Exploring the Tonga Trench

The Tonga Trench in the South Pacific is the second deepest trench in the world, only beaten out by the Mariana Trench. The Tonga Trench is 35,700 feet deep at it's deepest point, only 56 feet less than the Mariana Trench. The goal of exploring the Tonga Trench is to gain a better understanding of the deep sea ecosystem. The Tonga Trench, along with other deep sea trenches, are home to a unique set of organisms that can withstand the immense pressure and extremely low water temperatures. The water is about 34 degrees Fahrenheit- on the verge of freezing.

A very talented and experienced group of scientists and graduate students journeyed to the South Pacific to collect data. The scientists originally planned to use wires to measure pressure, temperature, and take samples, but the trench is so deep that there were no wires long enough to reach the required depth. Instead, the team used deep sea robots that were able to take pictures and collect water samples. After the robot was done sampling, it would release it's ballest weights and float to the surface. The robots also "recorded ambient sound in the deep ocean and...[retrieved] 5-foot cores of mud from 30,000 feet." The samples were then "stored at pressures equivalent to the deep sea, and at fridgelike temperatures to keep the microbes intact and alive to be studied."

Overall, it was a successful expedition, and there is much to be learned from the data collected.

A picture of a team of scientists retrieving one of the deep-sea robots from an 8-hour sampling trip.

Original Article: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57519761/dipping-into-the-deep-mission-explores-tonga-trench/