by Kasey Cantwell, Web Coordinator, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
July 22, 2013
One of the more strange-looking animals we came across in Veatch Canyon, a bathysaurus. These fish use their lower jaw to scoop in the sand. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).
I am what you might call a “shutterbug,” or an amateur photo enthusiast. My friends and family will tell you that pretty much wherever I go, I take entirely too many pictures. As web coordinator for the 2013 Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition, I have the distinct pleasure of pouring over hundreds of amazing images every evening to choose what eventually ends up on the website.
The imagery that results from each remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive is incredible. The ROV Deep Discoverer (D2) and camera platform Seirios were clearly designed with this in mind, from the full-time professional videographers on staff to the 18 LED lights that illuminate the seafloor. D2 doesn’t just have a single row of lights like most ROVs, it also has four adjustable swing arms each with their own light bar.
Usually the most challenging part of my job involves narrowing down the vast selection to just one image for the daily update or a few for each website log. Inevitably this means that many of the incredible images never receive the primetime coverage that they deserve—which leads to this web log.
Here you can view a selection of some of the amazing deep-sea creatures we have seen, that otherwise might not make their way on to the website.
A baby octopus (Graneledone verrucosa) moves across the seafloor as ROV Deep Discoverer explores Veatch Canyon. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
A shrimp rests on octocoral in Hydrographer Canyon. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.4 MB).
A red brittle star occupies a beautiful white octocoral. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 580 KB).
A large white glass sponge growing on a canyon wall. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.4 MB).
During ROV launch one morning we had a special visitor – a whale shark! Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 3.3 MB).
A brisingid sea star rests on a small bubblegum coral in Hydrographer Canyon. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).
Throughout the expedition we have seen several cephalopods, but few have been as cute as this bobtail squid! Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.5 MB).
Benthic ctenophores are a rare find even for deep-sea biologists. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).
A jellyfish swims in the water column as ROV Deep Discoverer approaches the seafloor. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
Antimora rostrata (blue cod) fish with a parasitic copepod attached. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
Small shrimp hide in a glass sponge in Hydrographer Canyon. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).
A brittle star hangs out on a black coral. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
We encountered a lime green heart urchin in Veatch Canyon. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.4 MB).
Lithodid king crab finds a spiky urchin friend. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.5 MB).
An eel pout, Lycenchelys paxillus, poses for ROV Deep Discoverer’s cameras. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.7 MB).
A small hermit crab drags a shell across the seafloor, maybe he has just found himself a new home. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.7 MB).
Pycnogonids or sea spiders have muscles so small that they are only a single cell surrounded by connective tissue! Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
Whiplash (Mastigoteuthis) squid waits in the water column while hunting. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
