View a slide show of a few of the images of the science activities, off the Central California coastline during the Davidson Seamount 2002 Exploration.
Click image to view a slide show.
Big white coral (unidentified primnoid) on the Davidson Seamount at 1570 meters depth. Click image for larger view and image credit.
Davidson Seamount: Exploring Ancient Coral Gardens
January 26 - February 4, 2006
Most people think that corals are found in warm water and that mountains are only on land. In 2002, we were able to use new technologies to explore the cold waters, 4,100 to 12,000 feet deep (1250 to 3660 meters), off the Central California coastline. Our destination, the Davidson Seamount, was covered with spectacular organisms, including large and ancient coral gardens. We found that the corals are mostly located on seamount ridges, and that we still have much to learn about the taxonomy (scientific names) of these species. We are now returning to Davidson Seamount, still 99.98% unexplored, to test a model we developed that predicts where corals will be found. We will then take measurements of water currents and food available to understand what causes corals to thrive in some areas, but not others. Along the way, we will photograph and collect corals to determine if they are new species and to determine their age and growth patterns. The BBC will be filming during the cruise so you can join in on the fascination of deep-sea life on an upcoming broadcast of Planet Earth.
The collaborating institutions on this project are the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration.
Related Links:
Learn more about the background of this mission at the MBARI Davidson Seamount Web Site.
See art from local students illustrating interesting facts about the mission.
Updates & Logs
Click images or links below for detailed mission logs and updates.
Mission Summary The Davidson Seamount team made 70 hours of observations and collected 102 deep sea animal and rock specimens (some species likely new to science). Now the real work begins!
February 4 The explorers share their favorite moments and discoveries from the Davidson Seamount expedition.
February 3 Expeditions such as this one to are expensive and resource intensive, but sharing data and images with others spreads the wealth.
February 2 While the ROV Tiburon flies with its instruments in the depths of the sea, many skilled individuals are onboard overseeing its operation.
February 1 Scientists gather data to determine how water flowing around the Seamount may affect the distribution and abundance of corals on its surface.
January 31 Vast amounts of information are collected during ocean expeditions. Learn about how scientists keep track of all of it.
January 30 SIMoN catalogues hundreds of photos from previous Davidson expeditions. The explorers can't wait to add this year's crop.
January 29 Scientists use Tiburon ROV to photograph and collect two species of coral of particular interest -- bamboo coral and a pink coral.
January 28 Filming begins aboard the ship. Capturing the underwater environment in high definition video is exciting and challenging to the crew.
January 27 Managing the video data on expeditions can be a daunting task. Some computer tools and personal knowledge of explorers make the job easier.
January 26 On the first day of the cruise, scientists are welcomed aboard with an orientation to the ship, safety protocols, and a practice session of putting on survival suits.
