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The deep sea habitats of the northern gulf of mexico are extraordinarily diverse. From the incredible variety of deep sea corals teeming with invertebrates such as brittle stars and squat lobsters, to flower garden pinnacles swarming with fishes, to fields of sea anemones filter feeding in a veritable STORM of marine snow in an otherwise barren seascape, the images captured on this exciting expedition demonstrate habitat variety and biological diversity akin to combining a tropical rainforest with a desert in bloom. Three discrete teams of scientists from NOAA’s FGBNMS, the Univ of Alabama, and Marine Conservation Biology Institute, worked collaboratively utilizing a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, that was equipped with cameras and sampling gear to explore this mysterious undersea realm. Video courtesy of Peter Etnoyer, NOAA-OE, the Sonsub Inc., and the Gulf of Mexico 2003 Expedition Science Party.
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Gulf of Mexico 2003: Mission Summary
