John Hodge, chair of the Greater Piedmont Chapter of The Explorers Club congratulates Dr. Brian Helmuth on his excellent presentation. Dr. Brian Helmuth, USC professor of biological sciences, spoke to the Greater Piedmont Chapter of The Explorers Club, January 8. Helmuth received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and did post–doctoral research at Stanford before coming to USC in 1999. He is a fellow of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program and was named Marine Educator of the Year 2003 by the SC Marine Educators Association. He is a fellow in The Explorers Club.

Helmuth, three other scientists, and two technicians spent 10 days off Key Largo submerged in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Aquarius, the world’s only undersea research station. Their objective was to determine the effect of water flow on the health of troubled coral reefs.

Their laboratory was a 23–year–old, 80–ton steel cylinder, 43–feet long and nine–feet in diameter. Not a hospitable place for a large man with claustrophobia like Helmuth. They slept in tiny bunks, ate prepared food, and spent three hours each day scuba diving at a depth of 60 feet.

To avoid nitrogen poisoning, (the bends), the team (dubbed Team Nerdo) saturated their bodies with nitrogen prior to a dive and released the nitrogen slowly after each dive. This technique took time but avoided a lot of pain. A side effect of the nitrogen was the loss of taste, the feeling of being slightly drunk, and occasional paranoia.

Their study found that the coral is dying because of an increase in water temperature and a decrease in water flow. Using this information, Helmuth hopes to be able to predict where, when, and to what degree climate change will affect tropical coral. He is still asking the big question: How can we predict future trouble spots in our oceans?

The local chapter of the Explorers Club, an international organization dedicated to advancing knowledge about our land, sea, air, and space, meets monthly for lunch and a presentation. Contact John Hodge for information

at jhodge@

hsblawfirm.com.