Exploring the Unexplored: Women and Girls in Science
February 11 is the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science, recognising the role of women and girls in science.
The recent Xunaan-Ha expedition supported by Rolex as part of its Perpetual Planet Initiative saw six women explorers including our own Rannvá Jørmundsson collecting data for the conservation of the Yucatan Aquifers in Mexico. The exploration that they carried out demanded new scientific research skills from the team but also presented them with a new way of interpreting and understanding the caves and formations.
The Devil is in the Detail
Rannva explains how each sample was vital in creating the bigger picture of water flow and pollution patterns.
Rannva – “In seven days of exploration diving we managed to explore and survey 3,214 meters (10,544 feet) of new cave, whilst each team made sure we also were available for the production crews. We were able to prove a connection to an already known cave system and that the main passages found run away from the Holbox fracture at a right angle, which is at least as interesting as if they had followed the expected course. This raises new questions and requires a follow-up expedition.
Our team took water samples from 9 different cenotes in order to document the path of the water, through the degree of pollution. The results clearly showed that clean water, flows from the southwest towards the northeast, entering under the city of Tulum, but on the other side, comes out heavily polluted, and continues its way up the coastline in the same direction of flow.”
Connecting the Dots
Julia Gugelmeier has dived in the Yucatan excessively. She explains how something is not always as it seems, and that her biggest challenge and growth moment of the Xunaan Ha expedition was connecting the dots – or better – connecting the dots differently.
Julia – “My exploration buddy Ellen Cuylaerts and I were exploring a super beautiful big passage. The walls, sediment and formations looked somehow stained with a beige/brown/purple colour, but it seemed like the rock underneath was bright white, coated over with a dark velvety layer. Coming back, we found a new passage that was running straight from the explored passage’s direction: It looked like we found the downstream! The cave walls, sediment and formations were almost completely black and the flow was significant, we saw ripples in the sediment and the percolation our bubbles dislodged from the ceiling was sucked right into it.
Skip forward two exploration dives later – we came to a spot where there was an option to go slightly left or slightly right. We were wondering which one the main passage was. The left one looked beautiful with that spooky darkness that we were already so familiar with, and the right tunnel looked much brighter. We turned right.
Every tie-off on the way into the right cave became prettier, more delicate, decorated and WHITER. So beautiful! We really didn’t want to keep going, we just wanted to hang out right there and be stunned by this ancient beauty that has been hidden in eternal darkness for such a long time. We did continue but every lead was a dead end. When we reached our appointed turn pressure we turned around and started our survey.
Excited for more, we went back to our JuEl (Julia & Ellen) cave the next day to see where the continuation may lie. Coming into the white section we already noticed that the visibility was quite limited… all the percolation our bubbles caused the previous day was still hanging in the water… This was an indication that there was no flow, which was not good news. This was a beautiful but unfortunately dead end. No one seems to actually know why certain caves or parts of caves are stained or coated and some are not. The white colour in our right cave may suggest that the fresh water with it’s tannins, sulphurs or whatever it carries that might be staining the cave was likely not travelling through this passage, because it was just an off shoot and not fed by surface water. The lack of flow that was apparent by the sediment not having been washed away over night would also speak for this theory, hence, not really a surprise now that every lead we took became a dead end.
When Ellen and I had a look at the darker passage to the left later on we emptied the reel. That dark tunnel is more likely the way the water takes on it’s long journey back to the ocean and we can’t wait to go back there to see where it leads us.”
Slow Down
Each cave diver took away their own personal reflections from their participation in the scientific research. For Maria Bollerup, her inspiration and growth was in the focus…
Maria – “Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits. What was your last challenge that made you grow or develop new skills? Big or small, it all counts! For me, it was counting knots on a line. Sounds silly, but true.
Being accurate, slow and patient when surveying a cave line is vital in order for all your data to be correct. But when your curiosity urges you to look around and drink it all in…? Challenge! Especially the counting of knots on the line, for distance measuring…1, 2, 3, 4… uh, that’s an interesting looking formation… 4… 5?… or was it 6?
Start over, focus! Always glad to have had my buddy Rannva to validate.”
Images by: Evan Whitney, Richie Schmittner and Tom St. George