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[WAVES CRASHING]
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[MUSIC PLAYING]
[DR. ERIK CORDES] WHAT WAS I JUST LOOKING AT THE OTHER DAY?
[PAGES FLIPPING]
"NEW YORK TIMES," OR "NEW YORKER," I MEAN.
"I DON'T KNOW WHY I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN,
BUT I DON'T."
WELL, YOU SAID THAT--
THAT OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IS THIS ABSTRACT AND INVISIBLE PROBLEM.
IT'S NOT. WE'RE SEEING IT ALREADY.
LAST YEAR, YOU HAD THIS ACIDIC WATER
COMING UP FROM THE DEPTHS OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON
THAT KILLED ALL THE OYSTER LARVAE.
THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.
THE SCIENTISTS ARE RELUCTANT TO SAY
BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY KNOW YET,
BUT... IF THE WATER BECOMES MORE ACIDIC,
THERE ARE A LOT OF ORGANISMS ARE GONNA HAVE A HARDER TIME BREATHING.
THERE ARE MASSIVE CHANGES IN THE OCEAN
THAT'LL HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THAT.
SPECIES WIPED OUT, ECOSYSTEMS COLLAPSING.
THAT'S END OF TIMES KIND OF STUFF.
[DR. ROB KULATHINAL] IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD.
CLIMATE CHANGE KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT.
YEAH, AND OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IS JUST PHASE ONE,
AND IT'S SCARY.
AND THIS IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG,
IT'S GONNA GET WORSE.
I MEAN, YEAH, I DO WORRY ABOUT,
LIKE, WHAT THE FUTURE'S GONNA HOLD FOR MY KIDS
AND THEIR KIDS.
THAT'S WHEN I REALLY GET WORRIED 'CAUSE, LIKE--
I DON'T KNOW.
I THINK I SPEND TOO MUCH TIME STUDYING THIS STUFF
'CAUSE IT'S--
YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD NOT TO BE PESSIMISTIC
ABOUT WHAT THAT FUTURE'S GONNA LOOK LIKE.
I DON'T KNOW.
I JUST-- BUT YOU CAN'T...
BE SO PESSIMISTIC THAT YOU DON'T KEEP TRYING TO DO SOMETHING.
WE'RE FOLLOWING THE SAME PATH
THAT SO MANY EXPLORERS BEFORE US HAVE FOLLOWED.
THE "CHALLENGER," THE "GALATHEA,"
THE "BEAGLE" THAT CARRIED DARWIN AROUND THE WORLD.
DOWN, BELOW THE LIGHT,
WE ARE GOING SOMEPLACE THAT NO ONE HAS NEVER BEEN,
TO LOOK IN PLACES THAT NO ONE'S EVER LOOKED.
THIS IS LOPHELIA.
LOPHELIA'S ABLE TO GROW HUGE REEFS
UNDER SOME OF THE HARSHEST CONDITIONS ON EARTH.
WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S AN ENZYME, A PATHWAY.
IT COULD BE SOMETHING SIMPLE LIKE A SINGLE GENE
THAT GIVES THEM THE ABILITY TO RESIST OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.
BUT AS WE GO DOWN INTO THE DEEP SEA,
WE CROSS A BOUNDARY THAT WE REFER TO AS THE ACID HORIZON,
BEYOND WHICH MANY ORGANISMS CANNOT SURVIVE.
THE PH IS TOO LOW.
THERE ARE NO MORE CLAMS, NO MORE CORALS,
NO MORE ORGANISMS THAT HAVE HARD SKELETONS.
AS OCEAN ACIDIFICATION CONTINUES,
THAT BOUNDARY, THE ACID HORIZON, GETS SHALLOWER AND SHALLOWER.
IT'S MOVING UP TOWARDS THE SURFACE.
AS THE ACID HORIZON APPROACHES, MANY OF THESE CORALS WILL DIE.
ONLY THE SUPER CORAL WILL SURVIVE BELOW THE ACID HORIZON.
WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT LIFE ON EARTH,
THEY THINK ABOUT LIFE ON LAND.
THEY DON'T THINK ABOUT LIFE IN THE DEEP SEA,
THE LARGEST HABITAT ON EARTH.
[DR. JAY LUNDEN] EVERY SPECIES HAS A PLACE
OR A ROLE IN ITS NATIVE ENVIRONMENT.
AS A BIOLOGIST, THAT'S JUST MY...
FORM OF RESPECT FOR DIFFERENT ORGANISMS
THAT HAVE SURVIVED FOR SO LONG.
LOPHELIA'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
IT PROVIDES HABITAT FOR VARIOUS ORGANISMS.
THE SCARIEST THING THAT REALLY SHOOK ME
WAS LEARNING ABOUT LOPHELIA'S ROLE
WITH ASSOCIATED SPECIES AND ANIMALS THAT DEPEND ON IT.
[CORDES] MASS EXTINCTIONS TYPICALLY OCCUR
WHEN THE EARTH IS WARMER THAN AVERAGE.
WE'RE, RIGHT NOW, UNDERGOING A PERIOD OF TIME
WHERE WE HAVE ONE OF THE FASTEST EXTINCTION RATES
THAT'S EVER BEEN MEASURED IN THE FOSSIL RECORD.
MOSTLY DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF ONE SPECIES
ON THE REST OF THE PLANET.
[LUNDEN] TO DENY FUTURE GENERATIONS
THE EXPERIENCE OF LIVING ON THIS PLANET,
AND SEEING WHAT WE SEE, AND EXPERIENCING, YOU KNOW,
WHAT WE EXPERIENCE IS INCREDIBLY SELFISH
AND INCREDIBLY RECKLESS.
[KULATHINAL] WE ARE JUST TELLING PEOPLE THE FACTS.
I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST AN OBSERVER.
I FEEL LIKE ALL OF US SCIENTISTS ARE JUST OBSERVERS
OBSERVING THE INEVITABLE DESTRUCTION
OF WHAT WE KNOW TODAY.
THE ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING QUICKLY
AND I DON'T THINK SOCIETY WOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP UP
TO ITS RAPID CHANGE.
THAT'S THE ONLY PROBLEM.
SO, AS OBSERVERS...
IT'S JUST SAD WATCHING THIS ALL TAKE PLACE
AND TRYING TO-- YOU KNOW, GATHERING DATA THAT SHOWS THIS
AND NO ONE'S LISTENING.
[CORDES] WE'RE TOTALLY AWARE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
VERY SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION
OF SO MANY SPECIES GOING EXTINCT
DIRECTLY BECAUSE OF HUMANS.
I DON'T KNOW, I JUST FEEL WE'RE SOMEHOW RESPONSIBLE.
IN 2010, WE WROTE THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
TO PROPOSE A CRUISE TO GO SAMPLE LOPHELIA
AT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT SITES IN THE DEEP GULF OF MEXICO.
IF THE CRUISE IS SUCCESSFUL AND WE GET ENOUGH DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOPHELIA,
WE CAN BRING THEM BACK TO THE LAB
AND RUN A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS AT DIFFERENT PH LEVELS
TO SEE HOW THEY RESPOND TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.
IF SOME OF THESE CORALS ARE ABLE TO SURVIVE
AT THE MOST HARSH CONDITIONS WE EXPOSE THEM TO,
WE WILL HAVE FOUND THE SUPER CORAL,
THE CORAL THAT CAN SURVIVE BELOW THE ACID HORIZON.
AFTER MANY REWRITES AND AN AGONIZING WAIT,
WE FIND OUT THAT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
HAS FUNDED US FOR A SINGLE CRUISE
WITH THE ALVIN SUBMERSIBLE
TO TRY AND FIND THE SUPER CORAL.
WHEN I WAS A KID, MY PARENTS BROUGHT ME TO AN ALVIN EXHIBIT
AT THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE
AND I'VE BEEN FASCINATED EVER SINCE.
IT'S NOT JUST THE MOST FAMOUS SUB IN THE WORLD.
FOR ME, THIS IS LIKE THE MILLENNIUM FALCON.
IT'S OLD AND SCRAPPY,
AND WHEN THE MISSION'S ON THE LINE,
THERE'S NO VESSEL THAT I'D RATHER BE IN.
THIS IS MY SEVENTH EXPEDITION WITH ALVIN
AND I STILL GET EXCITED EVERY TIME I SEE IT.
ALVIN ACTUALLY HAS A SHARED HISTORY
WITH SPACE TRAVEL.
IT WAS DEVELOPED DURING THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION
AT THE HEIGHT OF THE SPACE RACE.
THE SAME TIME WE'RE BUILDING ROCKETS
TO TAKE US TO NEW HEIGHTS,
ALVIN WAS CONSTRUCTED TO BRING US TO NEW DEPTHS.
IT'S NAMED AFTER AL VINE,
THE SCIENTIST WHO LED THE EFFORT TO BUILD IT
AND IT'S OPERATED BY THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
ON CAPE COD.
ONE OF ITS FIRST MISSIONS IN 1966
WAS ACTUALLY TO LOCATE AND RECOVER A HYDROGEN BOMB
THAT HAD ACCIDENTALLY FALLEN INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, IT WAS THE SUB THAT BROUGHT US
SOME OF THE FIRST HAUNTING IMAGES OF THE TITANIC.
I THINK IT'S COOL THAT THE SAME SUB
THAT WAS USED IN THE DISCOVERY OF THE TITANIC
IS NOW BEING USED IN THE DISCOVERY OF THE SUPER CORAL.
THE PROBLEM IS...
I HAVE TO LEAVE MY FAMILY FOR WEEKS AT A TIME.
THE PROBLEM IS NOT SEEING ALL THOSE MOMENTS
WHEN YOUR KIDS ARE GROWING UP,
AND YOU'RE NOT HOME.
[TRUMPETING]
LOOK AT ME!
WE'RE OFF.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
THE THRILL OF LOOKING DOWN AND KNOWING
THAT THERE'S NOTHING THERE TO CATCH YOU,
THE EXCITEMENT COMES FROM NOT KNOWING.
THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO LOOK OUT ON THAT HORIZON.
[BELL RINGING]
YOU CAN'T GO OUT ON THESE VOYAGES ALONE.
YOU INVITE COLLABORATORS,
OTHER SCIENTISTS TO COME WITH YOU.
STAKES ARE HIGH.
YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH THE BEST.
[WOMAN 1 TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
THIS IS BRUCE STRICKROTT,
HE KNOWS ALVIN INSIDE AND OUT.
[WOMAN 1] IF AN UNEXPECTED ALARM GOES OFF,
IT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
YOU DON'T SIT AND WAIT FOR THAT ANNOUNCEMENT TO COME.
YOU COME HERE FIRST
ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT.
IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.
[BRUCE STRICKROTT] PARTIAL PRESSURE IN HERE
OR A FIRE IS AN ATMOSPHERE CASUALTY.
IN ALL THREE OF THOSE,
WE WOULD HAVE TO PUT THE EVAS ON AND REACT TO IT.
SO, LET'S GO THROUGH A SCENARIO.
LET'S SAY YOUR MONITOR'S ON FIRE.
RIGHT.
YOU NOTICE THAT, YOU REPORT IT.
I'LL REACH UP AND I'LL--
THIS IS THE EMERGENCY OFF SWITCH.
ALL RIGHT, IT'S ACTUALLY LABELLED "EMERGENCY OFF."
IT'S REALLY NOT WIRED OR ANYTHING.
IF YOU OPEN THAT AND THROW THE SWITCH,
THE WHOLE BOAT WILL SHUT DOWN
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THIS LIGHT RIGHT HERE,
IT'LL COME ON AUTOMATICALLY, OKAY?
IT'LL GET QUIET IN HERE.
THE VERY NEXT THING WE DO IS SECURE THE SUPPLY OF GAS
-THAT WE'RE BREATHING-- -MM-HMM.
AND GO ONTO THE EVAS,
AND AGAIN, YOU PUT YOUR MASK ON,
YOU GET IT ON NICE AND TIGHT.
YOU OPEN UP EITHER ONE OF THOSE TWO BOTTLES ON THE TOP,
GRAB ONE OF THE HALON EXTINGUISHERS,
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH.
THEY'RE HELD ON BY A SIMPLE LITTLE CLIP.
THERE'S A PULL PIN AT THE TOP.
IF YOU PULL THE PIN,
-AIM IT AT THE FIRE. -MM-HMM.
PUT THE FIRE OUT, AND WHATEVER'S LEFT,
YOU LET OUT INTO THE SPHERE.
[SEAN] GOT YOU.
[STRICKROTT] HERE'S IMPORTANT STUFF,
URINE BOTTLE RIGHT HERE UNDERNEATH ME,
THERE'S A LITTLE HATCH.
IF YOU USE ONE, PLEASE PUT THE TOP ON IT SECURELY.
THERE'S ALSO A BAG DOWN THERE.
-YOU DON'T WANNA USE THAT. -[LAUGHS]
NOT UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.
[SEAN CHUCKLES]
[STRICKROTT] ALL RIGHTY THEN.
WIND'S UP.
I'M GONNA CHANGE COURSE.
COME TO 134.
[TECH OVER RADIO] YOU MIGHT WANT TO LET THE BRIDGE KNOW
THE BACK DECK LIGHTS ARE STILL ON.
HEY.
-BACK DECK LIGHTS ARE STILL ON? -BRIDGE!
[KANTOR] HEY, WHO'S UP THERE?
[GRAU] WHO'S DRIVING THIS THING?
BACK DECK LIGHTS ARE ON.
SOMEBODY LEFT THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION.
LICENSE PLATE, "CHICK MAGNET, ATLANTIS"
[KANTOR] HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT?
C-H-K-M-G-N-T.
-RIGHT? -SURE.
[GRAU] I FIGURED THAT'S WHY YOU DRIVE THIS THING.
[KANTOR] ACTUALLY NOT SO FAR FROM THE TRUTH SOMETIMES.
I LIKE TO SIT, LIKE, ON THE BOW LIKE THIS.
I LIKE TO SIT UP HERE AND REMIND MYSELF
THAT THIS IS MY SHIP AND IT DOES WHAT I WANT IT TO.
I CAN BE LIKE, "STOP, DO DONUTS."
[LAUGHS]
I'M GETTING HUNGRY.
IS IT DINNER TIME?
[MAN 1] NOT YET.
SHIT, I DON'T CONTROL THAT.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ATLANTIS IS A 270-FOOT VILLAGE AT SEA.
EVERY MEMBER ON BOARD PERFORMS A VITAL FUNCTION.
THE ALVIN GROUP,
THE SENTRY GROUP,
THE GALLEY CREW FEEDING THE WHOLE SHIP
FOUR TIMES A DAY, PLUS SNACKS,
AND SOMETIMES, SOME REALLY CHOICE CUTS OF SUSHI.
THE BOSUN AND THE DECKHANDS,
MAKING SURE ALL THE OVER-THE-SIDE OPERATIONS
GO WELL.
NOT ONLY DID WE GET ALVIN FOR THIS CRUISE,
BUT WE ALSO GOT THE AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE, "SENTRY."
ALVIN WORKS ALL DAY COLLECTING SAMPLES
AND "SENTRY" WORKS ALL NIGHT MAKING MAPS.
THE "SENTRY" MAPS HELP TO DEFINE EVERY DIVE PLAN THAT WE MAKE.
YEAH, LOOK AT THAT.
OH, THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.
THAT'S AWESOME.
-THANKS, DANA. -GOOD, GREAT.
[KULATHINAL] I THINK WE HAVE PASSED IT.
LET'S DO IT.
IT'S HIGH STAKES FOR EVERYBODY,
NOT JUST ERIK,
AND NOT JUST ME.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MANY YEARS IN THE MAKING
AND LOTS OF, YOU KNOW...
ATTEMPTS AND-- YOU KNOW, DISAPPOINTMENT AND--
AND UPS AND DOWNS, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE, WE'RE DOING IT.
[SQUAWKING]
WHEN ERIK TOLD ME,
I WAS LIKE, "OH, THE GULF OF MEXICO,
THAT SOUNDS REALLY NICE AND PRISTINE."
HE'S LIKE, "NO, IT ISN'T.
YOU JUST LOOK ANY SIDE OF THE SHIP,
FRONT, BEHIND, STARBOARD, PORT,
YOU WILL JUST SEE RIGS EVERYWHERE."
JUST THE OTHER DAY I WAS IN GULFPORT
AND I WAS JUST-- I WAS WATCHING,
IN THE SMALL TOWN OF GULFPORT, ALL THE CARS ON THE HIGHWAY,
AND ALL, YOU KNOW, THE PLANES COMING INTO THE AIRPORT,
AND THE BOATS, AND THE SHIPS,
AND WE'RE SO DEPENDENT ON THIS FUCKING THING CALLED OIL,
AND NO ONE SEES WHERE IT COMES FROM,
BUT WE'RE NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
WE CAN SEE THAT, AND IT'S SAD.
THAT'S A NEW RIG...
SINCE LAST YEAR.
[MAN 2] OH, YEAH?
YEAH, I DIDN'T REALIZE THEY WERE GONNA BE HERE.
WE'RE ONLY-- WE'RE LESS THAN A NAUTICAL MILE AWAY FROM THAT GUY.
I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
-OKAY. -'CAUSE I'M WORRIED-- I GOTTA TALK TO THE CAPTAIN.
I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE--
IF WE HAVE ISSUES DURING A RECOVERY--
I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE NOT GONNA GET IN.
I'M JUST-- HE'S ONLY--
I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS HERE. THAT'S NEW.
YEAH, NO, I KNOW, I MEAN, I'M GONNA TALK--
I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE NOT GOING.
THERE'S AN OIL DRILLING RIG THAT I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE
THAT WAS NOT HERE LAST YEAR.
THAT'S LESS THAN A MILE FROM...
THE MAIN PART OF
THE BIGGEST LOPHELIA REEF IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.
WHICH COULD, IF THEY SO DECIDE
THAT IT'S TOO RISKY,
PREVENT US FROM DIVING HERE
DURING THIS WHOLE CRUISE.
HERE.
IF WE'RE NOT DIVING AT THIS SITE,
MY ENTIRE PLAN IS FUCKED.
[CHUCKLES]
I GOTTA GO--
I NEED THE POSITION OF THE RIG.
AND THEN I CAN DRAW A CIRCLE AROUND IT
AND SEE WHERE THAT FALLS ON THE BOTTOM,
AND THEN ADAPT.
IF I ADJUST THE PLAN,
SO LAUNCH AND RECOVERY ARE AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE SITE,
THAT SHOULD BE BETTER, RIGHT?
NO.
[STRICKROTT] START HERE.
I COULD RUN UP THIS HILL
AND THEN WE COULD RUN ACROSS HERE.
[STRICKROTT] YEP.
'CAUSE THAT'D GIVE US LOPHELIA IN TWO DIFFERENT--
VERY DIFFERENT SPOTS.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THE WEATHER LOOKS PRETTY GOOD,
AND AS LONG AS THE WINDS DON'T SUDDENLY START KICKING UP,
I THINK WE'RE GONNA GO.
[COORDINATOR OVER RADIO] BRIDGE, COORDINATOR, RADIO CHECK.
[BRIDGE OVER RADIO] LOUD AND CLEAR.
[COORDINATOR] DOGHOUSE, COORDINATOR, RADIO CHECK.
[DOGHOUSE OVER RADIO] LOUD AND CLEAR.
[COORDINATOR] AVON, COORDINATOR, RADIO CHECK.
[AVON OVER RADIO] LOUD AND CLEAR IN THE AVON.
[COORDINATOR] COORDINATOR READS YOU ALL THE SAME.
OKAY, LOST THE FIRST HALF OF YOU, SEAN,
DID YOU CONFIRM THAT THE HATCH IS SHUT?
[SEAN] ROGER, HATCH IS SHUT.
[COORDINATOR] HOLD THE MAIN.
MAIN IS OFF, TAKE IT UP.
ALVIN, YOUR DEPTH IS 516.
YOU ARE CLEAR TO DIVE WHEN THE SWIMMERS ARE CLEAR.
[SEAN] ROGER, DEPTH 516.
ALVIN DIVING.
[CORDES] THEY DROP YOU IN THE WATER,
THEY DISCONNECT THE LINE AND YOU'RE FREE.
[SEAN] 20 METERS, TWO ZERO METERS.
[CORDES] IT REALLY IS THRILLING.
[SEAN] FIVE ZERO METERS, 50 METERS.
[CORDES] DOWN, DOWN, DOWN,
INTO THE DEEP SEA.
EVERYTHING SLOWLY GETS DARKER AND DARKER.
YOU'RE SLIPPING ALMOST INTO A DREAM.
[SEAN] 200 METERS, TWO ZERO ZERO.
[CORDES] AND IT TRULY DOES FEEL LIKE A FOREIGN WORLD,
LIKE SOMEPLACE THAT YOU DON'T REALLY BELONG.
[SEAN] ALL RIGHT, ON BOTTOM.
DEPTH IS 528.
[CORDES] IF YOU WERE TO JUST PICK A RANDOM POINT ON EARTH
AND DIVE DOWN INTO THE DEEP SEA,
ALL YOU WOULD SEE IS PLAIN MUD.
IT'S ACTUALLY THE MOST COMMON HABITAT ON EARTH.
BUT WITH A LITTLE BIT OF PREPARATION AND A LOT OF DATA,
WE CAN PLAN VERY SPECIFIC DIVE TARGETS.
WE CAN LAND RIGHT ON A SPECTACULAR CORAL REEF.
RIGHT ON A FLOWING RIVER OF BRINE,
THIS SUPER SATURATED SALTY WATER
THAT COMES UP THROUGH THE SEA FLOOR,
NOT MIXING WITH THE SEA WATER ABOVE.
YOU MIGHT EVEN FIND SOMETHING MORE ASTONISHING,
SOMETHING THAT NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN BEFORE.
SOMETHING LIKE THIS SIPHONOPHORA,
A COLONIAL ORGANISM,
A DISTANT RELATIVE OF A JELLYFISH.
[KULATHINAL] THIS IS WHAT WE DO AS SCIENTISTS.
BUT THE REASON WHY WE DO THINGS
IS BECAUSE WE LOVE FUCKING SCIENCE, RIGHT?
THAT'S COOL, I THINK.
THAT'S PASSION OF SCIENCE
AND THAT'S THE STUFF THAT WE TRY TO INSTILL
IN OUR GRADUATE STUDENTS.
SO IF YOU LOOKED AROUND THE TABLE,
HALF OF THEM ARE GRADUATE STUDENTS.
THEY'RE GONNA BE FUTURE SCIENTISTS
AND THEY HAD THIS PASSION,
NOT FOR MONEY, NOT FOR OIL,
NOT FOR ANYTHING ELSE, BUT TO SAVE HUMANITY,
AND I JUST, I THINK THAT'S REALLY COOL.
[RADIO STATIC]
[CORDES] MARKER CUE SHOULD BE 29.15866.
IT SHOULD BE RIGHT, LIKE, RIGHT HERE.
[STRICKROTT OVER RADIO] YEP, STAND BY, I'M DOUBLE-CHECKING IT.
ALL RIGHT, CHANGE OF PLANS, DRIVE NORTH.
391 METERS.
[SEAN] ALL RIGHT, START HEADING NORTH.
[CORDES] YEAH.
[STRICKROTT] YEAH, ROGER THAT.
[CORDES] WHEN WE REACH BOTTOM, WE REALIZE THAT THE NAVIGATION IS OFF.
WE'RE LOST.
HEY, YOU'RE GETTING PUSHED TO THE EAST PRETTY HARD RIGHT NOW,
NORTH AND EAST, SO, YOU'RE STILL--
YOU'RE ON THE FAR EAST EDGE OF THE MOUND.
IF YOU TURN TO 300, YOU'LL ACTUALLY PROBABLY HEAD 315.
[RADIO BEEPS]
SO, ANYWAY--
STILL GOING NORTH.
[CORDES] SO, UP AND SOUTH.
[SEAN] TEN--
100 METERS.
[CORDES] THOUGHT WE JUST DID 100. OH, WE JUST DID--
WELL, WE JUST DID-- SO WE DID ONE METER,
WE DID TEN-ISH METERS,
AND THEN WE DID 80 METERS.
BUT THIS, IT SHOULD BE 100 METERS AWAY FROM THE REEF.
LIKE--
[CORDES] ON ALMOST EVERY DIVE,
SOMETHING GOES WRONG.
GUESS WE'RE RED.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
YEAH, DON'T THE LITTLE LIGHTS ON THE CAMERA CONTROLLER MEAN SOMETHING?
THERE'S A RED LIGHT?
[CORDES] YOU MIGHT LOSE THE CAMERAS,
YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING, YOU'RE NOT SURE WHERE YOU ARE.
I'VE KINDA RESTARTED ALMOST EVERYTHING,
AND THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANY LOVE ON EITHER SIDE.
I MEAN, I GUESS I'LL MESS WITH IT UP TO A CERTAIN POINT,
BUT THIS IS KINDA BULLSHIT.
CAN'T BELIEVE THIS BULLSHIT.
SO THAT'S GONE, THAT DOESN'T WORK.
WELL, THIS IS FUN.
[CORDES] FINALLY, WE RUN ACROSS ONE OF MY OLD MARKERS
AND I KNOW WHERE WE ARE.
HAVING FUN?
LET'S NOT HIGH FIVE UNTIL WE HAVE SOMETHING IN THE BASKET.
SEAN, YOU'LL BE DROPPING TWO WEIGHTS,
TWO WEIGHTS AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A HEADS UP,
BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE JUST THINKING
15 MINUTES TO THE SURFACE,
SO IT'S ABOUT A 1645 LEAGUE BOTTOM.
[RADAR BEEPS]
AH, THERE HE IS.
-[GRAU] YOU SEE IT? -[KANTOR] YEAH, DEAD AHEAD.
I'M GONNA JUMP IN WITH HIM AND SWIM OVER.
I'M GONNA WATCH HIM IN THE WATER PUT IT ON.
WOULD YOU BE ALL RIGHT WITH HIM GOING ON THE SUB WITH RONNIE
AND THEN DOING THE TAIL LINE AND COMING ON?
-YES. -'CAUSE HE'S OBSERVED ALL OF IT,
SO I FIGURED TODAY IT'S TIME FOR SOME ACTION.
YOU COOL WITH THAT, AND RYAN THE SUB TODAY,
DOING A TAIL LINE, THE MAIN,
AND THEN HOPPING OFF THE SUB?
UNDER YOUR TUTELAGE, LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN.
OKAY, JUST WANNA CONFIRM WITH YOU.
THANK YOU.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
READY?
YEAH, BE CAREFUL.
[CORDES] NOW YOU RETURN TO THE SURFACE...
AND THE FORCE OF THE WAVES AND THE OCEAN
STARTS TO ROCK THE BOAT AGAIN.
YOU HEAR THE SMALL BOAT COME OVER.
THEY SWIM AROUND THE SUB.
THEY MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T BRING ANYTHING BACK
THAT YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO.
IT CAN BE JARRING SOMETIMES TO COME BACK
AND RETURN TO THE SURFACE WORLD.
IT'S LOUD AND HOT AND LIGHT.
[CORDES] AND YOU CAN FEEL THAT YOU'RE BACK.
SO YOU GET RIGHT ABOUT THERE, RIGHT?
[FRAN] YEAH.
[RONNIE WHIMS] BANG. BANG.
OKAY.
NOW, YOU KNOW WHERE THAT GOES, CORRECT?
[FRAN] OFF THE SIDE HERE.
[WHIMS] THE SIDE, YEP.
[CORDES] SOMEBODY CLIMBS ON TOP,
AND PICKS UP THE PHONE,
AND ASKS YOU HOW YOU'RE DOING,
MAKING SURE YOU'RE STILL ALIVE.
[CORDES] YOU BOB AROUND FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
HOPEFULLY IT DOESN'T TAKE TOO LONG.
GOOD.
[CORDES] THEY LOWER THE GIANT ROPE DOWN...
[WHIMS] VERY NICE.
NICE.
...AND HOOK IT OVER ALVIN
AND YANK YOU OUT OF THE WATER.
YOUR BRIEF TRIP OFF OF THE SHIP IS OVER...
...AND NOW YOU REALLY ARE BACK ON THE SURFACE.
[STRICKROTT] COORDINATOR, YOU'RE FREE TO OPEN YOUR HATCH.
[CORDES] AND YOU CAN FEEL THE PRESSURE EQUALIZING,
POPPING YOUR EARS A LITTLE BIT.
WE'RE NOT JUST ON A FISHING EXPEDITION.
THE WHOLE POINT OF EXPLORATION
IS TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT WE THINK WE KNOW ABOUT THE EARTH
AND TEST IT IN A NEW PART OF THE EARTH
THAT WE'VE NEVER BEEN TO BEFORE.
WE'RE NOT JUST OUT THERE WAVING OUR BUTTERFLY NETS AROUND.
[CALEB KING] THIS SPONGE ITSELF IS CALLED A GLASS CHALICE SPONGE,
AND THESE ARE FILTER-FEEDERS THAT JUST LIVE OFF ANYTHING
IN THE WATER THAT THEY CAN GET A HOLD OF.
THE FOOD WEB IN PARTICULAR IS IMPORTANT DOWN THERE
BECAUSE, AS, LET'S SAY THAT THE CORALS
AND SOME OF THE FOUNDATION SPECIES DOWN THERE,
THESE HIGHER-LEVEL ORGANISMS, SUCH AS FISH, SPONGES,
OTHER INVERTEBRATES THAT COME IN AND LIVE IN THIS AREA,
THEY FEED ON THIS CONTINUALLY GROWING SYSTEM
WHERE YOU HAVE BASICALLY FOUNDATION SPECIES
ALL THE WAY UP TO PRIMARY CONSUMERS,
SECONDARY CONSUMERS.
SO IT'S KINDA LIKE THIS HIERARCHY,
AND IF YOU GET RID OF ONE LEVEL,
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE NEXT LEVELS ABOVE?
SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHO'S EATING WHO
AND WHERE IN THAT FOOD SYSTEM TO KNOW THAT,
IF YOU WERE TO CUT OUT, FOR EXAMPLE,
THE SCLERACTINIAN CORALS,
THEN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE ORGANISMS
THAT LIVE ON WHAT THEY PRODUCE,
OR WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF DOING?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CORDES] SO, IF WE DON'T HAVE HAPPY CORALS IN THE DEEP,
THEN WE MIGHT NOT HAVE HAPPY SHRIMP SWIMMING AROUND THEM,
OR HAPPY FISH.
AND IF WE DON'T HAVE HAPPY FISH,
WE DON'T HAVE HAPPY PEOPLE.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING ON THIS CRUISE
REALLY DOES AFFECT PEOPLE'S LIVES
IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
THE PH IS GONNA GO DOWN.
ACIDIFICATION IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND, RIGHT NOW, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW
HOW THESE ECOSYSTEMS ARE GOING TO RESPOND.
WE NEED A SUPER CORAL, RIGHT?
LIKE, WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF ANY LOPHELIA
CAN WITHSTAND THE LEVELS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
THAT WE'RE EXPECTING BY 2100.
SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING ARE VERY IN-DEPTH
AND A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED, BUT THAT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.
LIKE, WE NEED TO FIND A SUPER CORAL,
AND THE SOONER, THE BETTER.
[CORDES] SCIENCE WORKS IN A REALLY...
SLOW, METHODICAL MANNER.
THERE AREN'T VERY MANY BIG EUREKA MOMENTS.
A EUREKA MOMENT IS LIKE ONE MORE STEP FORWARD...
ON A REALLY LONG JOURNEY.
WE'RE OUT THERE GATHERING MORE FACTS
AND PUTTING TOGETHER THIS LARGER STORY
AND TRYING TO FIT THESE THINGS TOGETHER,
AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING ON EARTH.
WOW!
YES, THAT'S A PTEROPOD.
NO WAY.
[CORDES] YOU CHOOSE YOUR QUESTIONS.
SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS ARE PIECES OF SAVING THE WORLD,
MAKE LIFE A LITTLE BETTER IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
I GUESS MAYBE THAT'S A LITTLE TOO OPTIMISTIC.
SO, ON TODAY'S DIVE, A BUNCH OF SHIT HAPPENED.
A BUNCH OF THINGS ARE GOING WRONG WITH THE SUB.
OUR ARM IS HAVING A COUPLE ISSUES
WITH LEAKY HYDRAULIC FLUID
AND GETTING SOME WATER INTO IT.
BUT THE BIG ONE IS
ONE OF THE BATTERIES IS LEAKING.
[STRICKROTT] LEAKY BATTERY.
YEAH, ALL RIGHT, SO WE GOT TWO BIG BATTERIES IN THE SUB,
AND ONE OF 'EM WAS GETTING A LITTLE WATER IN IT
THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
LIKE A QUARTER CUP, WHICH IS A LOT.
AND THEN LAST NIGHT, WHEN WE BROUGHT IT UP ON DECK,
WE HAD OVER TWO CUPS COME OUT.
NORMALLY, WE GET NONE.
SO THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S A HIGHER RISK
THAT WE'LL GET A FULL, FULL-ON LEAK,
WHICH COULD AFFECT THE WHOLE SERIES REALLY NEGATIVELY.
WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO DITCH THE BATTERY.
SO I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS LAST NIGHT, AND THEN I GOT UP THIS MORNING
AND REALIZED THAT IT WASN'T WORTH THE RISK.
MM-HMM.
SO I TALKED TO THE CAPTAIN,
AND ERIK, AND WE MADE THE CALL TO GO IN.
WE'RE NOT EVEN GOING INTO PORT 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT THE PLAN
UNLESS WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.
WE'RE GOING TO AN ANCHORAGE.
SO WE WERE RIGHT HERE,
AT357.
AND WE'RE GOING...
[WHISTLES]
...RIGHT THERE.
THERE'S SOMEBODY COMING OUT TO MEET US IN A BOSTON WHALER.
THAT BOSTON WHALER'S DELIVERING ONE LAST PART
BEFORE WE CAN HEAD BACK OUT TO SEA.
[STRICKROTT] SO WE USE THE SAME METHOD TO BRING 'EM OUT.
THEY'VE ALREADY LOOSENED UP THE BOLTS,
THEY'RE PULLING APART THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS,
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA LOWER THE BATTERY DOWN RIGHT DOWN TO THE BOTTOM HERE.
AND THEN, AFTER THAT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE IT APART,
PULL THE COVER OFF, TAKE THE BLADDER OUT,
LOOK FOR THE LEAK, CLEAN UP THE WATER,
PUT IT BACK TOGETHER, FILL IT FULL OF OIL,
LEAK CHECK IT, PUT IT BACK IN AGAIN.
ANYBODY NEED ANYTHING ELSE?
EXCEPT, LIKE, A GALLON OF WHISKEY.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE COULD GET THAT DELIVERED.
THAT'D BE NICE RIGHT NOW.
JUST A BEER, BOB, YEAH--
THE "SENTRY" GROUP SUGGESTED TRYING TO GET A PARTY BOAT
TO JUST, LIKE, PARK NEXT TO US
SO WE COULD SWIM OVER.
EVERY DAY, THERE'S, LIKE, ANOTHER STUPID THING,
ANOTHER CURVE BALL.
THEY'RE VERY COMPLICATED PIECES OF MACHINERY
THAT GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.
THERE'S A MILLION THINGS THAT CAN BREAK.
YOU JUST EXPECT IT.
JUST BE READY TO SHUT IT OFF.
ALL RIGHT.
YOU KNOW WHAT?
[CORDES] IT'S EASY TO FORGET JUST HOW DANGEROUS THIS WORK IS.
IF THE WINDOW FAILS ON A SUBMERSIBLE,
YOU WON'T EVEN NOTICE IT.
THE IMPLOSION WOULD HAPPEN SO FAST
THAT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE A CHANCE.
WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE PART.
[KANTOR] BRIDGE, MAX.
TOSS THE SCHEDULE, ROGER.
TOSSING, BYE.
-TOSSING THE SCHEDULE. -REALLY?
HE'S GONNA MAKE A NEW ONE.
WOMP WOMP.
[CORDES] I MEAN, I TOLD YOU YESTERDAY,
LIKE, IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO LOSE A DAY
NOW THAT WE GOT OUR FIRST DIVE IN.
AND IT WAS A GOOD FIRST DIVE BECAUSE HE'S GOT STUFF TO DO,
THEY'VE GOT STUFF TO DO.
IF WE DON'T DIVE,
SAM WILL BE IN THERE DOING RESPIROMETRY ALL DAY.
LIKE, YEAH, PEOPLE HAVE THINGS TO DO.
IF LOSING THAT FIRST DIVE, WE HAVE NOTHING.
PEOPLE ARE SITTING AROUND WITH THEIR THUMBS IN THEIR BUTTS.
NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT NOW ANYWAY,
BUT MORE THUMBS IN MORE BUTTS,
AND FOR LONGER.
OH, SHIT, IT'S FOUR-POINT PERSPECTIVE!
PUT SOME SNOW ON THOSE TREES, TOO.
HE WILL.
YEAH, THAT SLY MOTHERFUCKER.
[BOB ROSS, ON TV] THESE TYPES SCENES, THEY REALLY SELL.
BOY, THEY SELL LIKE HOTCAKES.
EVERYBODY LIKES 'EM.
AND HE'S A CAPITALIST!
[CORDES] STILL WAITING ON THE PART.
LOOKING GOOD SO FAR.
SO FAR IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE OUR BOAT.
YES!
YAHTZEE.
[MAN] ROGER THAT, OKAY.
[CORDES] SO, WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU GUYS DONE IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS?
[STRICKROTT] RIGHT, WE SWAPPED THE BATTERY,
SO EVERYBODY'S UP TO SPEED WITH THAT.
IT LOOKS GREAT. IT'S NOT LEAKING.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA BE A PROBLEM ANYMORE.
WE YANKED THE PANEL OFF AND FOUND WATER IN IT,
AND THE ASSEMBLY ON THAT CAUSED A COUPLE WIRES TO BREAK,
BUT THEY'RE FIXING THAT RIGHT NOW,
SO THAT HOPEFULLY--
[MAN] IS THAT AT STARBOARD?
"STAR-BURD."
[MAN] STAR BOARD.
CANADIANS.
IT'S IN "PRO-CESS."
[LAUGHTER]
OKAY, I'M GONNA GO TELL EVERYBODY UPSTAIRS.
-[DIRECTOR] WHAT'D HE SAY? -WE'RE GOING.
OKAY, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE.
HEY, MAKE SURE YOU GET THAT HAPPY FACE.
[MAN OVER RADIO] ROGER ROGER, DODGER.
YOU GUYS GOOD?
[SEAN] YEAH, WE'RE GOOD.
YOU GUYS READY?
-[SEAN] READY. -ALL RIGHT.
[COORDINATOR OVER RADIO] HOLD THE MAIN, MAIN IS OFF, TAKE IT UP.
[SEAN] I DO COPY, THEN COPY FROM THEM.
I THINK IT'S ABOUT 660, RIGHT?
[COORDINATOR] YES, YOUR DIVE DEPTH IS 692
AND YOUR SWIMMERS ARE CLEAR.
YOU ARE CLEAR TO DIVE.
[SEAN] ROGER, ALVIN DIVING.
[CORDES] YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW
IF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS A NEW SPECIES OR...
A NEW HABITAT, OR--
IT HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY DIVE
THAT YOU FIND SOMETHING THAT
NO ONE'S EVER SEEN.
THAT'S REALLY THE MAGIC OF EXPLORATION.
YOU FORGET THAT YOU'RE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN
IN A LITTLE TIN CAN SOMETIMES.
IN THIS, THE SIXTH MAJOR EXTINCTION
IN THE HISTORY OF EARTH,
DEEP SEA MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A REFUGE FOR A LOT OF SPECIES
OR ENTIRE GROUPS OF ANIMALS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO EXTINCT.
AND IF WE CAN FIND SOME OF THESE SUPER CORALS,
THESE TYPES OF LOPHELIA THAT ARE GONNA SURVIVE OCEAN ACIDIFICATION,
IT MIGHT BE THAT WE CAN PRESERVE SOME OF THESE AREAS
AND ACTUALLY PREVENT CORALS IN GENERAL
FROM GOING EXTINCT ON EARTH.
YEAH, ROGER THAT.
AND CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A SCIENCE REPORT?
[SEAN] STAND BY FOR A SCIENCE REPORT.
[CORDES] FOUR CORES NEAR CORAL
THAT CHEW CORE AND BRINE.
AND YOU CAN DROP WEIGHTS.
[SEAN] ATLANTIS ALVIN, RADIO CHECK CHANNEL 8-0.
[COORDINATOR] ALVIN ATLANTIS, READ YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
AVON IS ON THE WAY.
[SEAN] ROGER, ATLANTIS. READ YOU THE SAME.
[CORDES] YEAH, THAT ONE SEALS FINE.
THIS ONE'S THE ONE WITH THE PROBLEM ON THE CORNER.
DON'T BREATHE ON IT.
SEAL HER UP.
[LANDEN] YEAH, AND THAT'S THE HARD PART.
[KULATHINAL] YEAH.
THREE LOPHELIA AND FOUR CALLOGORGIA.
[LUNDEN] OH, REALLY? NO WAY.
-WELL, THAT'S SOME GOOD NEWS. -WELL--
[LUNDEN] GOT SOME SAMPLES FROM THE EAST ATLANTIC.
SO, ANYWAY, AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME...
WE'VE CHECKED THIS BOX, WE'VE CHECKED THIS BOX,
WE'VE CHECKED THIS BOX.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO HERE.
[KULATHINAL] YEAH, IT SURE DOES.
NEXT THREE DAYS, RIGHT? IT'S CRITICAL.
-YEAH. -RUNNING AGAINST TIME.
RACE AGAINST TIME AND WEATHER.
BALLS, ROB, BALLS.
BALLS?
[CORDES] GOOD LORD, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING.
ONE OUT OF EVERY TEN CRUISES, YOU GET NEAR THE END
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, HERE COMES OUR FRIEND WEATHER.
-[MAN] HELLO, BUDDY! -YEAH, "HI!
YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME."
[CORDES] IT REALLY MAKES YOU FEEL SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT
WHEN YOU'RE FACED WITH THE POWER OF NATURE.
I, WELL, LOOK, SO,
AT 9:00, THEY'RE GONNA MAKE THE CALL
ON WHETHER THIS IS A YAY OR NAY.
UM, AFTER 9:00, WE GOTTA STEAM SOME 30-ODD MILES, TOO.
[CORDES] YUCK.
WHAT HAPPENED?
HEY, CHRIS, YOU GONNA CALL THIS?
-[CHRIS] YES. -ALL RIGHT.
YOU CALLING THIS?
WELL, I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEAR, RIGHT?
I MEAN, IT COULD CLEAR BY MIDDAY, MAYBE.
IT'S A BIG MAYBE.
[MAN] HEY!
BRUCE IS OFFICIALLY CALLING THIS.
AND I HAVE-- I'M SORRY.
YEAH, EVERYBODY'S UP HERE.
IF YOU WANNA COME UP HERE AND--
OKAY, BY ALL MEANS.
ALL RIGHT.
IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH TO ROLL OUT THROUGH THAT DOOR.
SHIT.
OH, THAT'S A STORM,
THAT'S A NICE FRONT COMING IN.
I THINK YOU'RE GONNA GET WET SOON.
YEAH.
DEFINITELY GONNA GET SOME RAIN HERE
IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES.
HOW WATERPROOF IS YOUR CAMERA?
[CORDES] AS SOON AS YOU TURN YOUR BACK,
THAT ROGUE WAVE IS GONNA COME OUT OF NOWHERE
AND SWEEP YOU AWAY.
THE SEAS HAVEN'T COME UP TOO AWFUL MUCH,
BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S NOT GETTING BETTER.
-[THUNDER CRASHING] -WOW!
[CORDES] IT'S AWE-INSPIRING
JUST TO WATCH A STORM LIKE THIS ROLL IN.
THIS IS OUR HEADINGS OVER HERE.
BUT THE WHOLE-- YOU CAN, IF YOU WATCH IT FOR A SECOND,
THE WHOLE STORM'S MOVING THIS WAY,
WE'RE KINDA IN THAT POCKET.
[CORDES] THIS STORM IS INTENSE.
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
THE STORM WIPES EVERYTHING ELSE OUT,
AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.
WHOA!
HA!
HOLY SHIT.
[KANTOR] THAT'S CLOSE. [CHUCKLES]
[CORDES] I JUST LOOKED AGAIN AT MY SUMMARY FOR THE LAST DAY.
WE NEED THREE GIGANTIC COLLECTIONS.
LIKE, SIX LARGE FRAGMENTS
AND THEN 19 PIECES TO SAMPLE OVER TIME.
25 NUBBINS OF ONE GENOTYPE.
AT LEAST THREE OF THOSE.
-WOW. -THAT'S A SHIT LOAD OF CORAL.
THAT'S A LOT OF CORAL.
NO CORES, NO NOTHING,
NO QUIVERS, JUST BIOBOXES.
NO SPONGES, NO.
IT'S GONNA BE-- WE'RE CUTTING IT CLOSE.
WE'RE GETTING DOWN TO THE WIRE.
SO, YOU'RE GONNA START YOUR TIME POINTS
RIGHT WHEN THEY COME UP.
WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY WATCH THEM ACCLIMATE
AND MEASURE RESPIROMETRY.
WE'LL SEE WHEN THEY STABILIZE,
AND THEN MOVE 'EM INTO THE PH TREATMENTS.
-ALL RIGHT, WE GOT A PLAN? -YEAH, WE GOT A PLAN.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S HAVE SOME TEAMSMANSHIP.
ALL RIGHT.
OH, WHOA!
♪ I BELIEVE I CAN FLY
♪ I BELIEVE I CAN TOUCH THE SKY ♪
I'M ACID HORIZON MAN!
[LAUGHTER]
I CAN CHANGE THE SATURATION HORIZON TO WHEREVER I WANT.
-UP TO KILL MY ENEMIES-- -WOW, THAT'S A SWEET POWER.
YEAH.
IT'S RIGHT UP THERE WITH AQUAMAN.
[LAUGHTER, CLAPPING]
ACID HORIZON MAN, AWAY!
WELL, WE HAD TO LIGHTEN THE MOOD.
HE WAS VERY TENSE.
[HORN BLOWS]
HE WAS FREAKING OUT A LITTLE BIT.
LET'S HOPE THIS ISN'T THE LAST ONE.
IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH FOR HIM TO GET IT ALL TODAY.
[AVON OVER RADIO] THIS IS THE AVON, SWIMMERS ARE CLEAR.
HAVE A GOOD DIVE.
[SEAN OVER RADIO] ROGER, AVON, THANKS.
THE SWIMMER'S CLEAR, ALVIN DIVING.
[CORDES] AT SOME POINT DURING THE DIVE,
YOU LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU ARE.
YOU ACTUALLY ARE PHYSICALLY ON THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.
SO WE'VE TAKEN A PIECE OF THE EARTH,
WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT IT, WE'VE MODIFIED IT,
WE'VE SCULPTED IT,
AND NOW WE'RE USING IT AS A TOOL
TO GO TO A PLACE THAT, FRANKLY, WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GO.
RIGHT? SO WHENEVER I ASK KIDS THE FOLLOWING QUESTION,
"WHAT'S THE MOST EXTREME ANIMAL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN?",
THEY'LL SAY THINGS LIKE CRABS, OR EELS OR WHATEVER, RIGHT?
BUT THE FACT IS, WE ARE. THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
THE MOST EXTREME ANIMAL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN
ARE THE HUMANS INSIDE THE SUBMARINE.
-YEAH, WE DON'T BELONG THERE AT ALL. -WE DON'T BELONG.
WELL, WE BELONG.
WE JUST HAVE TO EARN OUR RIGHT TO GO.
WELL, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT THIS.
WHAT IF YOU DID HAVE TO SPEND,
FOR WHATEVER REASON, LET'S SAY YOU HAD TO SPEND THREE DAYS AT THE BOTTOM--
[CORDES] WE HAD A VERY LONG CONVERSATION EARLIER--
YOU'RE IN A DIFFERENT--
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET CREATIVE.
[CORDES] YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DRINK PEE.
-NO, YOU WON'T. -YEAH, LIKE, RIGHT AWAY,
WITHIN LIKE FOUR OR FIVE HOURS.
-WHY? -YOU START DRINKING URINE.
-OH. -[LAUGHS]
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM.
IT'S DELICIOUS.
-"IT'S DELICIOUS." -[LAUGHS]
WELL...
[MAN] THAT'S RIGHT. I GET--
I THINK, JUST WITH TIME,
I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE DOING THE LOPHELIA COLLECTIONS NOW.
-[WOMAN] YEP. -[MAN] YEP.
[MAN] SO JUST GONNA KEEP GOING.
YEAH, YOU FIRST LEARN ABOUT EVOLUTION,
AND YOU GO, "I'LL GO AND READ GENESIS AGAIN,"
BUT THAT WASN'T IN GENESIS.
LIKE, I'M PRETTY SURE THERE WAS NO, LIKE,
"MONKEY TURNING INTO A HUMAN."
YOU KNOW, BUT THEN YOU START TO THINK ABOUT GENESIS
AND EVOLUTION, AND WHAT I PERSONALLY KNOW ABOUT GOD,
AND I DON'T FIND ANYTHING INCOMPATIBLE
ABOUT THE TWO.
I'VE FELT CLOSER TO GOD IN THE SUBMARINE.
I MEAN, YOU'RE RIGHT THERE LOOKING AT HIS BEAUTIFUL, LIKE, HANDIWORK
AND IT JUST BLOWS YOU AWAY.
[CORDES] THE UNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.
IT'S A LITTLE MURKY.
I'M NOT TRYING TO TELL YOU WHAT TO BELIEVE.
IT'S NOT A BELIEF SYSTEM.
THESE ARE FACTS.
EVOLUTION'S NOT GOAL-ORIENTED.
LIFE IS NOT GOAL-ORIENTED,
EXCEPT MAYBE THE GOAL OF SELF-PRESERVATION.
THAT MAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE...
THAT THERE'S NO WHY.
WHY ARE THERE CORALS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN?
I DON'T KNOW.
THEY'RE PRETTY.
BUT YOU CAN'T STARE INTO THE EYE OF A CORAL
AND WONDER WHAT IT'S THINKING.
I BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING'S CONNECTED THROUGH CARBON ATOMS
AND THE FLOW OF ENERGY.
BEING THERE...
IN THE FIRST PERSON
REALLY BRINGS A LOT OF THOSE CONNECTIONS TO LIFE
WHEN I'M IN THE SUBMARINE...
...AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.
[MAN] AND THEN STARBOARD MID.
SO GO AHEAD AND DROP THE PORT FORWARD.
-SO THESE? -YEAH, YOU HAVE TO HOLD IT UP.
-SO THIS ONE? -YEAH.
-THERE YOU GO, YOU HEARD IT, YEAH. -AND THIS ONE.
-[DIRECTOR] WHOA. -THAT'S TWO OF THEM GONE.
-I CAN FEEL IT. -YOU CAN FEEL IT, YEAH.
FORWARD READY, ONE METER TO WASTE.
[COORDINATOR] ALVIN, THIS IS THE ATLANTIS, WE READ YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
THE AVON IS SLOWLY MAKING ITS WAY TOWARDS YOU.
[INDISTINCT RADIO COMMUNICATION]
-[MAN] WHOO! -[WATER SPLASHES]
[CORDES] OH, SHIT.
DID YOU GET IT?
[LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE]
[WOMAN] YAY!
[BELL RINGS]
[CORDES CHUCKLES]
NICE JOB, MAN.
NICE JOB.
I MEAN, IT WAS DEFINITELY PRODUCTIVE,
WE GOT ALL THE SAMPLES FROM THE SEAFLOOR
THAT WE NEEDED.
LIKE THE WATER SAMPLES,
THE PAIRED SAMPLES, THAT WAS THE BIGGEST ONE...
FOR THIS CRUISE.
AND THEN, WE'RE BRINGING ENOUGH DIFFERENT GENOTYPES
OF CORAL HOME TO BE ABLE TO DO THE EXPERIMENTS
THAT WE SAID WE WOULD DO,
SO WE'LL GET THOSE DONE.
[CHEERING]
READY? ALL RIGHT.
ONE, TWO, THREE.
[CORDES] SOMETIMES I STILL HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING THAT WE MADE IT.
BUT I THINK WE MADE IT.
WELL, I THINK WE DID.
I JUST HOPE ONE OF THOSE CORALS IS THE SUPER CORAL.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
EXACTLY.
UH, I DON'T KNOW.
[MAN] RIGHT, MOVING ON.
WELL, LIKE AN ONION, IT'S COMPLEX--
TRUE, IT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST PROBLEMS THAT MANKIND IS FACING.
SEE?
THAT'S YOUR OPENING SENTENCE.
THAT WAS OUR OPENING SENTENCE OF THE PROPOSAL.
-YOU TOLD ME THAT. -AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
AND WHEN I SAID THAT YOU WERE LIKE, "OH, GEEZ, I MEAN, SHOULD WE GO THAT FAR?"
YOU THREW MY PROPOSAL OFF OF YOUR TABLE.
I WAS LIKE, "YES, WE SHOULD GO THAT FAR,
IT'S FUCKING TRUE, JAY."
IT'S FUCKING TRUE.
-YEAH, RIGHT. -OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
IS ONE OF THE GREATEST PROBLEMS
THAT MANKIND IS FACING TODAY.
THIS PROPOSAL WOULD NOT BE FUNDED WITHOUT JAY'S DREAMS.
THIS PROPOSAL WOULD NOT BE FUNDED
WITHOUT THE COLLABORATION THAT ERIK AND I DEVELOPED.
YOU KNOW, YOU--
[BLOWS RASPBERRY]
LIKE, I--
I DON'T KNOW, I JUST--
I LOVE WORKING WITH YOU.
THAT'S IT.
THAT ONE GENOTYPE.
THEY'RE ALL POSITIVELY CALCIFYING AT 7.6.
HUH.
[WOMAN LAUGHING]
THAT'S ACTUALLY... WHAT WE THOUGHT MIGHT HAPPEN.
-[WOMAN] THAT'S COOL. -THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING.
THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT I EXPECTED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE UGLIER THAN THAT.
-THAT'S PRETTY CLEAN. -YEAH.
HOLY CRAP.
SO, THIS IS THE LAST ROUND OF EXPERIMENTS
THAT WE CONDUCTED ON THE CORALS
THAT WE COLLECTED DURING THE CRUISE.
WE BROUGHT 'EM BACK.
WE HAVE LONG-TERM EXPERIMENTS GOING IN THESE TANKS,
AND THIS IS THE 7.9
AND THE OTHER ONE'S 7.6,
AND THEY'VE BEEN RUNNING FOR A COUPLE MONTHS NOW.
THEY'LL BE GOING FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS.
IF WE FIND THAT SOME OF THESE GENOTYPES ARE THE SUPER CORALS,
WE COULD POSSIBLY, UH...
HELP SPREAD THEM AROUND AND SEED NEW REEFS
THAT COULD MAKE IT INTO THE FUTURE.
WE SPLIT THEM UP AND PUT 'EM IN DIFFERENT TANKS,
WE COULD POSSIBLY DO THAT ON THE OCEAN FLOOR.
WE COULD BRING 'EM UP AND...
TRANSPLANT THEM ALL OVER THE PLACE
AND MAKE SURE THAT THESE REEFS
ARE MAINTAINED INTO THE FUTURE.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
WE CAN PLANT IT IN OTHER PLACES.
WE CAN SEED THE FORESTS OF CORALS
IN THE DEEP SEA WITH THE SUPER CORAL.
SO WE'LL SEE THE LONG-TERM RESPONSE TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION,
AND WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT GENOTYPES
THAT HAVE REALLY DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION,
AND SOME OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY GROWING.
SOME OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY POSITIVELY GROWING
AT 7.6 UNDER A SATURATION STATE OF ONE
WHERE WE DIDN'T REALLY THINK THAT WAS POSSIBLE.
SO THESE ARE, IN FACT, THE SUPER CORALS
THAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR ON THE CRUISE,
ARE HERE IN THE LAB,
AND THEY'RE GROWING UNDER CONDITIONS
THAT WEREN'T THOUGHT POSSIBLE FOR CORALS TO GROW.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
[DRUMMING, CHANTING]
WELL, CAN WE ANSWER THAT QUESTION OF
WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT DEEP SEA CORALS?
[CHEERING]
AND WHY DO WE CARE? AND WHY DOES THAT AFFECT US?
AND WHO CARES IF THEY'RE ALL WIPED OUT?
[LUNDEN] I DON'T SEE IT AS AN EXCUSE TO CONTINUE TO
POLLUTE THE ATMOSPHERE WITH CARBON DIOXIDE.
THESE ORGANISMS CAN TOLERATE THE STRESS
THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH NOW.
THEY MAY BE DOING OKAY,
BUT THIS ISN'T, LIKE, "OH, WE'RE OFF THE HOOK."
IT'S JUST A DELAY.
AS A SCIENTIST, CAN YOU TAKE OFF YOUR,
YOU KNOW, SQUARE GRADUATE CAP
AND BECOME THAT ACTIVIST ALSO,
AND ALSO ADVOCATE FOR YOUR OWN SCIENCE,
OR IS THAT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST?
I DON'T THINK THAT SCIENTISTS SHOULD BE ACTIVISTS.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE SUPREME COURT JUDGES,
THEY SHOULDN'T BE ACTIVISTS.
THEY SHOULD JUST DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO,
WHAT THEY'RE HEEDED TO DO.
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF ROOM IN SOCIETY FOR ACTIVISM.
AND IT'S UP TO OTHERS--
I USED TO AGREE WITH YOU,
AND I THINK, UM...
WE MAY BE GETTING SO FAR DOWN THE PATH
THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO START
TAKING OFF THOSE FANCY SQUARE HATS
AND SCREAMING AND KNOCKING DOWN DOORS.
[CORDES] I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS MAYBE
THERE ARE SUPERHERO SCIENTISTS OUT THERE
WHO ARE COMING UP WITH GRAND SOLUTIONS
FOR ALL THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS.
[SON BABBLING]
I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF IT MORE ABOUT, LIKE, PERSONAL CONNECTIONS
AND, LIKE, A ONE-ON-ONE.
AH!
I CANVASED FOR GREENPEACE WHEN I WAS 19,
GOING DOOR TO DOOR.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE WHO UNDERSTAND OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
AND UNDERSTAND THE DEEP SEA, EVEN.
SO, WHAT, UM--
TO PUT IT VERY SIMPLY, WHAT CAN I DO?
I MEAN, I-- YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE FOUND.
WE HAVE THIS SORT OF RAY OF HOPE
FOR, YOU KNOW, THIS EXAMPLE OF THIS DEEP WATER CORAL
THAT MAY BE REALLY TOLERANT OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.
I THINK IT PROVIDES SOME HOPE FOR CORALS IN GENERAL.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'LL PUBLISH THIS INFORMATION
AND I'LL GET IT OUT TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY,
BUT BEYOND THAT, LIKE--
YOU KNOW, IN SOME WAYS, I'M DOING WHAT I CAN
TO SORT OF CROSS THAT LINE AND BE AN ADVOCATE,
BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN I DO
AND WHO NEEDS TO HEAR THIS MESSAGE?
WHERE DOES IT GO? LIKE, I--
I THINK IT'S A REALLY POWERFUL THING
WHEN SCIENTISTS ARE WILLING TO
STEP OUT OF THEIR COMFORT LEVEL OF PURE SCIENCE
AND ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED
TO THE POLICY MAKERS
AND TO YOUR AVERAGE PERSON ON THE STREET.
AND WHERE WE ARE WITH THIS PROBLEM NOW,
NOT VERY MANY PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION,
NOT ENOUGH FOR US TO HAVE THE CRITICAL MASS
TO WHERE WE CAN GET POLICY MAKERS TO LISTEN.
[CORDES] I MEAN, SAVING THE WORLD
IS, LIKE, SOMETHING SUPERHEROES DO.
I THINK SAVING THE WORLD IS A SLOW, METHODICAL PROCESS.
IT'S NOT LASER VISION
OR FLYING THE WORLD BACKWARDS TO GO BACK IN TIME.
I FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING.
I THINK I'M TRYING TO DO WHAT I CAN.
[WAVES CRASHING]
♪