NOAA’s vessel Okeanos and its crew of scientists, researchers and mariners have been exploring seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean this month as part of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts expedition.
Thanks to fantastic livestreaming technology, we can watch what they’re seeing in real-time as their ROV plies the deep sea. And we can listen to the researchers and scientists throughout the live dives. It really is remarkable — you can tune in to live deep sea exploration from anywhere in the world!
Here, they spotted a coral of interest on Dive #17 of this series, on the northern peak of Gosnold Seamount, off the coast of NY/NJ…. And they zoom in on it… (scroll down)
This is a coral in the genus Enallopsammia. Look below at the close up — and zoom in more… and you can clearly see and marvel at the tentacles on the coral! You can also see part of a crinoid on the upper left area of the coral.
It’s just amazing that we can view living creatures of the deep oceans this well. Thank you, technology — and NOAA Ocean Exploration!
NOAA scientists and researchers will be exploring this area for a few more days — through July 29. Learn more about the expedition here — and that’s where you’ll also find links to the livestreams and photos and videos from the exploration.
Oceanwire 