(September) Join scientists as they set out on a series of expeditions in the seas surrounding Bermuda, searching for deep water caves. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/welcome.html http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/include/images/ocean_explorer_podcast_100.jpg http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/welcome.html ____________________________________________________________________________ The first phase of this two-year expedition was successfully completed in September. We were able to map and then explore the sea floor surrounding the island of Bermuda and the nearby Challenger Bank. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/summary/summary.html ____________________________________________________________________________ Piloting an ROV allow us to see the fish and invertebrates that live in the deep sea, that would otherwise be hidden to us. It provides the opportunity to work in really cool locales with a technology that is quickly becoming an essential tool for underwater research. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/sept28/sept28.html ____________________________________________________________________________ As part of the expedition team, Alexis Hall helps with ROV deployment and recovery. Her main job is to watch the tether, which is a bundle of electric and fiber optic cables, which relay information between the ship and the ROV. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/sept27/sept27.html ____________________________________________________________________________ The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) we’re working with is a SeaBotix LBV (Little Benthic Vehicle) which we typically we use it for work in coastal waters. Read more... http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/sept25/sept25.html ____________________________________________________________________________ There are lots of ups downs, rolls and pitches when it comes to coordinating the web reports and multi-media about any expedition, and this one is no exception. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/sept24/sept24.html ____________________________________________________________________________ Read about the thunderstorms which kept us at the dock until mid-afternoon Sunday when they cleared and we headed toward North Rock for ROV. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/sept21/sept21.html ____________________________________________________________________________ The systems and equipment we use in our search for deepwater caves include multibeam sonar and a ROV, both of which involve complex, multi-sensor setups with many components. Read more ... http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/sept19/sept19.html ____________________________________________________________________________ Read about the advanced technology that scientists use to precisely map the seafloor. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/background/multibeam/multibeam.html ____________________________________________________________________________ Learn more about the origin of Bermuda caves: how they developed, why they developed, and the vast quantity of native fauna that have developed within them. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/background/bermudaorigin/bermudaorigin.html ___________________________________________________________________________ Ocean Explorer Expedition Education Modules (EEM) are designed to reach out in new ways to teachers, students, and the general public, and share the excitement of daily at-sea discoveries and the science behind NOAA’s major ocean exploration initiatives with the people around the world. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/background/edu/edu.html ____________________________________________________________________________ View photos and short bios of the explorers participating on the Bermuda: Search for Deep Water Caves 2009 Expedition. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/background/explorers/explorers.html ____________________________________________________________________________ View photos and videos taken during the Bermuda: Search for Deep Water Caves 2009 Expedition, including high-resolution photos, video, and slideshows. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/logs/photolog/photolog.html ____________________________________________________________________________ The goal of this project is to thoroughly explore and characterize the upper edge of the Bermuda pedestal and two adjacent mid-ocean seamounts to confirm the existence of deep water (~60-200 m depths) caves. We will also document wave cut notches, drown reefs, terraces and other features formed during Ice Age low sea stands of the Pleistocene epoch (roughly defined as the time period between 1.8 million to around 10,000 years ago). http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/background/plan/plan.html