Just wondering Options

[Britt and Jeanna]

We have a few questions.

You said that you have been collecting samples from the seafloor. How deep is the water where you are working? Does it vary much?

How many hours of daylight do you get in the Bering Sea?

Also, we want to know if you are homesick. Do you miss your family and friends in New York?

[Patricia_Janes]

Hi Britt and Jeanna,

Good question! The seafloor varies a little from station to station, but not a whole lot. One of our maps from today shows the seafloor as being at a depth of about 40 meters.

The area’s shallow waters make it quite an interesting place to perform scientific research: Since the water isn’t very deep here, animals such as seals, walruses, and spectacled eiders are able to dive down to the bottom of the seafloor to feed off of prey living there.

At this time of year, daylight hours are very long. When I go to bed after my shift ends at midnight, it is still light outside. And when I wake up in the morning around 8 AM, it is already light out again. To get you a more precise answer, I asked a scientist who works the midnight to noon shift. He said that there are about 4 hours of darkness, beginning at around 1 AM.

I do get homesick. I especially miss my co-workers at Scholastic. ;-)

-Patty