WhaleTimes Creep into the Deep: Chris Kelley Bio

Creep into the Deep^{™

Virtual Research Mission to the Deep-Sea}

Hey Kids,

Jake, the SeaDog here, I caught up deep-sea scientist and explorer, Dr. Christopher Kelley as he prepared for his next deep-sea research cruise. Chris is a deep-sea fish expert and Program Biologist at the Hawai`i Undersea Research Laboratory . Here's what else I discovered...

Chris, what is your favorite animal? I like both dogs and cats as pets, but like to study all types of sea creatures such as fish, corals, sponges, crabs, you name it.

What do you study? I work mostly in the deep sea because its so mysterious and we know so little about it. There are all types of strange, beautiful animals living down there in complete darkness, freezing temperatures, and very high pressure. Where they are and what they are doing is what I am interested in finding out.

What is the coolest animal you've seen in the deep-sea? One of the coolest experiences I've had in the submersible is when we turned out all the lights then touched the branch of a deep sea bamboo coral. When touched, these corals produce their own light called bioluminescence so it lit up like a Christmas tree!

You spend so much time in or on the ocean, have you had other amazing experiences? The coolest experience I had when scuba diving in shallow water was when a huge manta ray swam over me. I reached up and stroked his belly as he passed, which he didn't seem to mind at all.

The coolest experience I had on the surface of the ocean is shown in my picture. That's lava behind me, flowing into the ocean from an active volcano here in Hawaii. You don't get to see that every day, even when you live here.

What are two things do you do in your home to help the environment? Aside from studying nature, I also like to help preserve it. At home, we have a solar water heater and use special light bulbs that last longer and save energy. We recycle all our plastics, newspapers, glass, and soda cans, and my wife and I carpool to work to use less gas.

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