AskScience AMA Series: We’re scientists on a NOAA mission to explore the
deep, unseen waters off Hawaii. Ask Us Anything!
Abstract
Hello Reddit! We are Chris Kelley (deep-sea biologist, University of
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa), Daniel Wagner (research specialist,
NOAA Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument), Kelley Elliott (NOAA
ocean explorer) and Meme Lobecker (NOAA seafloor mapping expert). We are
joined by the Mission Team onboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to
answer your questions about our expedition to explore the deep waters
off Hawaii. We are on the second of four expedition legs and are
exploring in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. We will also
later explore Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine
National Monument. These large marine protected areas are national
symbols of ocean conservation; however, given their remote location, the
vast majority of deeper waters in these areas remains unseen by human
eyes. Learn more about the expedition here:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1504/welcome.html
Throughout the expedition, we are using remotely operated vehicles
(ROVs) to explore the seafloor, and our ROVs’ video streams are being
transmitted via satellite from ship to shore. This means anyone with an
Internet connection can tune in LIVE with scientists from around the
world sharing an unprecedented glimpse of never-seen-before deep marine
habitats. Access the live video here:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html. We
expect to encounter large, diverse coral and sponge communities; explore
ancient seamounts; map the seafloor; and learn more about the geologic
history of the area. Information collected during the expedition will
support management decisions to protect what we know as well as what we
have yet to discover. We have all participated in numerous deep-ocean
exploration missions. (joining us is /u/melanostomias ) We’re here from
2:00 pm ET to 4:00 pm ET to answer your questions about the Hawaiian
expedition or ocean exploration in general…AUA! Thanks everyone
for participating today! Great questions! We got a lot of questions
regarding advice for folks looking to get into careers in deep-ocean
exploration. A couple of good resources on this topic include:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1404/logs/sept21/sept21.html
and http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/oceanage/welcome.html. The NOAA
Corps Program is another opportunity worth looking into
(http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov/). Also, for those interested in the
weird and wonderful discoveries we are making on this expedition, be
sure to visit our website
(http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1504/welcome.html)
often, as we are adding new logs, images, and videos all of the time.
And of course, you can tune in to the live video feeds and join us for
our
dives:http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html.
Weather and all other things permitting, we’ll be diving through the end
of September. Thanks again! Onward and downward!