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Indonesia-USA Deep-sea Exploration: July 10, 2010 Highlights

1,081 views · Published 29 March 2013 · 2:39 · Indexed 30 September 2026

Channel: NOAA Ocean Exploration · 2013 · Science & Technology

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View some of the spectacular underwater footage captured by the Little Hercules remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on July 10, 2010, during the Indonesia-USA Deep-Sea Exploration of the Sangihe Talaud Region expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.

Before launching the ROV on the initial planned location, the ship's crew discovered that the dive area was located in an explosive ordinance zone, so the dive location was moved to a ridge to the south that rose from the bottom to a depth of approximately 2,240 meters. The crew launched the ROV at 3d 16.0926'N 125d 17.454'E.

There as almost no current when the ROV reached the ocean bottom and the surface was heavily sedimented with very few animals anywhere. The ROV did, however, come across a few very interesting creatures as it climbed up the slope. These included a large purple spoon worm whose digestive tract was clearly visible through its translucent skin; a fascinating large purple nudibranch; and a camouflaged sea urchin covered with a "hat" of organic debris and smaller animals.

The crew also noticed a number of large burrows in the sediment and several track lines with a lot of oddly shaped debris or perhaps unidentified organism. Near the end of the dive, the ROV came across a small cliff face that resembled a canyon with pale orange-colored rock, a stark contrast from the brown sediment seen for most of the dive. 

Video courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010.

Source: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/10index/logs/dailyupdates/dailyupdates.html#july10_update

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