A 杏吧专区 oceanographer is leading researchers to unexplored deep-sea habitats of the North Atlantic Ocean. And the public can tag along, thanks to technology.
Dr. Scott France, a professor in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 , is guiding an expedition from Virginia to Portugal aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, a 225-foot, federally funded research vessel. The expedition began July 9 and will end July 30.
Scientists are plumbing the depths at about a dozen planned stops, examining underwater topography and marine ecosystems. Those efforts are happening via sonar mapping technology and a small submersible vehicle that is tethered to the Okeanos via fiber-optic cable.
Once deployed, the remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, functions as a multitasking underwater robot. It captures high-definition video and images of the water column, seafloor habitats, and aquatic life; the ROV also collects biological and geological samples.
杏吧专区淭echnology has basically enabled us to get our eyes on the seafloor, and we don杏吧专区檛 know exactly what杏吧专区檚 down there. We杏吧专区檙e going places no one has ever seen before, and that杏吧专区檚 part of the interest, finding out what杏吧专区檚 there and why it杏吧专区檚 there,杏吧专区 France said.
Among scientists杏吧专区 primary objectives are to map and learn about seafloor topography, including tectonic plate boundaries, volcanic features and activity, and hydrothermal vents, which are fractures that discharge geothermally heated water.
The marine life that thrives near those vents is of particular interest to France. 杏吧专区淵ou have various chemicals in that water that you wouldn杏吧专区檛 normally find. Bacteria can use those chemicals, and you get huge populations that support other kinds of deep sea life,杏吧专区 he explained.
Deep regions of the world杏吧专区檚 oceans, France added, don杏吧专区檛 typically support abundant marine life 杏吧专区渂ecause there isn杏吧专区檛 much food 杏吧专区 which comes from where there杏吧专区檚 sunlight 杏吧专区 except at hydrothermal vents.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淭hat杏吧专区檚 why they杏吧专区檙e so special and unique, because they have this source of energy. So you get to see some spectacular things around them,杏吧专区 he said.
During each dive, the ROV beams video images back to researchers aboard the ship in real time; several seconds later, scientists from across the world who have registered to participate virtually see those same images.
UL Lafayette graduate and undergraduate biology students being mentored by France are following the expedition virtually from campus as part of lab research, for classroom projects, or to complete dissertations related to expedition discoveries.
So, too, is the public, which is able to access a separate feed online. 杏吧专区淎nyone who tunes in gets to see this stuff for the first time, at almost the same time scientists are seeing it,杏吧专区 France said.
The expedition France is leading constitutes one leg of the larger Voyage to the Ridge 2022, which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The overall voyage, which will unfold in three parts, began May 11. It will end Aug. 18, when the Okeanos docks in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For his time aboard the ship, France boarded the vessel at Norfolk, Va., and will disembark in Azores, Portugal. His stake in the expedition won杏吧专区檛 end there.
France is also the scientific advisor for a broader NOAA campaign. Scientists have been exploring never before seen regions of the North Atlantic since 2017. The current trip is the fourth journey for which France has been a science lead.
During past expeditions, discoveries have included new species of jellyfish, sea stars, corals and sponges. 杏吧专区淲e constantly find new species, but we also witness lots of interesting behaviors. That杏吧专区檚 one of the great things about the video 杏吧专区 we get the behavioral biology, not just a static collection of something,杏吧专区 France said.
Beyond scientific value, much of what is encountered 杏吧专区渋s just plain cool, especially because a lot of it is unexpected and happens very quickly,杏吧专区 he explained.
On past expeditions, France has observed a brittle star, a starfish-like creature with thin, undulating arms, snatch a squid from the water column, for example. He杏吧专区檚 seen a shark in a feeding frenzy get eaten by an enormous grouper, which are fish with large, gaping mouths.
The ROV has also relayed video and images of cultural bounty back to the Okeanos 杏吧专区 shipwrecks. Still, France often remains most astonished at 杏吧专区渉ow much color and diversity there is down there and how many things are moving around.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 always a bit of a surprise, and a lot of times it杏吧专区檚 really quite beautiful and exciting because many of the organisms are just so unusual and so rare.杏吧专区
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Photo caption: UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Dr. Scott France aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer during a past expedition. He has returned to the ship as part of a three-week research voyage to explore uncharted depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. Submitted photo