. The depths of the ocean; a general account of the modern science of oceanography based largely on the scientific researches of the Norwegian steamer Michael Sars in the North Atlantic. Oceanography. CRUISES OF THE "MICHAEL SARS 63 eight hours, and the trawl came up (Fig. 42) in perfect order, containing an enormous mass of perhaps a ton of clay-like Globigerina ooze, that was as stiff as dough, and looked as if it might have been dug out of a chalk pit. We carefully sifted and washed it all with the hose, and found only the following animals : four actinians, of which two were growing o
. The depths of the ocean; a general account of the modern science of oceanography based largely on the scientific researches of the Norwegian steamer Michael Sars in the North Atlantic. Oceanography. CRUISES OF THE "MICHAEL SARS 63 eight hours, and the trawl came up (Fig. 42) in perfect order, containing an enormous mass of perhaps a ton of clay-like Globigerina ooze, that was as stiff as dough, and looked as if it might have been dug out of a chalk pit. We carefully sifted and washed it all with the hose, and found only the following animals : four actinians, of which two were growing on hermit crabs, two cirripeds, a holothurian, some gasteropods, and a few worms. The question now presented itself—was animal life really so sparse down at those depths, or did our catch fail to represent it properly ? Had the trawl perhaps, when dragged through the ooze, been rendered incapable of doing its work of capture ? If so, how had we been able to go on towing for such a length of time ? This was a problem that could only be solved by further experi- ment. A number of glass floats, about 3 inches in dia- meter, were sent down with the trawl, and were found to have been reduced to the finest powder by implosion through the immense pressure at this great depth. One thing at any rate we had learned. The enormous weight of 8000 metres of wire, with a huge trawl at the end, had worn deep grooves in our blocks and rollers in a very short space of time. It was rollers in reserve if much of this work was to be attempted, After a few successful pelagic hauls we resumed our course on the morning of the 21st April in the direction of Spain, our intention being to do some trawling at different depths on the continental slope, where the trawlers had told us the bottom was good. But when we made the coast of Spain at Cape Sisargas, an easterly gale sprang up and put a stop to all work, so after a few hydrographical observations (Stations 11 and 12) we steered southwards along the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1912
