by Kevin Zelnio
Staff and collaborators from the New England Aquarium in Boston are out to sea. This expedition is funded by the National Geographic Society for article written by Gregory Stone, NEAq’s vice president of global marine programs, and photographed by NGS photographer Brian Skerry. Also aboard are researchers from Conservation International and Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institute. The expedition’s purpose is to document the rich variety of habitats and their inhabitants in the deep sea. To do this, they will use SCUBA gear and the submerisble DEEPSEE (left). DEEPSEE seats 2 researchers and a trained pilot. I encourage you to read and bookmark their fantastic expedition blog written by expert explorers! Some of my favorites are posts on the shallow water hydrothermal vents and Wendy Benchley’s (wife of ocean conservationist and author Peter Benchley) description of her first dive in a submersible:
"It was a terrific adrenaline rush to
watch the clear blue water rise higher and higher on the plexiglass
dome while sitting in a first class seat, with a 360 degree view. I’m
hooked! No heavy tank, no jaw ache from clenching on a regulator, no
clearing clogged ears! Only the lovely sensation of sinking slowly, so
quietly down to a ledge on the seamount."
A deep sea vent in the Sea of Cortez surrounded by pink fish and yellow coral. The milky white fluid in the upper left of the photo is low temperature venting.
The expedition’s purpose is to document the rich variety of habitats and their inhabitants in the deep sea. To do this, they will use SCUBA gear and the submerisble DEEPSEE (left). DEEPSEE seats 2 researchers and a trained pilot. I encourage you to read and bookmark their fantastic expedition blog written by expert explorers!