DEEP SEARCH: DEEP Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold seep Habitats: Image Gallery: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

The DEEP SEARCH science team at the end of the 2017 expedition.

Members of the Sentry engineering team and the Pisces deck crew work together to hook the crane line to the Sentry.

Securing Sentry

AUV Sentry is secured into its cradle after recovery.

Sentry's Final Recovery

The seas were calm for Sentry’s recovery after its final dive.

Preparing Sentry for Shipment

The Sentry team quickly got to work with the demobilization process to prepare for Sentry’s shipment to its next project.

Common Organisms

These are a few of the organisms that we’ve found most often in our Sentry photos.

Soft Sediment

The most common deep-sea habitat: soft sediment.

Notation Software

A screenshot of Alanna Durkin’s image notation software.

Bacterial Map

This map shows interpolated change in oxidation reduction potential over time and the presence of bacterial mats.

Fish Aggregation

Shows large numbers of fish associated with hard, rocky habitats.

Side-Scan Mosaic

Processed side-scan mosaic over one of the focused survey sites.

Processing Sentry Data

Screen capture of an intermediate stage of building the side-scan mosaic.

Sub-Bottom Profile

Screen capture of one of the preliminary processed sub-bottom profiles collected by the AUV Sentry.

Styrofoam Cups

A few members of the DEEP SEARCH team participated in the time-honored oceanographic tradition of decorating, and then shrinking, Styrofoam cups.

Storing Cups

Mechanical engineer Andy Billings works to secure the cups in the vehicle’s center compartment.

Port of Morehead City

The DEEP SEARCH team headed out to sea for the second time during this expedition.

Bacterial Mat

An extensive bacterial mat (white areas) at the Pea Island B site.

NOAA Ship Pisces

To avoid Hurricane Jose, NOAA Ship Pisces returned to port.

Processing Data

U.S. Geological Survey geologist Jason Chaytor processes sidescan data from a recent AUV Sentry dive.

Jose’s Storm Clouds

Jose’s storm clouds made for an impressive sunset.

Hurricane Jose

Hurricane Jose is expected to generate significant swells and unfavorable conditions throughout the mid- and south Atlantic this weekend.

Examining Sediment Cores

Scientists onboard examine a sediment core.

Core Slices

This core slice will be sent to the USGS for geological and biological assessment.

Ocean Trash

The crew took the time to haul this large piece of plastic trash out of the ocean.

Hammerhead Shark

AUV Sentry captured this amazing shot of a scalloped hammerhead shark swimming along the seafloor.

Deploying the CTD

Amanda Demopoulos watches as deck crew members Knott and Cornell deploy the CTD at Pea Island B.

Transferring Water Samples

After the CTD has been recovered, water is transferred into plastic jugs, which will be brought into the lab and filtered.

Piloting AUV Sentry

Sentry expedition leader Sean Kelley remotely drives the AUV toward the ship after surfacing.

Securing AUV Sentry

Sentry engineers and the ship’s deck crew work to secure tag lines on the vehicle.

Recovering AUV Sentry

Sentry engineers and the ship’s deck crew work to secure tag lines on the vehicle.

Recovering AUV Sentry

AUV Sentry ran a 24-hour survey before being recovered on September 14.

Tracking Sentry

While Sentry primarily uses USBL (ultra-short baseline), it also uses a subset of a long baseline positioning system to determine the slant range to the vehicle.

AUV Sentry Navigation

This navigation display shows almost all of the information Sentry engineers need to know that the vehicle is completing its survey properly.

Tracking Sentry and Pisces

Another navigation display used by the Sentry team, this Sonardyne Ranger2 display shows the relative positions of the ship and the Sentry.

Deploying AUV Sentry

AUV Sentry engineers remove Sentry’s cradle so that it can be safely lifted by the ship’s crane and deployed in the water.

Preparing AUV Sentry for Deployment

The taglines are used to steady the Sentry while the crane lifts it off the deck and over to the water.

Leaving Port

NOAA Ship Pisces left the port at 1600 on September 12.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel marks the exit from the Chesapeake Bay and the entry point to the open ocean.

Securing Anchor

Lead Fisherman Cornell secures the anchor.

Securing Immersion Suits

Scientists in the process of fully securing their immersion suits.

Launching AUV Sentry

Andy Billings oversees the AUV Sentry launch for its first dive of the cruise.

NOAA Ship Pisces in Port

NOAA Ship Pisces waits out Hurricane Irma.

AUV Sentry Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

The AUV Sentry has been on the Pisces since August 26.

AUV Sentry Recovery

AUV Sentry being recovered during a recent cruise near Costa Rica.

Map of Target Areas

Map of target areas to be surveyed during the DEEP SEARCH expedition.

Chemosynthetic Mussel Beds

Chemosynthetic mussel beds at Mound 12 on the Costa Rica margin.

Sponges and Coral

These sponges and coral were seen on the same R/V Atlantis cruise.

Multibeam Data

AUV Sentry first collects multibeam data to map the bathymetry of the seafloor.

Mussel Beds

This high-resolution bathymetric map of a mussel bed was created using AUV Sentry data.

Low Oxygen Conditions Around Seeps

Data collected from the oxidation-reduction probe illustrates reducing environments (red) located around the mussel bed.

Coral Colony

During the previous BOEM-USGS-NOAA Atlantic study, researchers explored coral habitats like this one.

Methane Seep

Methane gas bubbles rise from the seafloor.

Deep-Pelagic Organisms

A composite of images of deep-pelagic organisms.

Water Column Echogram

Echogram illustrating the ascending and descending phases of the diel migrations through the water column.

DEEP SEARCH: DEEP Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold seep Habitats

Image Gallery

Mission Logs

Image Gallery

For Educators

Background Information

Media Resources

Meet the Explorers

DEEP SEARCH: DEEP Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold seep Habitats

Image Gallery

Mission Logs

Image Gallery

For Educators

Background Information

Media Resources

Meet the Explorers

Related Links