
Home port: Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA
Mission: mapping, site characterization, reconnaissance, and education and outreach

NOAA obtained the vessel in September of 2004. They began refitting her for ocean exploration in 2005, and she was commissioned the 13th of August 2008, during which time they installed an the ROV hangar and forecastle, a new stern deck, and a Telepresence satellite dome, enabling them to stream live footage to onshore scientists all over the world. The Okeanos Explorer is also equipped with hull-mounted, multi-beam sonar as deep as 6,000 meters, as well as two permanent ROV's, of which I will speak more on later.

Picture courtesy of NOAA

The Okeanos was formerly a Naval vessel called the Capable, used for ocean surveillance with the singular purpose of gathering underwater acoustical data. Now NOAA is utilizing the ships scientific abilities to observe and examine the oceans topography, marine life and underwater communities, among other things.

Known as "America's Ship for Ocean Exploration", the Okeanos has been on at least five separate expeditions, from the Indonesian 'Coral Triangle Region', and the Galápagos to the Mid-Cayman Rise within the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. Presently they are in the Northeast U.S. canyons, where they "expect to explore cold seeps, deep coral communities, undersea canyons, landslide features, and a seamount." Having completed the first leg of their journey, the crew of the Okeanos has taken break in New York, but will be out on the second leg in no time.

You can watch live footage from the expedition by clicking here. If you have any questions leave me a comment, or take a look at their page, Okeanos Explorer.

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A Good Distraction

NOAA's Okeanos Explorer

For two weeks now NOAA's Okeanos Explorer has been conducting an expedition in the Northeastern U.S. Canyons for purposes of observing benthic communities, gas hydrates at cold seeps in the seafloor, and the canyons geomorphology (the Earth's topographic features), among other things. With four more weeks to go, the scientists expect to observe all of these things via an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) called the Deep Discovery 2 and its partner vehicle, Seirios.

The day after they started I noticed an email from Emily Crum, the website manager, informing me, and others who are subscribed to Ocean Explorer's email updates, of the new expedition now underway. I have always had an interest in marine biology, including maritime history and archaeology, and was eager to find out more about it. I turned on the live feed (which you can watch by going to their site) and my family and I have been glued to our TV/computer screen since. We turn it on as early as 7 o'clock (our time) in the morning and leave it on sometimes long past their return, which averages around 3 - 3:30 (their time) in the afternoon on most days. It has been incredibly enlightening and we have a had a great time learning new things.

Since it is something that interests me I have decided to do my own log. A little late, of course, but this won't be anything official. Its totally personal. And just to add ahead of time, I am an amateur marine biologist, which is just the same as saying, "I don't know a great deal but I like it". So anyone looking to learn some hard facts needs to keep in mind the aforesaid. I do plan to give facts, and very true facts, but they will be the product of my own research.

Image of a bobtail squid

I am thrilled to find out that they allow the use of their images and information as long as you attribute them. Being a blogger, its sometimes hard to get ahold of images, or rather, to get permission to use specific images. Articles are made better by pictures, I've learned. And you know what they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

So don't go away, I'll be back soon with more on the expedition.

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