NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

[mixin]

If you enjoy watching the E/V Nautilus, you probably also enjoy this ROV exploration going on now. I'll post some screen caps later today; there are some great ones!

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream_04.html

 

[Emily]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

Thanks, Mixin! It looks so peaceful down there. Here's some background on the expedition from the link:

Details on Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013

From July to August 2013, a team of scientists and technicians both at-sea and on shore will conduct exploratory investigations on the diversity and distribution of deep-sea habitats and marine life along the Northeast U.S. Canyons and at Mytilus Seamount, located within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. The 36-day expedition is composed of two cruise ?legs.?
Learn more about the New England Seamount Chain Exploration.

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

You're quite welcome, Emily. Here's some neat sea creatures they came across on this leg of exploration. The middle one is a sea spider but I didn't hear them say what the other 2 are.

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

Sorry about the size of the screen caps if they are causing side-scroll. I've made these smaller. The science person usually says what these creatures are but I usually don't catch it quick enough. I do know the bottom one is a Benthic ctenophore because they tweeted it. :tiphat:

Be sure to check out the website to catch all of their neat pics and videos:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

Exploration of the Mytilus Seamount is in progress. It's really amazing to see geology that was active over 100 million years ago :applause:

They are still at the base and there is a good variety of creatures to look at.

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

And the new season begins :applause: (where is that "excited" smilie?)

The first ROV launch of the season is currently underway; dropping in the water now.



http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

Today they are exploring a ship wreck. Very interesting viewing; here is a screen cap of the debris field on the deck area



Here are some of the bottles that survived intact

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

It was a very amazing dive today.

The sea floor in this area was termed by the team as "pretty spectacular" and "one of the strangest sea floors I've ever seen." As I understood it, the salt is being slowly pushed up to form these mounds.



The other amazing part of the dive is this find of a Paleodictyon nodosum fossil. Peter Rona, a well-known oceanographer who just passed away in Feb., spent most of his career trying to learn what made this strange pattern. The NYT has a couple of great stories about Dr. Rona and the Paleodictyon nodosum fossil
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/science/25fossil.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/s...na-79-explorer-of-ocean-depths-dies.html?_r=0

You can imagine how excited the crew was to actually find one on today's dive.

The first pic has the lasers on to give size perspective; from red point to red point is 10 centimeters (~4").

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

What a pleasure and privilege it is to be able to watch these dives live. I missed most of this one yesterday; luckily I caught the last 45 minutes of the dive. They had anticipated exploring a ship wreck but instead found 2 tar lilies. I don't know if there is a scientific name for them. Jamie also called them asphalt lilies. They form as the asphalt breaks through the ocean floor.

To give some perspective, I think this ROV is about 6 feet or so.


A closer look at the lily petals


A different kind of fly trap from what we've been seeing


A big barnacle up close and personal

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

The Okeanos is currently exploring; seeing some really neat stuff!



http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html


The Nautilus is also on the ocean floor

http://www.nautiluslive.org/

 

[mixin]

Re: NOAA Oean Explorer: Okeanos Live Streaming

The Oakeanos is currently in the water. We are being given some very neat sights!

Here is a snip from their site and a couple of screen caps I've taken:

Today?s dive will be the first ever exploration of the Atlantis II Seamount. The dive started in about 2700 meters and will move up a ridge line on the North West face of the seamount. In honor of our first good weather day of the cruise we are going to stay in the water longer than usual. ROV recovery is scheduled for 1930 EDT.

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html