View a slideshow of some pictures from the Bioluminescence 2009: Living Light on the Deep Sea Floor Exploration.
Click image to view a slide show.
Bioluminescence 2009: Living Light on the Deep Sea Floor
July 20-30, 2009
Drs. Tamara Frank (HBOI@FAU), Sönke Johnsen (Duke), Edith Widder (ORCA), Charles Messing (Nova Southeastern) and Steve Haddock (MBARI) will be embarking on an expedition of discovery on the RV Seward Johnson on July 20th to study bioluminescence on the deep-sea floor off the Bahamas. Bioluminescence is a fascinating phenomenon that is found in only a few species on land (e.g. fireflies), but is common in all the world’s oceans. It has been estimated that 90% of the animals living in the pelagic (water column) are bioluminescent. However, information on bioluminescence in the deep-sea benthos (organisms that live on the bottom) is very sparse, due to the difficulty in getting live animals in trawls and dredges. Based on the few but varied deep-sea sessile (non-moving, like corals or sea anemones) animals that are known to be bioluminescent, and the adaptations that have been discovered in the large eyes of some of the motile predators on previous OER expeditions, it is likely that benthic bioluminescence is abundant and plays a significant role in animal interactions. The investigators will use their combined expertise in bioluminescence, taxonomy, visual ecology, imaging and molecular biology, together with the unique collecting capabilities of the Johnson-Sea-Link submersible to explore the deep-sea benthic environment for undiscovered “living lights”.
You can access the Ocean Explorer Bioluminescence 2009 News Feed here: 
Updates & Logs
Click images or links below for detailed mission logs and updates.
July 29, 2009 See a gooseneck barnacle, nestled within a Gerardia, peer at the submersible as it
visits his home at 2,000 feet. 
Includes Video
July 28, 2009 View pictures of bioluminescence from inside the submersible. There are dozens of species on the sea floor in even the bleakest habitat and, unlike the case for plankton, it seems that only a small fraction of them make light.
July 27, 2009 Gastroptychus spinifer, the UV-sensitive crab, has quite large eyes for such a small animal. This particular species was collected at around 1968.50 feet. Includes Video
July 26, 2009 A Deep-Sea Mystery: Within minutes, a large school of Cuban Dogfish Shark surroundedthe the EITS, and began tearing at the bait and swimming in and out of the EITS frame – just like a pack of playful puppies. Includes Video
July 26, 2009 Edwin Link and a Deep-Sea Mystery: on the morning of Tuesday, July 21, the EITS
was placed at a depth of 2,000 feet, with a bait box to attract marine life, and its cameras set
to record for one minute, every five minutes.
July 25, 2009 The Johnson Sea Link allows scientists to explore areas where literally no man has gone before due to the physical constraints of pressure and darkness. Includes Video
July 24, 2009 We are pleased to report the discovery of a new species (possibly a new genus) of stalked crinoid, or sea lily, belonging to a family previously unknown in the western Atlantic Ocean. Includes Video
July 23, 2009 Blue-water diving is a scuba diving technique used by scientists to investigate animals living suspended in the middle of the ocean. Includes Video
July 22, 2009 Gabby Barbarite has her first sub dive, and is excited to discover a whole new world of diving: "Out of all the adventures in the world, I must say that journeying to the bottom of the ocean takes the gold!"
July 21, 2009 Today the first dive was on a deep water reef, called a lithoherm. Shaped like an upside down ship’s hull, it ran hundreds of feet, north to south. Includes Video
July 20, 2009 The expedition team has been hard at work preparing equipment and setting up laboratories onboard the research vessel Seward Johnson as it steers toward the lithoherms west of the Little Bahamas Bank.
