Exploring Midwater Migrations over American Samoan Seamounts
When looking for biodiversity in the ocean, we often target areas around seamounts. These underwater mountains (and sometimes active volcanoes) create upwelling, bringing deep-sea nutrients upwards and enhancing productivity at all levels of the ocean food web. During the NA164 E Mamana Ou Gataifale I expedition, Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute partners and our Corps of Exploration came together to test different technologies for exploring and studying the impacts of seamounts on biodiversity inside the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.
Launching the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center’s USV DriX, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s AUV Mesobot, and the University of Rhode Island’s Deep Autonomous Profiler Lander from and in collaboration with E/V Nautilus, we explore the dynamic seafloor and water column habitats surrounding Vailulu'u Seamount, in addition to midwater and other unexplored deep-sea habitats in the region.
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.
