This page contains photos and videos taken during the 2004 Operation Deep Scope Exploration that took place August 7 - August 17, 2004. Click on any image to view a larger version and for additional information. If a movie camera icon
is present, a QuickTime video can be viewed by clicking on the image. Other video formats are available on the linked pages.
If a slideshow icon
is present, a visual log of exploration images can be viewed. You can scroll through them one by one, or select the play button for an automatic slideshow.
(HR) = "High Resolution" images available.
|
Video & Slideshows
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
August 17
Specimens of bamboo coral were revealed to be propagating bioluminescence up their branches. (Quicktime, 1 Mb.)
|
|
August 17 The Eye-In-The-Sea camera captures giant isopods and a hungry six-gill shark. (Quicktime, 1.5 Mb.)
|
|
August 16
The exploration team discovers a fluorescent greeneye fish under the submersible's blue-filtered headlights. (Quicktime, 1 Mb.)
|
|
August 14
View the peeper recovery and sampling process. (Quicktime, 1.9 Mb.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
August 12 A strange encounter with a swordfish at 1,760 ft below the surface. (Quicktime, 444 Kb.)
|
|
August 11 A Mastigoteuthis squid, approximately six ft in length over 1,600 ft below the surface. (Quicktime, 316 Kb.)
|
|
August 10
Video shot over 1,700 ft down in the Gulf of Mexico, shows the fluorescence of a benthic sea spider. (QuickTime, 936 Kb)
|
|
August 9
A six-gill shark was spotted over 2,100 ft below the surface. (QuickTime, 964 Kb)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 8
Deploying the Eye-in-the-Sea (EITS) on the edge of a brine pool, at over 2,100 ft. (Quicktime, 1.1 Mb.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Images
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Summary
The sun sets on the last night of our exploration.
|
|
Summary The deep seafloor holds many beautiful scenes.
|
|
Summary
The biotechnological potential of this red fluorescent starfish is one of the most promising animals studied on this mission.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
August 16
Note the green fluorescence of the eyes of this shortnose greeneye fish. The submersible team collected the specimen for optical studies in the ships onboard laboratory. (HR)
|
|
August 16
Under white light the green lenses of this 6-inch greeneye fish are still quite apparent. (HR)
|
|
August 16
Alison prepares the spectrometer, an instrument that measures the wavelengths in light, to study the absorption and reflectance properties of the fishs fluorescent lens. (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
August 15
Caranchid squid. Open water divers can more easily observe these creatures with polarizing filters. (HR)
|
|
August 15
Caranchid squid. Open water divers can more easily observe these creatures with polarizing filters. (HR)
|
|
August 15
Blue water divers use glass jars to capture gelatinous specimens for further study in the ships laboratory. (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
August 14
Members of the Deep Scope science party assist Sharmishtha to quickly process the sediment profile peepers. (HR)
|
|
August 14
Seconds after the peepers reached the surface they were removed from the submersible basket and rinsed with seawater. (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 13
Rough seas in the Gulf of Mexico. (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
August 12
Scuba divers enter the mid-water realm to collect gelatinous creatures. (HR)
|
|
August 12
A jellyfish picture was taken by mid-water divers studying how these creatures adapt to living in areas where background light is in a constant state of flux. (HR)
|
|
August 12
A mid-water gelatinous mollusk seen using and then removes a polarizing analyzer filter. (HR)
|
|
August 12
A mid-water gelatinous mollusk seen using polarized light. (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
August 11
If you lived at the bottom of the ocean, this is how your world would appear.
|
|
August 11
A few members of the science party worked to re-engineer the optical jelly on the Eye-In-The-Sea. (HR)
|
|
August 11
Tropical Storm Bonnie makes her way across the Gulf of Mexico, with Hurricane Charley a few days behind. (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
August 10
This Top portion of a tubeworm from the Brine Pool, photographed with white light. (HR)
|
|
August 10
This Top portion of a tubeworm from the Brine Pool, photographed with blue light to stimulate fluorescence. (HR)
|
|
August 10
To make fluorescent observations, the Johnson-Sea-Link is modified by placing blue filters on the submersibles two 400W HMI lamps. (HR)
|
|
August 10
Jellyfish photographed with white light (above), and with blue light to stimulate fluorescence (below). (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 10
Jellyfish photographed with white light (above), and with blue light to stimulate fluorescence (below). (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
August 9
This Sixgill shark was captured on video this morning when the team dove to recover the Eye-In-The-Sea camera system
|
|
August 9
Tammy Frank and Nicole McMullen load baited benthic traps
|
|
August 9
The mechanical arm of the Johnson-Sea-Link places a baited benthic trap on the seafloor, just outside the brine pool.
|
|
August 9 Dr. Frank holds a hagfish caught in one of the benthic traps. (HR)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
August 8
The Eye-In-The-Sea deployed on the edge of the brine pool
|
|
August 8
Dr. Edie Widder inspects the Eye-In-The-Sea
|
|
August 8
Erika Heine begins programming the Eye-In-The-Sea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
August 7
Captain Mike Schoeller on the bridge the morning of our departure.
|
|
August 7
The Seward Johnson II heads into the Gulf of Mexico to begin dive operations. Rough seas lie ahead.
|
|
August 7
The survival (aka Gumby) suit protects from hypothermia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|