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PBS Documents Texas A&M Marine Biologist’s Dangerous Cave Dives

Texas A&M University at Galveston marine biologist Tom Iliffe, one of the world’s foremost scientific cave divers, will be featured in the Public Broadcasting System series “Forces of Nature”.
By Keith Randall, Texas A&M Marketing & Communications September 14, 2016

Thomas M. Iliffe
Tom Iliffe has discovered more than 250 new species of marine life over the past 30 years.

(Texas A&M Galveston)

Texas A&M University at Galveston marine biologist Tom Iliffe, one of the world’s foremost scientific cave divers, will be featured in the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) series “Forces of Nature” on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

The program, which airs at 7 p.m. Central time, highlights Iliffe’s scuba diving exploration of the recently discovered El Toro Cave in the Dominican Republic. Iliffe and his cave-diving partners had to carry their gear through a tropical jungle and then swim half a mile into this cave at a depth of 60 feet to find a halocline, the paper-thin boundary where lighter freshwater floats atop denser saltwater.

“An unusual aspect of this cave is that the underlying saltwater layer is murky to the extent that visibility is limited to a foot or two, while the freshwater in contrast, is virtually clear,” Iliffe explains.

“As a diver swims through the halocline, fresh and saltwater mix, creating blurry clouds where everything appears out of focus. The saltwater has a strange greenish hue, which is odd because green typically indicates the presence of chlorophyll. But since no sunlight is present this far into the cave, that rules out the presence of chlorophyll.”

Chlorophyll is an essential component in the process of photosynthesis, whereby plants use energy from light to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. However, in lightless caves, photosynthesis is impossible.

“It’s a very remarkable cave and we definitely plan to go back. We believe that the green color may be due to some type of unusual micro-organisms that certainly warrants further investigation.”

Over the past 30 years, Iliffe has discovered more than 250 new species of marine life – some of which have been named after him – and has explored over 1,500 underwater caves from around the Caribbean, South Pacific, Mediterranean and North Atlantic oceans. While most people consider Earth to be completely explored, Iliffe still manages to find sites where no human has ever been and often discovers strange and mysterious new forms of life.

His cave research has been featured in previous PBS, NOVA, National Geographic and Discovery Channel documentary films and as a cover story in National Geographic Magazine. Iliffe currently holds the position as a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution and is a Fellow of the Explorers Club.

To view a preview of the show, go to http://www.pbs.org/video/2365833284/.

For more about Iliffe’s work, go to http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/.

Media contact: Keith Randall, Texas A&M News & Information.

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