OCEAN RESEARCH

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1929, Page 2

OCEAN RESEARCH

DEEP-SEA SECRETS

CRUISE OF THE DANA

AVELLINGTON, Jan. 15,

The visit of the Royal Danish research ship Dana to New Zealand, in the course of her two years’ voyage round the world, is of outstanding interest, as it is the first of its kind since the historic visits of Charles Darwin, in 11.A1.5. Beagle, in 1860, and of 11.M.5. Challenger, in 1874.

The Dana expedition was arranged jointly by the Carlsbcrg Foundation, a Danish fund for the furtherance of scientific research, and the Danish Government’s committee for the exploration of the seas. The Dana, which is now owned by the Danish Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries, is a ship of 360 tons register. She was originally built in Glasgow in 1917 for use as a minesweeper. After the war she was taken to Copenhagen and fitted out for deep-sea fisheries research and oceanographical work. In general appearance she is a typical trawler, somewhat larger than the Nora Niven or the Futurist, .hut internally she is most elaborately fitted 'for her important scicnlilic duties. The Dana is a veritable floating museum and scientific laboratory. Notwithstanding her small size and the extent of her scientific departments. the ship comfortably houses seven oliiccrs, six scientists and a crow of 24. Neat and trim in a coat of white paint, the Dana is conspicuously clean, although while she is at sea she is daily engaged in deep-sea trawling: and sounding. Rroniineutly displayed in her wardroom are photographs ol the patrons of the expedition—King Christian N. and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark. Prince \ aldemar, Admiral of the Danish Navy, who is a brother of the late Queen Alexandra, and tlie Prime Minister of Denmark.

PERSONNEL OF THE EXPEDITION

The leader of the expedition is Dr Johannes Schmidt, D.Sc.. Ph.D., Director of the famous Carlsbcrg Laboratory of Copenhagen, and a scientist of world-wide repute. Dr Schmidt, who was obliged to return to Denmark early in the voyage and who is rejoining the ship at AVellington, warmly welcomed the ship’s company when she berthed at the King’s Wharf yesterday. His greetings were supplemented by those of Airs Schmidt, who speaks English perfectly, and of a number of Danish residents of V cllington. Dr P. Jesperscn. Ph.D., chief zoologist, is second in command, and the other scientists are: Dr N. C. Andersen, surgeon and scientific assistant, Dr A. Bninu, M,Sc.. zoologist; Dr 11. Thomsen. M.Sc.. hydrographer; and Dr E. Nielsen, M.Sc.. botanist. The ship’s officers are: Captain JL Christensen; Lieutenant S. Grevo, Royal Danish Navy; Lieutenant C. R.ies, Royal Danish Navy: Lieutenant. P. Vogt, Royal Danish Navy, chief engineer: Air N. Scirup. second engineer; Air Tv. Eroll 11, third engineer; Air A. .Mon. radio operator and assistant hydrographer. Of the crew of 24 the seamen are chiefly Danish fishermen and the stokers belong to the Danish Navy. A TWO YEARS’ CRUISE. The present is the second voyage of the Dana, which in 1920-22 carried out extensive research into the spawning habits of eels, general deep-sea lisli life, and oceanographical work in the North Atlantic from Europe as far afield as the West Indies, with a brief visit to the Bay of Panama in the Pacific. Since leaving Copenhagen on June Ll'th, 1927, the Dana has visited Britain, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Gibraltar, Madeira, and Martinique, in the West Indies. After passing tlirough the Panama Canal in September the Dana started her investigations in the Pacific, her cruise involving calls at the Marquesas Islands. Tahiti, Rarotonga, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia and New Zealand. After leaving the Dominion the Dana "ill proceed to Sydney and Brisbane, and thence via New Caledonia and Fiji to Guam. Japan, China, Siam, Java and Singapore. From the East Indies the Dana will continue her cruise across the Indian Ocean to Madagascar, thence northward to the Red Sea and homeward via the Suez. Canal and the Mediterranean to Copenhagen, where she is duo some time in June, 1931). Throughout .her wanderings the Dana keeps in constant communication by short-wave radio with Denmark.

OHO AXIS 10) DIOICP-S KA PIC3K AIU 11

AVhiK- at. son tlio scientific work goes on unceasingly. Prominent lentil res oil the forodeek of tin* Dana are two powerful winches lor working the trawls anil nets of various sizes. There is the ordinary otter-hoard trawl net. and th. ro are special nets of various sizes for operating at different depths. The Dana is remarkable for her elaborate equipment for specialised and simultaneous research work. In addition to the trawling gear, there are several steam winches for deep-sea sounding work and to operate the. in-

strumonts used for taking samples of water at various depths. One wind: carries 10, (WO metres (about 5000 fathoms) of fine steel wire, thus enabling operations to be carried out to a depth of 30,000 feet, at which the weight of the wire is very considerable. A typical day’s work is the carrying on of trawling at depths up to, say. 3500 fathoms, in addition to the net working at that depth, the wire carries others at regular intervals of 2000. 1000. 500, 250, and l(K) fathoms, and possibly less, thus securing simultaneous ‘‘hauls” of specimens from different -‘strata.” At the same time water samples will he taken at .corresponding depths. The water “bottles’ used are ingenious and elaborate contrivances, which are . set to fill and seal themselves at the required depths. They are fitted with special thermometers which record the temperature oi the water at the different depths, and which are so sensitive that they will register accurately to a one-hundredth part of one degree centigrade. The samples of water are analysed and tested, for density and salinity, and also to ascertain their content of oxygen, nitrates, and phosphates. Ihe delicate nature of the appartus used is such that the presence of as little as live milligrammes of phosphorus in one cubic metre (one ton) of sea water can he detected. WJ KEL lOSS 1 >ETTII - FINDTNG.

Besides all this the hydrograpliers are constantly sit work Liking deepsea soundings and investigating ocean currents oil the suriace and at different depths. In addition to various types of sounding machines which can oulv be used when the ship is stationary, the Dana is fitted with a sonic or wireless depth-finder, a wonderful machine which is seen in New Zealand for the first time. ’ A development of a war-time invention, the machine is marvellously accurate, and enables systematic soundings to be made while the ship is under weigh at full speed. In the bottom of the ship are three diaphragms to which arc impacted wireless electrical impulses causing a whistling note to be sent at. regular intervals through the water, which is an excellent conductor of sound. The sound waves, travelling at a known speed of 1500 metres per second, strike the Shod o! the ocean and rebound exactly like an echo, and are recaught by u receiver in the machine. Thus, the time taken to complete the travel of the sound is recorded and divided by two to give the time taken for the wave to travel to the bottom. As the rate of travel is known it is a simple matter to obtain the depth of water. Soundings are taken every two hours at sea, and up till last Saturday a total of 2056 had been recorded during the cruise of the Pacific. The greatest depth recorded so far was over 5000 fathoms, or about 31,060 feet, at a point cast of the Kcrmadoc Islands. This depth of over six miles will doubtless be exceeded in other ports of the Pacific; for example, in the vicinity of the Philippine Islands, where the ocean is known to he much deeper. AX INTERESTING DISCOVERY. Since she lelt Auckland about a fortnight ago, the Dana has made a very interesting cruise off the coast of New Zealand. A privileged member of the ship’s company was Mr R. A. Falla, a well-known naturalist and ornithologist, of Auckland, who spent a very profitable time studying the habits and distribution of sea birds, including'those frequenting the New Zealand coastal regions and those of more southerly latitudes. Tim scientific staff of the Dana carried out their routine duties over a course which took the ship from a point off Cuvier Island,-well outside the 15av of Plenty and East Cane, thence southward to a point about 150 miles west of the Bounty Islands, westward along the latitude of Stewart Island, and finally northward to Wellington.* In addition to numerous hauls of deep-sea fish, crustacea, and other marine life of considerable seicnliiic interest, the Dana made a series of soundings at regular intervals. Hu* very interesting discovery was made that the deep trough of Cook Strait runs in a well-defined direction and at a greatly increased depth far out from the coast-line of New Zealand, while there are comparatively shallow areas in the latitudes at Kaikoura (Peninsula and Banks Peninsula. Thus, while soundings ranging from 300 to 000 metres were obtained 200 miles off shore north and south of the Cook Strait line, the depth of the trough ran as high as 2870 metres. Another interesting discovery was the fact that the temperature of the ocean at varying depths between Stewart Island and the Bounty Islands was very much below that further north. •’ STAY AT WELLINGTON.

Tlie Dsinn will remain at Wellington until Thursday, and will continue lier cruise through Cook Strait and westward of New Zealand a.s far as North Cape, whence she will head lor Sydney. A civic reception will he accorded Dr Schmidt and other members of the expedition in the Town Hall at noon to-morrow. I)r Schmidt hears greetings to the people of New Zealand from the Government and people of Denmark. At 'i.-lo p.m. on Wednesday there will be a public screening in the King's Theatre of a cinema film sent out by the Danish Government depicting life and scenes in Denmark. Yesterday morning the expedition was lormally welcomed by the Yliiiister for Agriculture (Hon. .Air Forbes), with whom was Air I). Ardell. representing the Internal Affairs Department, and Air A. K. llefford. Chief Inspector of Fisheries, who has acted in close co-operation with the expedition since its arrival in New Zealand.