Under the Sea
August 12, 2013 9:14 AM Subscribe
The NOAA's Okenaos Explorer is surveying the ocean floor off the East Coast of the United States. Livestream 1. Livestream 2. Livestream 3.
Er, swam by, I guess.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:32 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mudpuppie at 9:32 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
IS CRAB!
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 9:33 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 9:33 AM on August 12, 2013
Huh. None of the streams are working for me in Chrome for Windows 7.
In the meantime I'll just assume this is viral marketing for Atlantic Rim.
posted by brundlefly at 9:38 AM on August 12, 2013
In the meantime I'll just assume this is viral marketing for Atlantic Rim.
posted by brundlefly at 9:38 AM on August 12, 2013
I'm in bed, getting over a neck injury and I'm watching full colour, high resolution, real time, underwater exploration on an iPad. I love you, future.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:39 AM on August 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:39 AM on August 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
I like it when the camera zooms in on what appears to be a nonremarkable spot of sand and we see more sand up close!
Really though with my neverending love/hate terror/excitement relationship with the ocean I want this to be as mundane as possible.
posted by elizardbits at 9:40 AM on August 12, 2013
Really though with my neverending love/hate terror/excitement relationship with the ocean I want this to be as mundane as possible.
posted by elizardbits at 9:40 AM on August 12, 2013
Naive question, it looks like the ocean floor is as quite the desert, mostly just empty flat sand. The anemones and little fish and tasty worms seem to love a rock to hide next to, make a home, live and contribute to the diet of bigger fish. Has anyone consider/tried just dumping rocks across the bottom in areas?
There seems to be a cottage industry of private artificial reefs, but wouldn't just dumping plain boring rocks be effective in increasing the viability of some ecosystems?
posted by sammyo at 9:59 AM on August 12, 2013
There seems to be a cottage industry of private artificial reefs, but wouldn't just dumping plain boring rocks be effective in increasing the viability of some ecosystems?
posted by sammyo at 9:59 AM on August 12, 2013
Snake thing is back. Ugh ugh ugh.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:05 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mudpuppie at 10:05 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
wouldn't just dumping plain boring rocks be effective in increasing the viability of some ecosystems?
I think the key here is surface area. An almost round rock is nearly the worst you can get when it comes to surface vs volume.
Then again, rocks are cheap, so it might work.
posted by ymgve at 10:15 AM on August 12, 2013
I think the key here is surface area. An almost round rock is nearly the worst you can get when it comes to surface vs volume.
Then again, rocks are cheap, so it might work.
posted by ymgve at 10:15 AM on August 12, 2013
Snake thing is back. Ugh ugh ugh.
I believe you mean "Notable data point has returned! joy joy joy"
posted by Panjandrum at 10:20 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I believe you mean "Notable data point has returned! joy joy joy"
posted by Panjandrum at 10:20 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I believe you mean "Notable data point has returned! joy joy joy"
What is that thing? My audio keeps cutting out.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:22 AM on August 12, 2013
What is that thing? My audio keeps cutting out.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:22 AM on August 12, 2013
I'm hoping they find pirate booty and/or Leviathan.
posted by Panjandrum at 10:23 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Panjandrum at 10:23 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yep, you'd think a mer-person would have ducked in briefly just to taunt them. Perhaps that's when the feed drops for a minute?
posted by sammyo at 10:26 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by sammyo at 10:26 AM on August 12, 2013
Wriggly thing! Crab! Little fishy! Thing I Thought Might Have Been A Discarded Fleuvog But Is Probably Marine Life!
posted by elizardbits at 10:29 AM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by elizardbits at 10:29 AM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
*waits for Jimmy Hoffa*
posted by flyingsquirrel at 10:32 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by flyingsquirrel at 10:32 AM on August 12, 2013
Sexy crab sex time!
posted by Panjandrum at 10:33 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by Panjandrum at 10:33 AM on August 12, 2013
Just leave the amorous couple in peace! Whoa. Thingy.
posted by lizjohn at 10:33 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by lizjohn at 10:33 AM on August 12, 2013
"Breakfast in bed."
Such comedians, these oceanographers.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:34 AM on August 12, 2013
Such comedians, these oceanographers.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:34 AM on August 12, 2013
Oh god what is inside that slightly distant sandy cloud
i bet it is an eldritch abomination
posted by elizardbits at 10:36 AM on August 12, 2013
i bet it is an eldritch abomination
posted by elizardbits at 10:36 AM on August 12, 2013
Not sure why I was surprised that watching crabs eat a thing would be gross and creepy.
posted by elizardbits at 10:38 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by elizardbits at 10:38 AM on August 12, 2013
Siphonophore: Siphonophorae or Siphonophora, the siphonophores, are an order of the Hydrozoa, a class of marine invertebrates belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. Although a siphonophore appears to be a single organism, each specimen is actually a colony composed of many individual animals. Most colonies are long, thin, transparent pelagic floaters. Some siphonophores superficially resemble jellyfish. The best known species is the dangerous Portuguese Man o' War (Physalia physalis). With a body length of 40–50 m (130–160 ft), another species of siphonophore, Praya dubia, is one of the longest animals in the world.[1]
posted by mudpuppie at 10:51 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by mudpuppie at 10:51 AM on August 12, 2013
Think this is cool? Want to do it yourself?
Join the NOAA Corps! It's a uniformed service of the United States, which means you get to retire with a full pension after 20 years, just like the rest of the military, and you don't need to go to war! And you get to do cool stuff like this!
I wish I'd known about it when I was young enough to join...
posted by leotrotsky at 10:55 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Join the NOAA Corps! It's a uniformed service of the United States, which means you get to retire with a full pension after 20 years, just like the rest of the military, and you don't need to go to war! And you get to do cool stuff like this!
I wish I'd known about it when I was young enough to join...
posted by leotrotsky at 10:55 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'll answer my own question -- the lasers are for measuring the critters.
posted by mudpuppie at 11:05 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by mudpuppie at 11:05 AM on August 12, 2013
This is a whole lotta wow. I hope they keep a gallery of the 'coolest' things they see. Like, you know, sea monsters.
posted by From Bklyn at 11:19 AM on August 12, 2013
posted by From Bklyn at 11:19 AM on August 12, 2013
Excuse me but I believe you mean aquatic-americans.
posted by elizardbits at 11:53 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by elizardbits at 11:53 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Nope, outside the 3 mile and 18 (12?) mile in international waters, true world citizens.
posted by sammyo at 12:02 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by sammyo at 12:02 PM on August 12, 2013
I have been underwater until my fingers started to wrinkle. Interesting if slow show. And as noted above: WORMS!
Thanks edeezy. I shall switch to the Pacific.
posted by Cranberry at 12:10 PM on August 12, 2013
Thanks edeezy. I shall switch to the Pacific.
posted by Cranberry at 12:10 PM on August 12, 2013
There seems to be a cottage industry of private artificial reefs, but wouldn't just dumping plain boring rocks be effective in increasing the viability of some ecosystems?
In a word: no. Those sandy areas are a perfectly happy ecosystem and trying to make natural areas be more like what we think is "good" has never worked out well. There are great artificial reef project, I've worked on quite a few personally, but in all cases they are trying to restore lost habitat, not convert one habitat type to another because it "looks" more productive.
There are a lot of sandy bottom specialized animals like scallops, flatfish and worms not to mention a lot of species spawn there (cod) and the role of the invertebrates and microscopic sand dwelling organisms in nutrient cycling. Unlike mud, sand is generally an aerobic environment. Dumping a bunch of rocks does nothing to improve these animals viability.
Besides they'll get caught in the trawl nets and moved anyway.
posted by fshgrl at 12:11 PM on August 12, 2013
In a word: no. Those sandy areas are a perfectly happy ecosystem and trying to make natural areas be more like what we think is "good" has never worked out well. There are great artificial reef project, I've worked on quite a few personally, but in all cases they are trying to restore lost habitat, not convert one habitat type to another because it "looks" more productive.
There are a lot of sandy bottom specialized animals like scallops, flatfish and worms not to mention a lot of species spawn there (cod) and the role of the invertebrates and microscopic sand dwelling organisms in nutrient cycling. Unlike mud, sand is generally an aerobic environment. Dumping a bunch of rocks does nothing to improve these animals viability.
Besides they'll get caught in the trawl nets and moved anyway.
posted by fshgrl at 12:11 PM on August 12, 2013
mudpuppie: Does anyone know what the lasers do?Go "pew pew pew", mostly.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:56 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Join the NOAA Corps! It's a uniformed service of the United States, which means you get to retire with a full pension after 20 years, just like the rest of the military, and you don't need to go to war! And you get to do cool stuff like this!
Brought to you by the Department of Commerce! (Because nobody seems to know what the Department of Commerce does (weather, the Census, patents, antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, export controls, technical standards, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.))
posted by longdaysjourney at 2:08 PM on August 12, 2013
Brought to you by the Department of Commerce! (Because nobody seems to know what the Department of Commerce does (weather, the Census, patents, antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, export controls, technical standards, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.))
posted by longdaysjourney at 2:08 PM on August 12, 2013
FWIW, the audio feed is in full stereo, so if you use headphones or pipe it through your surround system, each member of the team is in a different audio space. Much easier to understand them when several are talking at once. Also, quite cool.
posted by LEGO Damashii at 10:17 AM on August 14, 2013
posted by LEGO Damashii at 10:17 AM on August 14, 2013
I've been watching this since it was posted. Totally hooked.
Sadly, the expedition just came to an end and the ship heads back to port.
I hope this show gets renewed. It's my new favorite.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:12 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Sadly, the expedition just came to an end and the ship heads back to port.
I hope this show gets renewed. It's my new favorite.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:12 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by mudpuppie at 9:31 AM on August 12, 2013