Breathtaking Biodiversity of Jarvis Island Revisited
Enjoy a throwback to our 2019 deep sea expedition near Jarvis Island (NA110) exploring within into Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM). Known as one of the least impacted tropical marine environments in the world, our Corps of Exploration witnessed some spectacular critters spanning the animal kingdom including bright-eyed Oreostomid dories, unusual blue Plexaurid corals, and an awe-inspiring swimming pelagic sea cucumber (Pelagothuria natatrix). From colonial siphonophores to solitary deep sea stingrays (Plesiobatus), enjoy the wonder of Jarvis with this highlight video.
PRIMNM is among the largest marine protected areas in the world but remains poorly explored due in part to the high percentage of the region that is extremely deep. Shallow-water environments in PRIMNM are home to abundant and biodiverse communities of fishes and coral and terrestrial environments are important habitats for seabirds. While the diversity of species in shallow waters is relatively well known, our expeditions to deeper waters are just beginning to uncover the complete biodiversity of this special place.
Learn more about the NA110 expedition funded with support from NOAA Ocean Exploration.
Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Jarvis Island
Deep waters in the remote central Pacific remain some of the most poorly studied environments on Earth. This expedition will focus on exploring deep-water features in the vicinity of Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Jarvis Island within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. The waters of these remote Pacific territories are among the least explored U.S. holdings in the Pacific Ocean.
