Rebreather Testing for the United States Antarctic Scientific Diving Program

美国科学家在南极研究的一些领域使用了呼吸器技术（与正常的水肺潜水不同，它释放的气泡很少，如果有的话），这将是有价值的工具。这些包括但不限于行为研究（因为标准水肺呼吸器释放的气泡噪音会改变许多海洋生物的行为），对海冰底部群落的研究（因为气泡在取样时或取样前扰乱了群落），对高度分层的湖泊群落的研究（因为气泡引起混合，并且因为可以使用较轻的绳索将潜水员拴在水面上，这也可能引起较少的水柱破坏）。在高度分层（非自然混合）的湖泊中较少混合的后一个科学优势也是再呼吸器的一个重要环境优势。然而，出于安全原因，在美国南极计划（USAP）进行测试之前，美国科学项目不会批准使用再呼吸器。 该奖项为USAP科学潜水官提供资金，以便与其他在极地潜水方面经验丰富的潜水专业人员一起进行此类测试，特别是在非极地环境中使用呼吸器技术。一个由六名科学潜水专业人员组成的团队将评估七个或更多的商业呼吸器模型，这些模型在非极地科学潜水中最常用。这将通过在南极洲麦默多站的海冰上钻孔或融化来完成。随后将在麦克默多干旱山谷的分层湖泊中对性能最好的模型进行有限数量的测试潜水。

There are a number of areas of Antarctic research by scientists from the United States where rebreather technology (which unlike normal SCUBA diving releases few if any air bubbles) would be valuable tools. These include but are not limited to behavioral studies (because noise from bubbles released by standard SCUBA alters the behavior of many marine organisms), studies of communities on the underside of sea ice (because the bubbles disrupt the communities while or before they are sampled), and studies of highly stratified lake communities (because the bubbles cause mixing and because lighter line could be used to tether a diver to the surface which would probably also cause less water column disruption). The latter scientific advantage of less mixing in highly stratified (not naturally mixed) lakes is also a significant environmental advantage of rebreathers. However, for safety reasons, no US science projects will be approved for the use of rebreathers until they are tested by the US Antarctic Program (USAP). This award provides funds for the USAP Scientific Diving Officer to conduct such tests in conjunction with other diving professionals experienced in polar diving in general and specifically with rebreather technology in non-polar environments. A team of six scientific diving professionals will evaluate seven or more commercial rebreather models that are being most commonly used in non-polar scientific diving. This will be done through holes drilled or melted in sea ice at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. A limited number of test dives of the best performing models will subsequently be made in stratified lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.