[ geese calling ] TONIGHT ON OREGON FIELD GUIDE: FIRE IN THE HOLE, FIRE IN THE HOLE.

AN EXPLOSION ROCKS THE KLAMATH BASIN, DESTROYING A LEVEE AND TURNING FARMLAND INTO WETLAND.

THEN MEET THE FOLKS WHO LOVE TO RIDE ACROSS OREGON WHEN WE DROP IN ON THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF CYCLE OREGON.

[ rumbling sound on computer ] AND SEE HOW A FASCINATING RESEARCH PROJECT IN THE ANTARCTIC RELATES TO THE OREGON CASCADES.

GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF OREGON FIELD GUIDE.

I'M YOUR HOST, STEVE AMEN.

THE TERM "PROGRESS" CAN TAKE ON DIFFERENT MEANINGS AT DIFFERENT TIMES.

FOR INSTANCE, IN OREGON'S KLAMATH BASIN, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN DRAINING SWAMPS AND TRANSFORMING THE LAND INTO FARMLANDS WAS CONSIDERED THE VERY DEFINITION OF PROGRESS.

BUT NOW, AS JIM NEWMAN SHOWS US, THE IMPACT OF EARLIER LAND-USE PROJECTS HAS BECOME CLEAR, AND NOW PROGRESS FREQUENTLY MEANS RESTORING THE ECOLOGICAL BALANCE.

HUMAN INGENUITY TRANSFORMED THE WILLIAMSON RIVER DELTA AT UPPER KLAMATH LAKE INTO EXCELLENT CROPLAND.

DIRT BARRIERS -- LEVEES -- HELD BACK THE RIVER AND LAKE WATER THAT HAD FLOWED FREELY OVER THE DELTA FOR CENTURIES.

BUT ADAPTING NATURE TO THE ECONOMY TURNED OUT TO BE VERY COSTLY TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK, CREATING MARSH FROM LAND THAT HAD BEEN FARMED NEARLY 70 YEARS, REQUIRED INGENUITY... FIRE IN THE HOLE, FIRE IN THE HOLE.

AND 100 TONS OF EXPLOSIVES.

Man: OH, BEAUTIFUL.

BEAUTIFUL.

[ men cheering ] THIS WAS A HUGE DAY, BECAUSE WE WERE EFFECTIVELY RECONNECTING SEVERAL THOUSAND ACRES OF WETLAND TO UPPER KLAMATH LAKE AND THE WILLIAMSON RIVER.

WE'LL HAVE UP TO FOUR OR FIVE FEET OF WATER OUT HERE, AND THAT WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF MAKING THIS AREA PART OF UPPER KLAMATH LAKE AND THE WETLANDS THAT IT ONCE WAS.

OVER THE YEARS, SCIENTISTS LEARNED LOSING THE MARSH DEGRADED THE ECOSYSTEM IN ALARMING WAYS.

THE DETERIORATION OF WATER QUALITY IN UPPER KLAMATH LAKE OCCURRED BASICALLY OVER A CENTURY.

AND SO AS WE START TO MOVE BACK IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, THIS PROJECT'S VERY IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S REALLY A LONG-TERM PROSPECT.

Man: WE'RE CONTINUALLY DOUBLE-CHECKING OURSELVES.

DAYS BEFORE THE DEMOLITION, JERRY WALLACE, TECHNICAL BLASTER, SET TOWARD CREATING A STRATEGIC DESIGN FOR THE EXPLOSIVES.

YEARS OF PLANNING, THE WORK OF MANY SCIENTISTS, DEPENDED ON HIS ABILITY TO DEMOLISH THE LEVEE.

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS WALL AND WE'RE GOING TO DISPLACE IT IN THIS DIRECTION, POSSIBLY NEARLY 300 FEET... WALLACE TARGETS FOUR HALF-MILE SECTIONS OF THE LEVEE.

ELEVEN THOUSAND DUMP-TRUCK LOADS OF DIRT MUST BE BLOWN INLAND IF THE LAKE IS TO RECLAIM THE FIELDS.

A MISCALCULATION, AND THE DELTA STAYS DRY.

WHITE SETTLERS IN THE KLAMATH BASIN DRAINED WETLANDS IN THE NAME OF PROGRESS.

MARK STERN, BIOLOGIST FOR THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, MEASURES THE IMPACT OF PROJECTS DRAINING WETLANDS FOR AGRICULTURE.

HE SAYS DENSE MARSH VEGETATION IS A FILTRATION SYSTEM.

GREAT EXPANSES OF MARSH FLOOD IN THE SPRING, COLLECTING RUNOFF THAT WOULD OTHERWISE ENTER THE LAKE.

THIS AREA, ALTHOUGH IT'S DRY NOW, COME MAY, JUNE, THIS'LL HAVE A FOOT AND A HALF TO TWO FEET OF WATER IN IT.

EACH OF THESE TULES ESSENTIALLY TAKES UP AND ABSORBS NUTRIENTS SUCH AS PHOSPHORUS DURING THE GROWING SEASON, SO THAT HELPS IMPROVE WATER QUALITY, PARTICULARLY IN THE TIME OF THE YEAR IN THE LATE SUMMER WHEN WATER QUALITY ISSUES ARE OF GREATEST CONCERN.

WITHOUT THE MARSH TO REMOVE CERTAIN NUTRIENTS, KLAMATH LAKE SUFFERS LETHAL ALGAE BLOOMS.

THE DECAYING ALGAE SUCKS THE OXYGEN OUT OF THE LAKE.

PERIODICALLY, DISASTROUS FISH KILLS HAVE RESULTED.

AMONG THE PRIMARY VICTIMS ARE TWO ENDANGERED SUCKER SPECIES.

AND SO THE LEVEE IS DESIGNATED FOR DESTRUCTION.

EXCAVATORS PROVE IMPRACTICAL.

ENGINEERS FEAR THEY'LL FALL INTO THE LAKE.

TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED ACRES AT THE TIP OF THE DELTA WILL BE INUNDATED BY A SERIES OF HUGE EXPLOSIONS.

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY PURCHASED THE WILLIAMSON RIVER DELTA.

CONSERVANCY BIOLOGISTS LIKE MARK STERN SAY THE MARSH SHOULD REGENERATE QUICKLY.

THIS IS VERY RICH, FERTILE SOIL HERE, SO WHEN THIS GETS INUNDATED, IT'LL BE VERY PRODUCTIVE IN TERMS OF HAVING THE WETLAND PLANTS RECOLONIZE THIS SITE AND GO BACK TO SOME OF THOSE WETLAND COMMUNITIES THAT WE SAW HISTORICALLY.

THIS IS PRETTY AMAZING, THOUGH, ALL THIS BULRUSH THAT CAME IN.

OH, YEAH, IT'S HUGE.

MARK'S CONFIDENCE IS BASED ON RESEARCH.

THIS DELTA FARMLAND WAS FLOODED SEVEN YEARS AGO AS A TEST OF THE THEORY THAT WETLANDS CAN COME BACK.

WATER WILL COME DOWN THROUGH THIS PATHWAY, GO THROUGHOUT HERE.

THIS IS THE CHANNEL WE MADE.

THE RICH ECOSYSTEM HERE NOW BENEFITS LARVAL SUCKER FISH THAT SPAWN IN THE WILLIAMSON RIVER WATERSHED.

THERE LITERALLY COULD BE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG LARVAL FISH USING THESE RESTORED AREAS.

AREAS THAT HAVE MORE STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY AND LOTS OF COVER, AS YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE, ARE AREAS THAT MINIMIZE PREDATION RATES OF THESE SMALL YOUNG FISH.

AND THE REASON THIS PLACE IS IMPORTANT FOR ENDANGERED FISH IS THE ADULT FISH SPEND THEIR LIVES IN UPPER KLAMATH LAKE... THE KLAMATH BASIN COMMUNITY RALLIED IN SUPPORT OF WILLIAMSON RIVER DELTA MARSH RESTORATION.

FARMER, POLITICIANS, KLAMATH INDIAN TRIBAL LEADERS CAME ON BOARD.

KLAMATH TRIBAL COUNCIL MEMBER JEFF MITCHELL JOINED THE CROWD THE DAY THE LEVEE WAS SET TO BE OBLITERATED.

I THINK IT REALLY WAS A COMMUNITY EFFORT, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE RESULTS OF ALL THOSE YEARS OF HARD WORK.

WE'RE GOING TO SEE THIS THING BLOW AND SEE WATER FLOW AGAIN, AND WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT THAT AS A TRIBE.

Man: THREE, TWO, ONE.

[ cheering and clapping ] AH, THAT IS COOL.

EACH BLAST CONSISTS OF 633 SEPARATE EXPLOSIONS.

THEY MUST OCCUR IN PERFECT SEQUENCE.

IF THE TIMING IS OFF, THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES COULD FAIL TO DETONATE.

Woman: OH, MY GOD.

BUT THE LEVEE IS PULVERIZED AS PLANNED.

JERRY WALLACE'S CALCULATIONS WERE CORRECT.

WELL, SHE SURE RIPPED UP NICE, DIDN'T SHE?

THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.

PRETTY AWESOME.

I LIKE THE TIMING ON THAT; IT WAS GOOD.

WHERE'S THE WATER?

OH, IT'LL BE COMING.

Stern: AND RIGHT NOW IT'S IN THE FALL.

UPPER KLAMATH LAKE IS AT ITS LOWEST ELEVATION.

SO OVER THE COURSE OF THE FALL AND WINTER, UPPER KLAMATH LAKE WILL INCREASE IN ELEVATION ABOUT FIVE FEET.

AND AS THE LAKE WATERS RISE, THIS ENTIRE AREA WILL BE UNDER FOUR TO FIVE FEET OF WATER OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE TO SIX MONTHS.

SO OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS, WE'LL SEE THE FIRST SET OF WETLAND PLANTS ESTABLISH THEMSELVES, AND I WOULD SAY OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS, WE'LL SEE A FULL WETLAND COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THIS AREA HERE.

FIFTY PERCENT OF THE WATER ENTERING KLAMATH LAKE COMES FROM THE WILLIAMSON RIVER, SO RESTORING THE DELTA TO ITS NATURAL STATE SHOULD HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT.

BACK IN 1987, A FEW BICYCLISTS DECIDED IT'D BE FUN TO SPEND A WEEK PEDALING ACROSS OREGON.

SO MANY PEOPLE TURNED OUT, THEY DID IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

THEIR IDEA OF A VACATION BECAME A GRUELING YET INSPIRING TRADITION.

AND LAST FALL, CYCLE OREGON TURNED 20 YEARS OLD, AND VINCE PATTON WAS THERE.

[ breathing heavily ] STEADY AS SHE GOES.

IT'S SEPTEMBER IN RURAL OREGON, TIME TO WATCH FOR THE ANNUAL MIGRATION OF THE TWO-FOOTED PEDALERS.

INCH BY INCH, SLOWLY WE CLIMB, INCH BY INCH.

TWO THOUSAND BICYCLISTS MAKE THE JOURNEY EACH YEAR.

IT'S CYCLE OREGON, A NEARLY 500-MILE RIDE WHICH COMBINES DIPLOMACY, CHARITY, AND NEAR TOTAL EXHAUSTION.

Woman: IT'S ALWAYS TOUGH, IT'S NEVER EASY.

IT'S JUST HAVING THE ENDURANCE TO GO THE NEXT DAY AGAIN.

[ exhales forcefully ] ON AN EXERTION SCALE OF 1 TO 10, I'M TRYING TO KEEP IT BELOW A 12.

[ panting ] I'VE GOT NO MORE GEARS.

I'VE STILL GOT SOME LEGS.

SO IT'S A WORKOUT.

JEANNE GOSTNELL AND HER HUSBAND CRAIG HAVE RIDDEN IN EVERY CYCLE OREGON.

THIS IS THEIR 20th.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT AS A VACATION IS THAT IT'S THE ONLY THING YOU'RE DOING FOR SEVEN DAYS.

YOU'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE.

PHYSICALLY IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A CHALLENGE, MORE CHALLENGING THE LESS TRAINED I AM, FOR SURE.

BUT MENTALLY, IT'S LIKE GETTING A MONTH'S VACATION IN A WEEK BECAUSE IT'S SO REMOVED.

PROBABLY 95% OF THE POPULATION COULDN'T -- COULDN'T DO THIS.

ESPECIALLY NOT AT 60 YEARS OLD.

THIS IS THE EIGHTH YEAR CRAIG'S BROTHER DAVID HAS JOINED THEM.

HE'S 66.

IT IS A LOT OF WORK.

THERE'S A LOT OF PAIN INVOLVED FOR SOMEBODY LIKE ME WHO -- I'VE NEVER BEEN A VERY ATHLETIC PERSON, AND THIS IS THE MOST PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING THING I'VE EVER DONE.

AS I GET OLDER, THE ABILITY TO STILL RIDE UP AND DOWN THE MOUNTAINS MAKES ME FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOW I'M AGING.

I HOPE TO KEEP DOING IT FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 10 YEARS.

THERE ARE A LOT EASIER WAYS TO TAKE A VACATION, BUT FROM A CAR, YOU DON'T REALLY SEE THE STATE, THEY SAY, AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T SMELL IT OR HEAR IT.

Jeanne: IT'S THE BEST PART OF IT, JUST SEEING THE STATE FROM A BIKE.

YOU'RE GOING TO NOTICE THINGS LIKE THE WIND.

David: WHEN I'M IN A CAR AND I SEE PEOPLE RIDING BY ON A BICYCLE, I'M ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT ENVIOUS THAT I'M NOT THERE INSTEAD OF IN THE CAR.

UNLIKE BIKE CHALLENGES ELSEWHERE, CYCLE OREGON IS NOT A RACE.

NO ONE WINS FOR BEING FASTEST.

THE RIDE TYPICALLY COVERS 50 TO 70 MILES EACH DAY.

IT ALSO DELIBERATELY AVOIDS BIG CITIES.

Craig: TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE ON BICYCLES IN EUGENE IS JUST A NUISANCE, BUT IN FOSSIL, IT'S THE BIGGEST INFLUX OF MONEY FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR.

Jeanne: JONATHAN NICHOLAS RAVES ON ABOUT THE LITTLE TOWNS, BUT HE'S RIGHT, HE'S 100% CORRECT THAT THE BIGGEST WELCOMES FROM THE SMALLEST TOWNS.

YEAH, I CAME IN FROM NEBRASKA.

THIS WHOLE THING IS GREAT.

THE VOLUNTEERS, EVERYTHING.

SO IT STARTS FROM THE TOP.

THAT'S GREAT.

THE CULTURE'S PERFECT.

THANKS A LOT.

THANKS FOR COMING.

COME BACK.

SEE YOU.

JONATHAN NICHOLAS CO-FOUNDED CYCLE OREGON IN 1987 WITH A GOAL OF BRINGING URBAN AND RURAL OREGON TOGETHER.

Nicholas: THE VERY ROOTS OF CYCLE OREGON GO BACK TO THE TIMBER CRISIS IN THE 1980s.

WHEN WE STARTED, WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING FOR THOSE MILL TOWNS WHERE EVERYTHING WAS GOING AWAY.

BUT THE ESSENCE OF THE RIDE IS THE SAME AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN FROM THE START, AND THAT'S THAT THE SMALLER THE TOWN WE GO TO, THE BIGGER THE WELCOME WE GET.

YEE-HAW!

GOOD MORNING.

HAVE A GOOD ONE, GUYS.

COULDN'T ASK FOR BETTER WEATHER FOR THEM TO RIDE.

IN OAKRIDGE, PARIS POTTER ENJOYS GREETING THE TWO-WHEELED AMBASSADORS.

WELL, THE POPULATION JUST ABOUT DOUBLED.

[ chuckles ] GLAD TO SEE THEM.

GOOD MORNING, THANKS FOR THE SIGN!

Man: WE'RE ABOUT 3,700 PEOPLE.

I ARRIVED HERE IN 1967 WHEN THE MILLS WERE GOING GANGBUSTERS AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE WERE EMPLOYED.

[ crickets chirping ] BOTH MILLS ARE GONE NOW.

SIX HUNDRED PEOPLE LOST THEIR JOBS.

THE MILL SITES STILL SIT ABANDONED AS REMINDERS OF AN ECONOMY LONG GONE.

BUT OAKRIDGE HAS A NEW INDUSTRY: RECREATION.

IT'S THIS KIND OF TOWN CYCLE OREGON WANTS TO SUPPORT, MUCH TO THE PLEASURE OF OAKRIDGE MAYOR DON HAMPTON.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME HARD TIMES, BUT WE'VE KIND OF REINVENTED OURSELVES, AND THINGS SEEM TO BE ON THE UPSWING NOW.

Nicholas: THOSE FOLKS WERE DETERMINED TO STAY THERE AND TO EARN A LIVING THERE EVEN THOUGH THE TIMBER CUTTING'S NEVER GOING TO BE WHAT IT WAS.

AND WE CAN BE A SMALL PART OF THEM AS THEY'RE TRYING TO SORT OF MAKE THEMSELVES MORE A PART OF THE RECREATION ECONOMY, THE NEW OREGON ECONOMY.

RIGHT NOW IF IT WASN'T FOR ALL THE HUNTERS, FISHERMEN, BICYCLISTS AND STUFF, THERE WOULD BE A LOT MORE BUSINESSES THAT WOULDN'T EXIST.

RANDY DREILING HELPS BRING BIKE EVENTS TO OAKRIDGE SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR, BUT NONE THE SIZE OF CYCLE OREGON.

WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE THEM COMING THROUGH.

THE TOWN IS GIVING UP TWO SCHOOL BALL FIELDS TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE RIDERS TO PITCH CAMP.

HOOK IT UP!

HOOK IT UP!

OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH OF A SLANT.

THIS GUY IS NOT GOING TO WANT TO BE ON THE SLANT.

IT'S GOT TO GO UP.

THAT'S BETTER.

THIS YEAR, IT'S ESTACADA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND PARENTS AND EVEN GRANDPARENTS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RIDERS' MOBILE TENT CITY.

IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO BE OUT HERE, BUT I'M TELLING YOU, THERE IS LOTS OF WORK, SO WORK THAT YOU'RE JUST ABOUT -- YOU'RE DRAGGING AT NIGHT.

IT'S LIKE HOSTING AN OUTDOOR CONVENTION WHILE HAVING TO TEAR DOWN, MOVE, AND SET UP CAMP FOR 2,000 PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR A WEEK.

IN THE MORNING WE TEAR DOWN 5:30, IN THE AFTERNOON WE'RE SETTING UP 5:30.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE DO ALL WEEK LONG.

ESTACADA HIGH TEAMS EARN MONEY FOR THIS WORK.

CYCLE OREGON ALSO GIVES EACH TOWN ALONG THE ROUTE SOME $12,000 FOR PLAYING HOST.

Dreiling: THERE WILL BE AT LEAST A DOZEN COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS, ANYTHING FROM KIDS IN THE BAND TO THE FOOTBALL TEAM TO THE TRAILS COMMITTEE.

THE CITY COUNCIL DIDN'T EVEN QUESTION SUPPORTING THIS.

IT WAS A NO-BRAINER, YOU KNOW?

BRINGING THAT MANY PEOPLE TO TOWN, IT'S GOING TO HELP THE COMMUNITY.

AND THEY'RE GOING TO COME BACK.

A PERCENTAGE OF THEM WILL COME BACK.

NOT ALL OF THEM WILL, BUT THERE'S A CHUNK THAT ARE GOING TO COME BACK.

YOU'RE NUMBER EIGHT.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

WHILE VOLUNTEERS SERVE AS THE EVENT'S BACKBONE, CYCLE OREGON LEARNED EARLY ON IT NEEDED PROS TO COOK THE FOOD.

BUT VOLUNTEERS STILL SERVE IT.

IN ONE EVENING, OAKRIDGE RESIDENTS DISH UP 924 POUNDS OF PASTA, 225 GALLONS OF SPAGHETTI SAUCE, AND NEARLY 500 LOAVES OF FRENCH BREAD.

THAT'S JUST ONE MEAL.

OUT ON THE COURSE, RIDERS ALSO FIND REGULAR REST STOPS ALL SET UP WITH SNACKS OF FRUIT, POPCORN, CRACKERS, AND CANDY.

IT ALL TAKES ENORMOUS COORDINATION.

COMBINE THAT WITH SEVEN DAYS OF GORGEOUS SCENERY, AND IT LEAVES A LASTING IMPRESSION ON THE RIDERS WHO COME HERE FROM 41 STATES AND 10 COUNTRIES.

Woman: TODAY WE HAD SOME KIDS AS WE WERE COMING RIGHT DOWN HERE INTO OAKRIDGE CHEERING IN THEIR FRONT YARDS.

THAT'S SO CUTE AND SWEET AND -- THAT'S REALLY NICE.

THAT'S ALL WE TALK ABOUT IS THE SMALL TOWNS AND HOW WONDERFUL THE PEOPLE ARE.

I MEAN, IT'S JUST GREAT.

YOU HAVE LOTS OF OPEN COUNTRY.

YOU CAN GO THROUGH A LITTLE TOWN AND THEN YOU GO AND IT'S JUST OPEN COUNTRY INSTEAD OF LIKE FLORIDA, WHERE YOU JUST RIDE THROUGH CITY AFTER CITY AFTER CITY.

ONLY 19 PEOPLE HAVE RIDDEN ALL 20 YEARS OF CYCLE OREGON.

JEANNE AND CRAIG GOSTNELL ARE STILL PEDALING, THOUGH THEY CONCEDE NOT QUITE AS QUICKLY AS BEFORE.

[ panting ] IT'S LIKE BEING IN LABOR.

IT'S NOT OVER TILL IT'S OVER.

THE ONLY GOOD PART IS YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT ANYBODY THROUGH COLLEGE.

INSTEAD YOU GET A DOWNHILL... IF YOU'RE LUCKY.

CYCLE OREGON RIDES EVERY FALL, AND IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT DOING IT, I SHOULD WARN YOU: THE SPOTS FILL UP MONTHS AHEAD OF TIME, JUST AS SOON AS A NEW ROUTE IS ANNOUNCED.

[ rumbling sound on computer ] AN OCEAN RESEARCH TEAM BASED IN OREGON HAS BEGUN AN EXPLORATION OF ANTARCTICA.

IT'S USING INFORMATION GATHERED OFF OF OUR COAST TO HELP SHED LIGHT ON THE POORLY UNDERSTOOD GLACIER-COVERED CONTINENT.

JIM NEWMAN SHOWS US THE TEAM'S PRIMARY MEANS OF DISCOVERY IS SOUND.

Man: I FIND THE WORK WE'RE DOING VERY COMPELLING AND INTERESTING, AND I LOVE LEARNING HOW THE EARTH WORKS.

DR.

BOB DZIAK IS ON A RESEARCH MISSION IN THE FLOODED CRATER OF A LIVE VOLCANO IN ANTARCTICA.

DZIAK AND HIS OREGON-BASED TEAM ARE FAR FROM HOME BUT IN FAMILIAR TERRITORY.

THE GEOLOGIC FORCES THAT PRODUCE THE CASCADE VOLCANOES OF OREGON AND WASHINGTON ARE AT PLAY HERE, TOO.

YOU CAN SMELL THE SULFUR.

YEAH, SMELL THE SULFUR.

BOB DZIAK IS A GEOPHYSICIST AND OCEANOGRAPHER AT THE HATFIELD MARINE SCIENCE CENTER AT NEWPORT.

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY OFF THE COAST HERE -- VIOLENT ERUPTIONS, MASSIVE EARTHQUAKES -- HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY DZIAK AND OTHERS.

HE EXPECTS TO FIND SIMILAR GEOLOGIC PROCESSES IN THE UNEXPLORED DEPTHS OFF ANTARCTICA.

YOU KNOW, AT AXIAL VOLCANO OFF OREGON COAST HERE, IT'S AN ACTIVE VOLCANO, BUT ON THAT VOLCANO THERE ARE THESE HYDROTHERMAL VENT SYSTEMS, THESE BIG HIGH-TEMPERATURE HYDROTHERMAL VENT SYSTEMS.

AND WE'RE GOING DOWN -- IN ANTARCTICA, WE'RE DOING OUR WORK THERE, WE KNOW IT'S A SIMILAR KIND OF SETTING AS WHAT'S OFF THE OREGON COAST HERE, SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL FIND THESE KIND OF HYDROTHERMAL VENT SYSTEMS DOWN THERE AS WELL.

CERTAINLY THIS ENVIRONMENT IS VERY HOSTILE.

IT'S INCREDIBLE COLD AT TIMES.

THE WATER'S VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT'S REALLY COLD AND IF YOU FALL IN, HYPOTHERMIA COULD SET IN INCREDIBLY QUICKLY.

EVERY YEAR, DZIAK AND HIS RESEARCHERS VISIT BRANSFIELD STRAIT OFF THE WEST COAST OF ANTARCTICA.

THE TEAM RECORDS THE MISSION ON VIDEO.

AND IF WE'RE REALLY LUCKY, WE'LL CATCH AN ERUPTION IN ACTION.

IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.

VOLCANIC PEAKS RISE FROM ISLANDS THAT STRETCH FOR 600 MILES ON THE WESTERN MARGIN OF THE STRAIT.

SIX THOUSAND FEET DOWN ON THE SEA FLOOR, LAVA MAY BE FLOWING OR VENTS MAY BE SPEWING SUPERHEATED WATER.

AND THAT'S THE GOAL OF OUR RESEARCH IS WE'RE TRYING TO DETECT ALL THIS OTHERWISE UNOBSERVED SEAFLOOR VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

THE SEARCH WOULD BE A HUNT FOR A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK BUT FOR A VITAL EXPLORATION TOOL.

DZIAK MONITORS LISTENING DEVICES OFF THE COAST OF OREGON AND AROUND THE GLOBE.

WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS USE THE HYDROPHONES TO DETECT EARTHQUAKES, AND HOPEFULLY IN LOCALIZED AREAS WHERE WE THINK ARE ACTIVE, AND THEN WE'LL DO SOME KIND OF FOLLOW-UP STUDY.

BOB DZIAK IS AN OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR.

HE IS ALSO HEAD OF ACOUSTIC MONITORING FOR THE NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION.

HYDROPHONES ARE UNDERWATER MICROPHONES.

DZIAK HAS SIX OF THEM IN BRANSFIELD STRAIT.

EACH YEAR, HE RETRIEVES THE HYDROPHONES, HE DOWNLOADS ALL THE AUDIO RECORDED IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.

TEAM MEMBER DR.

HARU MATSUMOTO DESIGNED THE SYSTEM.

BY CAREFULLY ANALYZING SOUNDS HEARD BY HYDROPHONES OVER TIME, SCIENTISTS CAN ZERO IN ON THE SOURCE OF THE AUDIO.

OVER HERE IS THE MICROPHONE.

IT'S THE HYDROPHONE ELEMENT.

BUT THIS IS THE LISTENING DEVICE.

IT TRANSMITS A SIGNAL THROUGH AN AMPLIFIER THAT INCREASES THE SIGNAL.

AND THEN IT STORES ALL THE SIGNALS IT RECORDS DIGITALLY ON A SET OF HARD DRIVES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE INSTRUMENT.

MOST OF OUR HYDROPHONE MOORINGS ARE LOCATED HERE IN THE PROTECTED WATER BETWEEN THE SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS AND THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA CALLED BRANSFIELD STRAIT.

AND THERE'S ICE NOISE, ICE QUAKES, THERE'S TREMOR FROM ICEBERGS, EARTHQUAKES FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE, MARINE MAMMALS ARE ALL OVER THE RECORD.

SO IT WAS JUST A REALLY FASCINATING DATA SET.

AN UNDERSEA EARTHQUAKE RECORDED BY HYDROPHONES IN ANTARCTICA SOUNDS LIKE THIS.

[ low rumbling ] I SEE THINGS I KNOW ARE EARTHQUAKES JUST BASED ON WHAT I LEARNED HERE OFF OREGON.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM LOOKING AT THE SOUNDS OFF OF OREGON IS WHAT I'M ABLE TO USE TO LOOK NOW AND TELL ME, WELL, THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT THAT SOUND IS HERE IN ANTARCTICA IN A PLACE WHERE I REALLY CAN'T CONFIRM WHAT IT IS THAT EASILY.

SOMEWHERE UNDER BRANSFIELD STRAIT IN A SUBMERGED LANDSCAPE EXTENDING THOUSANDS OF SQUARE MILES, VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IS LIKELY UNDER WAY.

THE HYDROPHONES DETECT LOTS OF EARTHQUAKES.

THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS HERE IN THE PAST.

THE SEAFLOOR IS AN ENGULFED MOUNTAIN RANGE.

IT'S A VOLCANIC MOUNTAIN RANGE NOT UNLIKE THE CASCADES.

THE FEATURES YOU MIGHT EVEN RECOGNIZE IN THE CASCADE VOLCANOES, WITH THIS ROUND, BIG VOLCANIC CALDERAS NOT UNLIKE CRATER LAKE, BUT ALL UNDERWATER, UNDER SEVERAL MILES OF WATER.

HERE'S A BIG BASALT LINE, BIG BASALT RIDGE LIKE YOU'VE SEEN AROUND SOUTH SISTERS OR IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO McKENZIE PASS.

ANOTHER BIG VOLCANIC CONE, AGAIN, LIKE CRATER LAKE OR CHINA HAT OR ANY OF THE PLACES OUT AROUND BEND.

WE ARE APPROACHING DECEPTION ISLAND, ONE OF THE VOLCANOES THAT RISES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF BRANSFIELD STRAIT.

DECEPTION ISLAND BAY IS A FLOODED CRATER.

DZIAK'S TEAM SPECULATES THAT THE BAY FLOOR MIGHT HAVE SEEN VOLCANIC ACTIVITY RECENTLY.

THREE METERS!

[ indistinct conversation ] WHILE STILL IN NEWPORT AT THE OREGON COAST AQUARIUM, THE TEAM PRACTICED DRIVING A REMOTE-OPERATED VEHICLE.

THE ROBOTIC SUBMARINE CAN TRAVEL TO A DEPTH OF 500 FEET.

ALL RIGHT, IT'S LOSING SIGHT OF THE BOTTOM HERE.

IT PROBES THE DEPTHS OF DECEPTION ISLAND BAY WITH A TV CAMERA FOR EVIDENCE OF VOLCANISM.

ON THIS VISIT IT FINDS NONE.

IT DISCOVERS ONLY A REMARKABLE ABUNDANCE OF SEA LIFE IN THE 10,000-YEAR-OLD CRATER.

THAT -- THAT'S AN URCHIN.

THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF THEM.

LOTS OF AMPHIPODS.

R.O.V.

SHOWING 28 FEET.

LOOKS LIKE A GOOD FOCUS, ACTUALLY.

LET'S PAN DOWN.

IT MIGHT TAKE YEARS FOR RESEARCHERS TO LOCATE AN ACTIVE VOLCANO IN BRANSFIELD STRAIT.

MEANWHILE, STUDY OF THE AUDIO SIGNALS PRODUCED SO FAR, A MINUTE-BY-MINUTE ANALYSIS, REVEALS UNEXPECTED PHENOMENA IN THE ANTARCTIC.

THIS IS A DISPLAY OF SOUND THROUGH TIME, SO EACH ONE OF THESE LITTLE WHITE MARKS IS A MINUTE.

IT'S A VERY INTENSE EFFORT TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS DATA.

FOUR TO SIX MONTHS IS NOT AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO SPEND.

HERE IS THE SOUND OF A HUGE ICEBERG 10 MILES LONG SCRAPING ON THE OCEAN FLOOR.

[ roaring sound ] WE WERE ABLE TO LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THIS HARMONIC NOISE, AND IT LOCATES JUST OFF OF THE BRANSFIELD STRAIT.

A SATELLITE PHOTO CONFIRMS THE PRESENCE OF THE ICEBERG.

THE SOUND ITSELF ORIGINATES 1,500 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN.

THE BASE OF THE GIANT CHUNK OF ICE IS GRINDING ALONG THE BOTTOM.

[ roaring sound continues ] AND THAT SCRAPING ENERGY CAUSES THE ICEBERG TO RESONATE, KIND OF LIKE A TUNING FORK, AND SENDS OUT THIS HUM THROUGHOUT THE WATER.

THE NOISE IS INCREDIBLY LOUD.

THE ICE TREMORS CAN BE HEARD IN TAHITI, 3,000 MILES AWAY.

THE OCEAN FLOOR IS A MOSAIC OF SOUND, BUT THANKS TO RESEARCH OFF THE OREGON COAST, THE SOUND OF AN ERUPTION HERE SHOULD BE EASY TO IDENTIFY.

I THINK MOST PEOPLE HAVE A PICTURE OF ANTARCTICA, I KNOW I DID, OF AS BEING THIS DEAD ROCK FULL OF ICE.

AND I THINK WE'RE LEARNING THAT ACTUALLY UNDER ALL THAT ICE AND A COUPLE MILES OF WATER, THERE'S A LOT OF HEAT AND THERE'S A LOT OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY BEING EXPELLED, AND THAT HEAT GETS ITS WAY AROUND THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENT AND CAUSES ICE TO MOVE AND MELT.

THE GLACIER-COVERED COAST OF ANTARCTICA MAY NOT RESEMBLE OREGON, BUT THE IMMENSE HEAT PRODUCED AS AN OCEAN FLOOR COLLIDES WITH A CONTINENT HAS GENERATED THE TOPOGRAPHY AT BOTH LOCATIONS.

OKAY, THIS IS THE SOUTHERN TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA, AND THIS IS THE NORTHERN TIP OF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA.

THE LITTLE PART OF THE PACIFIC PLATE IS BEING THRUST UNDERNEATH THE ANTARCTIC PLATE HERE IN A SIMILAR MECHANISM TO WHAT'S GOING ON OFF THE OREGON COAST.

OVER TIME, BOB DZIAK MAY BE ABLE TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS MAY HAVE ON GLACIERS.

HE MAY LEARN WHETHER GLOBAL WARMING IS ACCELERATING THE BREAKUP OF THE ANTARCTIC ICE SHELF.

BOB DZIAK'S HYDROPHONES GATHER VAST AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION.

HE AND HIS TEAM ARE COMMITTED TO FINDING OUT WHAT IT ALL MEANS.

THAT'S AN EARTHQUAKE.

THERE'S A SURPRISINGLY LARGE AMOUNT OF SOUND SOURCES IN THE BRANSFIELD STRAIT, I THINK.

WHEN WE FIRST LOOKED AT THE DATA, IT WAS SHOCKING HOW COMPLEX IT WAS BECAUSE THERE'S ALL KINDS OF THINGS GOING ON.

AND ONE MORE INTERESTING NOTE: THE HYDROPHONES USED TO BE TOP-SECRET, OPERATED BY THE NAVY.

AND THAT'S IT FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF OREGON FIELD GUIDE.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO WATCH ANY OF THIS WEEK'S STORIES AGAIN, WELL, THEY'RE NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE BY GOING TO OUR WEB SITE AT opb.org/fieldguide.

AND AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, YOU CAN ALSO DROP US A LINE AT... AND UNTIL NEXT WEEK, THANKS FOR JOINING US.

WE'LL SEE YOU THEN.

Captions by LNS Captioning Portland, Oregon www.LNScaptioning.com