After Hours

Photos: Roving the floor of Crater Lake

By // August 22, 2006, 1:58 AM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Scientists set out this month to answer questions about the large growth at the bottom of Oregon's Crater Lake, home of Mt. Mazama, a volcano that erupted about 7,700 years ago.

    A remotely operated vehicle system will be used to gather video footage and test samples to determine how this natural community fits into the lake's ecosystem. The research is being carried out by representatives of Oregon State University, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey and Southern Oregon University.

    The scientists will be using remotely-operated vehicles to explore the moss beds at the bottom of the lake. Pictured here in all its post-moss-exploring glory is the USGS Towed Camera System, which made its journey into the lake earlier this month. The "moss-beard" on the camera sled reflects an "unscheduled contact" with the bottom.

    Bob Collier, COAS, Oregon State University

  • Crater Lake is one of the clearest bodies of water in the world. There are few places on earth that command such overwhelming awe from observers. The clarity of this indescribably blue lake is primarily due to the extremely low concentration of suspended particles and nutrients to support algae and aquatic plant growth.

    Mark Buktenica, Crater Lake National Park

  • A close-up of some of the sample moss pulled from the bottom of Crater Lake.

    Steven Jessup, Southern Oregon University

  • Hidden far below the lake surface, a remarkable deep-water moss community (Depancladus aduncus) may represent the bulk of the biomass in the entire lake ecosystem. This thick band of moss encircles the lake at depths from 85 to 460 feet. This is growing moss hanging down from on the north wall of the caldera at 384-foot depth.

    Mark Buktenica, Crater Lake National Park

  • Lush beds of moss cover the gentler slopes around Wizard Island. This photograph was taken during a night dive by Bob Collier from the submersible Deep Rover in 1988.

    Bob Collier, COAS, Oregon State University

  • This moss was the first described and sampled during Deep Rover submarine program in the late 1980s by Crater Lake National Park biologist Mark Buktenica and colleagues at Oregon State University.

    Bob Collier, COAS, Oregon State University

  • Further evidence of the moss distribution was uncovered during recent high-resolution multibeam sonar surveys. Since the moss beds do not reflect the sonar sound back to the surface as well as the hard surfaces of the caldera wall, Pete Dartnell (USGS) predicted the moss distribution throughout the lake using a model of sonar backscatter intensity.

    NOAA

  • The USGS National Seafloor Mapping and Benthic Habitat Studies Project.

    Pete Dartnell, USGS, Western Coastal and Marine Geology

  • Backscatter intensity: Dark areas may help identify moss.

    Pete Dartnell, USGS, Western Coastal and Marine Geology

  • Photograph of Mark Buktenica

    David Reinert, COAS, Oregon State University

Scientists set out this month to answer questions about the large growth at the bottom of Oregon's Crater Lake, home of Mt. Mazama, a volcano that erupted about 7,700 years ago.

A remotely operated vehicle system will be used to gather video footage and test samples to determine how this natural community fits into the lake's ecosystem. The research is being carried out by representatives of Oregon State University, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey and Southern Oregon University.

The scientists will be using remotely-operated vehicles to explore the moss beds at the bottom of the lake. Pictured here in all its post-moss-exploring glory is the USGS Towed Camera System, which made its journey into the lake earlier this month. The "moss-beard" on the camera sled reflects an "unscheduled contact" with the bottom.

Bob Collier, COAS, Oregon State University

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...