Supercut of Amazing Underwater Critters and Geology in PRIMNM
During our dive of an unnamed seamount in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) we encountered marvelous critters of all shapes and sizes. In this supercut you can spot gelatinous jellyfish floating above the seafloor, sponges standing tall like underwater sculptures with intricate lace patterns and high-density colonies of coral. You will also witness some beautiful geology of this ancient volcano including eruptive fissure and columnar jointing from magma which rapidly cooled during an eruption 80-100 million years ago.
“You can’t protect what you don’t know,” said Malia Chow, Habitat Conservation Division branch chief, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Region. This is why NOAA Ocean Exploration supports our joint mission to characterize this region of the US Exclusive Economic Zone and record geological and biological findings.
Learn more about this expedition funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.
Deep Sea Biodiversity & Ancient Volcanoes near Johnston Atoll
Johnston Atoll, one of the most isolated atolls in the world, is located in the central Pacific Ocean, between the Hawaiian Islands, the Line Islands, and the nation of Kiribati. Around this atoll, the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) was expanded in 2014 to protect the full 200 nautical mile perimeter of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) encompassing many unexplored seafloor features.
