Exploring the Deep with the DAP Lander
During the E Mamana Ou Gataifale I NA164 expedition, the Corps of Exploration aboard E/V Nautilus teamed up to explore the biodiversity of the waters of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, and specifically the mid-water zone above Vailulu'u Seamount. One of the amazing pieces of technology onboard is the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography’s Deep Autonomous Profile Lander (or DAP Lander).
The DAP Lander was designed to collect water samples at various ocean depths to determine physical oceanographic properties, seawater composition, and biological communities of the deepest places in the world’s ocean. By collecting environmental DNA (or eDNA) from these water samples, researchers can see a snapshot of the biodiversity that exists in these remote regions of the South Pacific.
E Mamana Ou Gataifale I - American Samoa
Over the last three years, the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute has been advancing the integration of multiple exploration technologies aboard E/V Nautilus, and this year, we bring these new capacities to American Samoa.
