Follow along as participants in the cruise provide updates and reflections on their experiences, the science, the technology, and other elements of the expedition.
By Erik Cordes and Amanda Demopoulos
The 2019 DEEP SEARCH mission was a great success. We battled some stormy weather that forced us to run and adapt our plans, but the whole team worked together and did an exceptional job in pulling off this complex research expedition.
Read moreMay 8, 2019
Scientists discovered chemosynthetic vestimentiferan tubeworms while exploring methane cold seeps on a research expedition in the Atlantic Ocean off of the U.S. southeast coast last month, marking the first time that tubeworms have ever been observed in this part of the Atlantic.
Read moreApril 29, 2019 | By Caitlin Adams
The end has snuck up on us yet again. Somehow five days have elapsed since my last update, and we’re headed to the dock tomorrow afternoon. In those five days though, we’ve done quite a lot.
Read moreApril 24, 2019 | By Caitlin Adams
With the end of the expedition in sight, Team DEEP SEARCH has been extremely busy spending our last full week at sea doing as much science as possible. After Monday’s mega-dive at Pamlico Canyon, we were back in the water no more than 5 hours later at Pea Island Seep.
Read moreApril 23, 2019 | By Caitlin Adams
Our dive at Pamlico Canyon was our longest yet of this expedition, clocking in at nearly 20 hours on the seafloor. The ROV began the dive at the bottom of the canyon (nearly 1,900 meters down) and spent most of the dive slowly climbing up from there, surveying the canyon’s walls and ledges.
Read moreApril 22, 2019 | By Alexis Weinnig
When we send an ROV like Jason down into the ocean it not only provides us eyes on the seafloor with cameras but also arms with hydraulic manipulators. These manipulators provide a lot of utility to sample in different ways while on the seafloor.
Read moreApril 19, 2019 | By Caitlin Adams
It’s been a busy week here aboard NOAA Ship Ron Brown! As is often the case with deep-sea research, Leg 1 didn’t go entirely as planned, so we made adjustments, as we’re always prepared to do.
Read moreApril 15, 2019 | By Kate Segarra
BOEM’s research is primarily use-inspired, meaning it is designed to fill information needs for the Bureau. Studies like DEEP SEARCH provide valuable baseline environmental information and contribute to our understanding of the environments in which we operate.
Read moreApril 14, 2019 | By Furu Mienis
We not only collect water column data around and above the reefs, but we also measure the near-bottom environmental conditions through time with bottom landers. These stand-alone platforms can be deployed on the deep-sea floor for several days up to a year, during which they can measure a large variety of environmental variables.
Read moreApril 13, 2019 | By Andrea Quattrini
Parasitism is an important symbiosis—or interaction between two different species living in close physical association—found in marine communities. Different types of marine parasites, including worms, isopods, and copepods, infect a variety of host species, including crabs and fishes.
Read moreApril 12, 2019 | By Cheryl Morrison & Christina Kellogg
What can a bottle of water tell you? Well, if the water was collected from the deep sea, maybe a lot! We’re hoping that bottles of water collected from several sites during this cruise will give us insight into the dominant microbial processes, what food options the animals in the habitat have, and if it is possible to detect the presence of larger organisms like corals and fish from their environmental DNA (eDNA) in the water.
Read moreApril 11, 2019 | By Caitlin Adams
This morning, ROV Jason was successfully recovered after our first dive of DEEP SEARCH 2019. The Jason team had a smooth launch just after 9pm last night, and the ROV stayed in the water for over 12 hours exploring the deep-sea coral habitats of Richardson Hills.
Read moreApril 10, 2019 | By Ken Kostel
In advance of DEEP SEARCH 2019’s first remotely operated vehicle dive today, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has shared the following overview about ROV Jason.
Read moreApril 9, 2019 | By Caitlin Adams
Just after 1:30pm today, NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown pulled away from the dock in Charleston, SC for the official start of DEEP SEARCH 2019! Departure came after four full days of mobilization.
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