This page contains photos and videos associated with the Gulf of Mexico 2012 expedition. Click on any image or video to view a larger version and for additional information.
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Archaeology
Biology
Geology
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On-ship Team
Mission personnel who were on board during the third and final cruise leg of the 2012 Gulf expedition.
Jack Yates High School Students
Students from Jack Yates High School Maritime Academy surround the camera sled Seirios in the hangar.
Richard Conway
Chief Electronics Technician for the Okeanos Explorer Richard Conway explains technology in the ship's satellite dome.
NOAA Fisheries Leadership
Leadership from the NOAA Fisheries, archaeologists who participated in the expedition, and high school students.
Gas Capture Device
A gas capture device was added to the front of Little Hercules.
Wooden-hulled Shipwreck
What is believed to be an early to mid-19th century wooden-hulled shipwreck on the deep Gulf of Mexico seafloor.
Bathymetry
Bathymetry data acquired by NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer during the third Gulf of Mexico Expedition cruise leg.
Recovery
Seirios camera sled images Okeanos Explorer personnel and deck hands during recovery following the last dive.
April 26 ROV Highlights
Video footage from April 26 during the Gulf of Mexico Expedition 2012.
Copper-sheathed Shipwreck
Seirios Camera Platform images the anchor and remnants of a shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico.
Brittlestar
A brittlestar wraps itself around a soft coral (Paramuricea).
April 24 ROV Highlights
Video footage from April 24 during the Gulf of Mexico Expedition 2012.
Rocky Outcrop
Two red Anthomastus octocoral, a squat lobster, an anemone, and shrimp on a rocky outcrop.
Fully Stocked Gym
Crew members take advantage of the fully stocked gym that includes a variety of workout equipment.
Benthothuria
A view of the escape swimmer Benthothuria, flexing so strongly that the mouth has been brought into view.
Sunset
Mission personnel spent much of the day catching up on work and in the evening, time on deck enjoying the sunset.
Liam Vickers
Crew member and store manager Liam Vickers sells novelties and necessities.
Espresso Machine
The espresso machine located in the mess hall helps perk up crew members, observers and scientists.
Movie Night
Movie Night on the fantail featured the satirical docudrama "The Life Aquatic."
XBT Cast
Mapping Team Lead, Adam Skarke, conducts an XBT cast.
Amplitude Map
A seismic amplitude map of the seafloor was used to select dive targets which may be natural oil and/or gas seeps.
Sedimentary Layering
A vertical seismic cross-section showing the sedimentary layering below the seafloor along line A – A’.
Underwater “Rivers”
Underwater “rivers” and ponds of liquid brine were discovered at the EW915 site.
Salt “Volcanoes”
Salt “volcanoes” with oil, gas, and brine being expelled.
April 21 Dive Highlights
Video footage from April 21 during the Gulf of Mexico Expedition 2012.
Drainage Channels
Drainage channels filled with brine (the cloudy material) feed a small pool with a live eelpout.
Animals are Red, Ocean is Blue
Many deep-sea animals are red. The only light found in the depths of the ocean is blue.
Furrows
Impressions, called furrows, were found on the seafloor.
Squids Mate
Two squids attempt to mate in the Gulf of Mexico.
Dolphins
Dolphins pass beneath the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
April 20 Dive Highlights
Video footage from April 20 at Green Canyon.
Mounds
Small mounds or volcanoes around the periphery of a brine pool rose small heights from the seafloor.
Vestimentiferan Tubeworms
An aggregation of vestimentiferan tubeworms (Lamellibrachia sp.).
Chimera and Crab
chimera fish and golden crab (Chaceon sp.) near a clump of seep mussels.
April 19 Dive Highlights
Video footage from the wooden-hulled shipwreck seen on April 19.
Snake Eel
A giant snake eel pokes its head out of an old shipwreck lying on the Gulf of Mexico's deep seafloor.
Capstan
Capstan near the starboard bow.
Site 359
Frames, inner hull planking, and outer hull planking at Site 359.
April 18 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the April 18 ROV dive.
Encounter
NOAA's Seirios camera platform images Little Hercules during an encounter with a skate.
Methane Gas
Bubbles of methane gas rise through a mussel bed at the Pascaguola Dome.
Gas Flux
Methane bubbles rise into a clear cylinder, designed for measuring gas flux, where they form a mixture of hydrate and gas.
Gas Bubbles
Gas bubbles from a natural seep rise up in front of a calibrated grid.
Webb Pinner
Video team lead Webb Pinner showing recently collected video footage to two members of the science party.
Gregg Diffendale
Video engineer Gregg Diffendale working with a member of the science team to create video clips.
Brian Brinckman
Video engineer Brian Brinckman adjusts the images from the remotely operated vehicle.
Methane Bucket
A 'methane bucket' capture device added to the front of the remotely operated vehicle.
DeSoto Canyon
Multibeam bathymetry data showing DeSoto Canyon and Salt Domes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
Salt Domes
The seafloor off the coast of southeastern Louisiana.
Diapirs
Diapirs or salt domes on the seafloor.
April 14 Dive Highlights
Video footage from the dive on April 14.
Little Hercules
The Little Hercules remotely operated vehicle captures gas bubbles from a seafloor gas seep.
Biloxi Dome
A time series of six sonar images collected over gaseous seeps at Biloxi Dome.
April 13 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the April 13 ROV dive.
Gas Seep
Bubbles from a gas seep.
VSAT Dome
Illustration of a VSAT dome that clearly shows the dome's soccer ball shape.
Fairhaven Ship Yard
Assembly the VSAT for the Okeanos Explorer in the Fairhaven Ship Yard in Bellingham, WA.
Dive Preparation
Overview of dive preparation timeline, as described Dive Supervisor Dave Lovalvo.
April 12 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the April 12 ROV dive.
Methane Ice Worms
An aggregation of methane ice worms inhabiting a white methane hydrate.
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer pierside in Pascagoula, MS.
Pascagoula, Mississippi
The Okeanos Explorer while docked in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Lightning Damage
Lightning damage incurred by the VSAT.
Okeanos Explorer
View of the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer from the Fast Rescue Boat.
April 6 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the April 6 ROV dive.
Fish
A zoarcid fish peeks out from a bed of chemosynthetic mussels.
ROV Deployment
Little Hercules ROV is deployed from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
Brittle Star
Close up image of a brittle star with arms wrapped around a paramuricid coral.
High-definition Camera
Little Herc’s powerful high-definition camera systems yielded unprecedented images of coral ecosystems.
Amphipod
An amphipod attached to a dead paramuricid coral branch.
Pen-Yuan Hsing
Pen-Yuan Hsing works diligently in the ROV Control Room to maximize the scientific benefits of the dives.
Weather Day
Weather is often one of the biggest obstacles to getting our work done.
Release Mechanism
A CAD model of the marker release mechanism.
Mississippi Canyon
Little Herc successfully dropped a marker at a new location the in Mississippi Canyon.
Testing
The Team tested the Little Hercules marker release mechanism in the ROV hanger.
April 3 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the April 3 ROV dive.
Sea Spider
Mission Personnel flocked to the ROV Control Room when the ROV happened upon a swimming deep-sea spider.
April 2 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the April 2 ROV dive.
Channel Branch
Geologists highlighted the channel branch in the white circle.
Sunrise
Sunrise in the Northern Gulf of Mexico from the Okeanos Explorer deck.
Underwater River
Image of an underwater river feature on the seafloor in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
Starboard Breezeway
Okeanos Explorer starboard breezeway: Evening at dock in Tampa, Florida.
Brittlestar
A brittlestar living on a paramuricid coral adjacent to a large white anemone.
Meandering Channel
Fledermaus screenshot showing detail of multibeam coverage of the channel.
Fledermaus Screenshot
A Fledermaus screenshot showing overview of multibeam coverage surrounding the channel.
Measured Features
A graphic from Wood and Mize-Spanzky showing measured features of a meandering channel.
ROV Launch
View from the crane as Little Herc is lowered into the water.
March 30 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 30 ROV dive.
Control Room
Tim Shank and Dave Lovalvo ensure science and operational objectives are met while exploring a shipwreck.
Ship Timbers
Ship timbers covered in anemone rising from the sediment.
Bilge Pump
This 19th century bilge pump kept water out of the hull.
Wreck
Little Hercules scanning sonar images the entire wreck.
March 29 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 29 ROV dive.
Anchor
Anchor resting on the top of the Site 15429 wreck. Lophelia coral is also visible.
March 28 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 28 ROV dive.
Bathymetry
Image of gridded bathymetry shown as a wireframe and draped over gridded backscatter data.
Lophelia pertusa
A Lophelia pertusa colony at 390 meters depth in the DeSoto Canyon region.
Dead Branches
Branches of Lophelia pertusa (in white) growing over dead branches (in brown).
Black Coral Colony
A Leiopathes black coral colony at 425 meters depth on the West Florida escarpment.
March 27 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 27 ROV dive.
Okeanos Explorer
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer conducts operations in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Side Scan Sonar
Side scan sonar image of the potential shipwreck site.
Deadeye
Deadeye attached to wire cable.
Pile of Wire Cable
Image from Seirios showing Little Hercules over the pile of wire cable.
March 26 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 26 ROV dive.
Coral
In 2010, the Jason ROV imaged a site downstream from the plume flowing from the Macondo well.
Little Hercules
View from Seirios of Little Hercules searching in midwater.
March 25 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 25 ROV dive.
Little Herc
Seirios captured this image of Little Herc examining deep corals along the West Florida Escarpment.
March 24 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 24 ROV dive.
Mapping Product
The Mapping Team creates a number of daily products to facilitate ROV dive planning.
Internet 2 Feed
Observing the Internet 2 feed from Temple University.
Complex Ecosystems
Scientists are able to view and learn about the complex ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico.
March 23 Dive Highlights
Video footage captured during the March 23 ROV dive.
VSAT
VSAT and both rescue boats are visible in this image taken while facing aft.
Deep Sea Fish
Images of these deep sea fish that made it back to scientists on shore.
Early Morning View
Early morning view from the ship. The VSAT and rescue boats are visible.
Collage
A collage of images from the Okeanos Explorer Control Room and ROV systems.
March 22 Dive Highlights
Video footage from the dive on March 22.
Catshark
Video of a catshark encountered during the March 22 ROV dive.
Swimming Sea Cucumber
Video of a swimming sea cucumber seen during an ROV dive.
Crab
Close-up of a deep sea crab imaged with the Little Hercules ROV.
“Pregnant” Coral
A “pregnant” coral. This is an octocoral, as evidenced by the eight tentacles you can see on its polyps.
Lobster and Crinoid
A squat lobster (right) sitting next to a crinoid (left).
Bad Weather
A combination of wind, waves, and current forced us to cancel today's ROV Dive
Sunset
Sunset: Evening on the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
The Plan
Backdeck: Bobby Mohr, Tom Kok, and Jeff Williams discuss ‘the plan’ on the back deck.
Horizon
Specially processed black and white image of the ocean and horizon.
March 20 ROV Dive Highlights
Video footage from the dive on March 20.
ROV Control Room
Video Engineer Gregg Diffendale and Science Team Lead Tim Shank back in the ROV Control Room.
Okeanos Explorer
Black and white image of the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in Tampa, Florida.
Unidentified Wreck
A known but unidentified wreck investigated by the Okeanos Explorer during transit to the Gulf of Mexico.
DeSoto Canyon
Bathymetic map of DeSoto Canyon generated at 50 meter grid cell size resolution based on preliminary data.
Water Column Targets
Water column targets (presumed gaseous seeps) detected over the Pascagoula and Uchupi dome during the current expedition.
Down-looking View
A unique down-looking view of a ROV recovery at night. The underwater glow is created by the powerful lights on the Seirios camera sled.
Upcoming Operations
ROV Team Coordinator Dave Lovalvo and Science Team Lead Tim Shank discuss upcoming operations.
West Florida Escarpment
Bathymetry of the West Florida Escarpment.
Deepwater Horizon Corals
Corals and associated animals living with them in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Scarp Wall Corals
Bamboo corals (with an attached crinoid) on a scarp wall in the DeSoto Canyon area.
Ewing Bank Wreck
Mosaic of the Ewing Bank Wreck at 621 meters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf Oil Wreck
Sidescan sonar image of the Gulf Oil, an oil tanker sunk by a German U-boat during World War II.
Steering Gear
Photo of remains of steering gear from the wreck of a wooden hulled sailing shipwreck.
Recovered Cannon
Cannon recovered by archaeologists from a 19th century wreck in the Gulf of Mexico.
German U-boat U-166
View inside the conning tower of the German U-boat U-166.
Deep-sea Corals
Deep-sea corals flourish in the dark depths of the Gulf of Mexico.
Macondo Well
In 2010, cameras captured images of a seafloor site downstream from the Deepwater Horizon/Macondo well.
Sentry AUV
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Sentry AUV has been used in the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon event.
Loop Current
Currents also create hills and depressions in the ocean surface as they flow.
Sea-surface Altitude
Gulf of Mexico sea-surface altitude indicating where water has been piled up by strong currents.
Surface Current Speed
Gulf of Mexico Sea-surface altitude indicating surface current speed.
