![]() ![]() ![]() Image courtesy of the Deepwater Canyons 2012 Expedition, NOAA-OER/BOEM. Lights, camera, action! The Kraken II ROV used for this expedition was built for science and was equipped with all the tools needed for collecting deepwater specimens. With the more recent advances in ocean exploration technology, such as ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) and HOVs (human occupied vehicles), we are now able to view many of these animals in situ and get a better idea of how they live and act in their natural environment. In the 1960s, the development of an epibenthic sled with a much smaller mesh than trawls allowed for capture of the very small animals that live in the sediments of the ocean floor, and showed us that although there wasn’t a great abundance of animals in the deep sea, there is a much higher level of species diversity than we thought. ![]() ![]() However, in the 1870s, the Challenger expedition used trawls to sample the deep sea and proved that there was life in its murky depths. It was once thought that there wasn’t any life in the deep sea, only mud and rocks. This is also the most visible and well-known part of the ocean, although it encompasses only the top 2.7 percent of the average depth of the ocean. Download image (jpg, 70 KB).Ī majority of the animals found in the ocean live on the continental shelf in the top 200 meters of water or in the photic zone (the depth of water where there is enough light for photosynthesis to occur). Creatures that live in these deep canyons are engineered for a high-pressure, low-light environment. Google map showing the Continental Shelf off of Virginia Beach where the Norfolk Canyon lies. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. ![]()
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