Technology From the safety of their research vessel, scientists are exploring one of Earth's last frontiers - the sea floor - to discover more about valuable minerals vital in the manufacture of smartphones. 20 Sep 2018 08:15PM Bookmark BERGEN, Norway: From the safety of their research vessel, scientists are exploring one of Earth's last frontiers: the sea floor: to discover more about valuable minerals vital in the manufacture of smartphones.The scientists, from the University of Bergen in Norway, are sending robots 2,500 metres (8,000 feet) down into the waters between Norway and Greenland, to try to understand the environments potentially rich with rare earth minerals."The ocean sea floor on Earth is, for the most part, unknown," scientist Thibaut Barreyre told Reuters."It's totally fair to say that we know much more about the surface of the moon and Mars - mapped by satellites and different devices - than we know about our own planet."The international team is using … [Read more...] about Deep sea robots reveal mineral riches in the abyss
Deep sea research
Deep-sea ‘aliens’ no one knew existed, unearthed in Singapore-Indonesia expedition
SINGAPORE: The expedition lasted two weeks. But it will take two years for the scientists to complete their studies of more than 12,000 specimens - some bizarre and new to science - hauled up from the bottom of the Sunda Strait and Indian Ocean.These Indonesian waters off West Java had been largely unexplored by marine biologists until now. That changed in March, when a combined team from Singapore and Indonesia set out to sea.“People have collected data off west of Sumatra, eastern parts of Indonesia and southeastern part of Java,” said Professor Peter Ng, head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore (NUS).“But for whatever reasons, the Sunda Strait in southwestern and southern Java were poorly collected. We had almost no information about the deep-sea animals living there. So we thought, here’s a nice chance to fill the gap. We cannot conserve what we do not know.Prof Ng, a well-known crab expert, led … [Read more...] about Deep-sea ‘aliens’ no one knew existed, unearthed in Singapore-Indonesia expedition
Scientists spent three weeks exploring the Gulf of Mexico’s uncharted deep-sea habitats — see the mind-blowing images they brought back
caption A goosefish (Lophiodes beroe) was observed at ~640 meters (~2,100 feet). These fish are fairly common at about 600 – 800 meters (~1,970 – 2,625 feet) deep. A type of anglerfish, the lures are visible in the center of its face. source Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted an expedition to explore uncharted waters in the deepest parts of the Gulf of Mexico– and the images they’re bringing back are astonishing. During the mission, scientists spent three weeks aboard NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer exploring and documenting some of the little-understood species who call the seafloor home. Using a mix of remote-operated submersibles (ROVs), and shore-based instruments, the team brought back stunning images of these previously unexplored areas. Check out what they brought back from the inky depths below: Here’s … [Read more...] about Scientists spent three weeks exploring the Gulf of Mexico’s uncharted deep-sea habitats — see the mind-blowing images they brought back
Indonesia, Singapore lead deep-sea expedition to West Java
A team of explorers set off on a pioneering deep-sea expedition yesterday afternoon, hoping for a glimpse of an area where no man has ventured. Over the next 14 days, they will sail from Jakarta to the Sunda Strait and waters off the Indonesian port of Cilacap. Off the southern coast of West Java, they will mine the rich seascape for living treasures living 500m to 2km under the sea, at 29 separate sites. Led by Professor Peter Ng from Singapore and Dr Dwi Listyo Rahayu from Indonesia, the multinational team of 30 researchers, scientists and support staff will give daily updates of the dredging - a first for any expedition - as they scour through depths that hold the greatest diversity of animals. Their focus will be on crabs, prawns, shells, sponges, jellyfish, worms, starfish, urchins and fishes. They hope to discover new species in a bid to expand on existing knowledge of the Earth's biodiversity. But with countries looking to deep-sea activities such as deep-sea mining to meet … [Read more...] about Indonesia, Singapore lead deep-sea expedition to West Java
Scientists spent a month exploring the Gulf of Mexico’s deep sea habitats — and the images they brought back are astonishing
caption There’s an otherworldly, alien world down in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. source Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2017. There’s a spectacular, uncharted alien world right off the Gulf Coast, and a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) expedition sought to uncover its secrets. This past December, a NOAA team, aboard the Okeanos Explorer, conducted the first of three month-long studies of the deepest parts of the Gulf of Mexico, with the dual aim of exploring the diversity of deep-water habitats and mapping the seafloor. Using a mix of remote-operated submersibles (ROVs), and shore-based instruments, the team brought back stunning images of previously unexplored areas. Here’s a sample of what they found in the inky depths: Over dozens of dives, NOAA’s submersibles brought back images of deep-water creatures that had seldom been observed before. source Image courtesy of the … [Read more...] about Scientists spent a month exploring the Gulf of Mexico’s deep sea habitats — and the images they brought back are astonishing