Currently, a research expedition is underway to discover new species and seabed environments off the coast of Alaska.
Currently, a research expedition is underway to discover new species and seabed environments off the coast of Alaska. An expedition in which all interested parties are invited to participate. Rhian Waller, a deep-sea biologist at the Department of Marine Sciences, is one of the researchers on board:
"Being the first to see something completely new and being able to share it with the world is very rewarding," she says.
Much is still unknown about the ocean. Less than a quarter of the world's seabed has been mapped using modern methods, and only a few per cent of the ecosystems have been studied in detail. Rhian Waller is joining an expedition organised by the US agency NOAA Ocean Exploration, which is dedicated to mapping the ocean's 'white spots'.
"Through these maps the program has revised ocean depths and discovered whole new seafloor features we never knew existed. The mapping data is important to biologists, geologists and oceanographers, so it has a lot of value", says Rhian Waller.
Read more at University of Gothenburg
Image: From the operating room, the scientists control the underwater robot, communicate with scientists participating in the expedition from ashore, and answer questions from the general public. (Photo: NOAA Ocean Exploration)
