Website address: http://www.ocean.washington.edu/outreach/revel/

Introduction to the web and email which will both be used extensively throughout the course.

Introduction to a real scientific cruise investigating the sea floor.

In this INTERNET activity you will have the opportunity to explore a portion of the sea floor 200 miles off the coast of Northern Washington. Images and text will describe active hydrothermal vents and the associated life forms found over one and a half miles (2,200 meters) below the ocean surface. Much of the information on this web page was assembled from September 6-25, 1997, while University of Washington, Penn State University and American Museum of Natural History scientists were actively doing research on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The sea floor maps were developed using side scanning sonar and Seabeam bathymetry. Video images were taken by the remotely operated vehicle, Jason, and the manned submersible, Alvin.

This assignment will guide you to portions of the research activities on the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. You will have a chance to meet a variety of scientists, ship's crew, technicians, and reporters who were on board. By choosing different options you can find out what their duties and lives on board were like. You will also see the variety of tools and technology involved in deep sea exploration. Enjoy your cruise!

Format: You will turn in this assignment to me by email by January 14. If you prefer to write using a word processor, save your work in Rich Text Format and email it to me as an attachment. We will have a short class discussion about this assignment on January 15 so be prepared. You will turn in (by email):

A sentence or two describing the purpose of the expeditions,

a one paragraph summary of the Submarine Expedition introduction,

a paragraph or two summarizing the events of your assigned day, and

a review of the Gateway you select.

Access the website listed at the top of this page. Click on the image to take you to the Mission Statement screen. Read the Mission Statement and briefly describe in your own words the purpose of these expeditions. A sentence or two is plenty.

Near the top of the screen will be a menu bar giving different options. Select Submarine Expedition. Read the Introduction and write a one paragraph summary of what you find most interesting about this expedition.

Next, under the Submarine Expedition menu bar, click on Logbook. Scroll down to the September calendar and click on Day #_________. Write a paragraph or two summarizing the events of the day and the science and education reported that day. Be prepared to share anything you find interesting about your assigned day with the rest of the class.

Finally, select Gateways from the tool bar. You will find tremendous variation among these gateways, much as you would looking at different references in a library. Each of the colored words listed are a web site link to take you to additional related information. Take notes on your Gateway to describe your findings.(Be careful of your time here. You may have to come back at another time to fully explore the Gateway.) Consider a Siskel and Ebert movie review style as you report on what you discover at your site. For instance, what did you like or dislike? Would you give it "two thumbs up"? Again, be prepared to share your opinions on the Gateway you selected with the rest of the class.

You will be graded on the following criteria:

How well did you read the material on the website?

Were you able to write a summary that is interesting, informative, and easy to understand?

Were you able to discuss this assignment with the rest of the class?