William Beebe and the Bathysphere

Jade Lin William Beebe and Otis Barton

● William Beebe: American naturalist and the curator of ornithology at the Bronx zoo ● Otis Barton: American engineer who built the Bathysphere ● From 1930-1934 they went on 35 dives into the deep ocean inside the bathysphere. Their dives ranged from about 1300-3000ft deep. The Bathysphere

● An iron sphere about 4 ft in diameter with 1 in thick walls and tiny porthole windows. ● It was lowered into the ocean with a thin cable. If the cable had broke Beebe and Barton would have died. Such a break could have been caused by rough waves moving the boat. ● Later the Bathysphere was replaced by the safer mesoscaphe and bathyscaphe. Beebe and Barton next to the Bathysphere Historic Dive

● On August 15, 1934, Beebe and Barton completed their deepest dive, going down to 3028ft (923m) below the surface of Bermuda waters. ● It was the deepest dive up to that point. ● No one had been deeper than 350 ft and survived. ● They were the first to see deep ocean organisms in their natural habit and to observe their natural behaviors Significance

● The expeditions discovered several new species of deep sea life. Some were recorded by the expedition artist Else Bostelmann. ● He also talked on live radio from within the bathysphere to the American public. It inspired many to study marine sciences. ● The dives marked the beginning of the age of deep sea exploration. Bostelmann’s illustration of the creatures Beebe described My Perspective

It is amazing that Beebe and Barton had the initiative and the patience to dive into the deep ocean crammed into a tiny sphere for hours on end. It is inspiring that people would go through such lengths to explore the ocean. Beebe and Barton inside the Bathysphere Bibliography

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Beebe, Barton, and the bathysphere. Digital image. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.

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Bostelmann, Else. Else Bostelmann's Interpretations of Beebe's Deep Sea Creatures. Digital image. National

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Dohlin, John Forrest. "Commemorating A Milestone in Ocean Exploration." National Geographic. Wildlife

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