Midwater (Hydro)Medusa Madness!
While exploring the seafloor may be our focus on most ROV dives, animals live all through the ocean, and we spot special wildlife on descent and ascent from the ocean’s surface during the time we affectionately call “blue water.” Check out these gelatinous zooplankton hovering above our seamount exploration targets near Johnston Atoll during the NA153 exploration.
Witness the beautiful diversity of hydromedusae of varying shapes and sizes. These predatory cnidarians are known for varying life cycle stages and using their specialized stinging cells, called nematocysts, to capture prey. Keep watching till the end for the luminescent ctenophore, whose eight rows of combs reflect back light from our ROVs in all colors of the rainbow.
The midwater between the surface and seafloor is the largest habitat on Earth. It is home to billions of animals, ranging from microscopic crustaceans like copepods and amphipods to larger-than-life vertebrates such as blue whales and sharks. These glimpses into blue water life are an important reminder of how our global ocean is connected from pole to pole and deep to shallow.
Deep Sea Biodiversity & Ancient Seamount Exploration near Johnston Atoll
In August 2023, we will return to the Central Pacific for 27 days of exploration within the Johnston Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), starting and ending in Honolulu.
