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Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019

Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019

Past Expedition

Dates
July 21 – August 3, 2019
Location
Arctic

Overview

From July 21 – August 3, 2019, a multi-disciplinary and international team of scientists and media personnel sailed from Seward, Alaska, to the Gulf of Alaska Seamounts region onboard R/V Sikuliaq. This expedition employed an ecosystem perspective to investigate microbial communities in seawater and seafloor environments surrounding the seamounts; water column (planktonic) organisms; and invertebrate and fish benthic (seafloor) communities on and off the seamounts. The team also conducted observations of seabirds and marine mammals. This work will help us better understand the diversity of marine life in this underexplored region of economic importance that is also poised to undergo unprecedented change.

Features

Inside the ROV control van, pilots and scientists alike are fascinated by the underwater world to be discovered.
Mission Summary - Wrapping It Up
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Wrapping It Up
August 4, 2019
The multinet is an arrangement of nets that can be opened and closed at particular water depths so that only the zooplankton of a specific depth is caught in each of the nets.
Small But Mighty
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Small But Mighty
August 3, 2019
The light sediment layer between the darker top and bottom layers tells a story of past geologic events.
Mysteries in the Mud
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Mysteries in the Mud
August 3, 2019
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Periphyllopsis braueri is a particularly large jelly of a distinctive red color.
Introducing: Jellies!
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Introducing: Jellies!
August 2, 2019
Snowstorm Under the Sea
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Snowstorm Under the Sea
August 1, 2019
The Global Explorer ROV is being lifted over the side of the ship for a dive.
10 Years in the Making
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: 10 Years in the Making
July 31, 2019
Eric Collins is taking a water sample from the CTD.
Hold Your Breath!
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Hold Your Breath!
July 30, 2019
Callie Gesmundo is spending long hours on the ship’s bride observing seabirds and marine mammals.
Feathery Friends
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Feathery Friends
July 29, 2019
The box corer is on deck and it is a success – there is mud!
A Rocky Start
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: A Rocky Start
July 27, 2019
Kate Ariola is learning how to “mouth a shackle” on the fishing net.
First Impressions
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: First Impressions
July 26, 2019
The CTD instrument is lowered into the water to measure the water column profiles.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Plankton
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Goldilocks and the 3 Plankton
July 26, 2019
This large purple sea cucumber is using its front tentacles to gather up food from the sediment at 2500 m depth.
The First Deep Venture
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: The First Deep Venture
July 25, 2019
Kelly Walker (left) and her team members are busy rinsing the catch from the beam trawl during night time trawling.
Something Fishy…
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: Something Fishy…
July 24, 2019
Science crew is practicing to put on the survival suits in case of an emergency.
Safety First!
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: A Buzz of Activity
July 23, 2019
Sikuliaq docked in Seward Alaska, ready for her next cruise to the Gulf of Alaska Seamounts.
A Buzz of Activity
Gulf of Alaska Seamounts 2019: A Buzz of Activity
July 21, 2019
A trawl catch of the rich benthic fauna on the Arctic shelf at 50 meters depth showing lots of brittle stars, feather stars, and sea cucumbers.
The Seamount Gardens of the Deep Sea
The Seamount Gardens of the Deep Sea
July 19, 2019
This is a microscopic photo of a bacterium called Pelagibacter ubique, the most common bacterium in the ocean!
The Small and Mighty – Microbial Life
The Small and Mighty – Microbial Life
July 19, 2019
Side-scan sonar bathymetry of the Giacomini and Quinn seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska, which are target seamounts in this mission.
Mission Plan
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July 19, 2019
Sabine's gull, like this immature bird and adults during the non-breeding season, are highly pelagic in both the Pacific and Atlantic, but they breed in the Arctic tundra.
Seabirds of the Northern Gulf of Alaska
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July 19, 2019
Beroe abyssicola is a comb jelly, which is a voracious predator in the deeper waters of the Gulf of Alaska up to the Arctic.
Gelatinous Zooplankton – the Elusive Drifters of the Deep
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July 9, 2019

Multimedia

Featured multimedia assets associated with this project.

View All Multimedia
Gulf Seamounts
Imploded!
Multinet
Big Red
Imploded!
Box Corer
Narcomedusa
Red Steamed Bun Jelly
ROV Van
Marine Snow
Solmissus Jelly
Deep-sea Coral
ROV Dive
Soft Coral
Cockatoo Squid
O₂ Saturation
Water Sample
Skua
Observing Seabirds
Mud
Brittany Jones
Box Corer
Fluorescence
Cockatoo Squid
CTD
Shackle
Catch and Rinse
Octopus
Sea Cucumber
Grenadier
Snailfish
Acorn Worm
Survival Suits
Hard Hats
Docked
Fish Trawl Net

Education

Our Learn & Discover page provides the best of what the NOAA Ocean Exploration website has to offer to support educators in the classroom during this expedition. Each theme page includes expedition features, lessons, multimedia, career information, and associated past expeditions. Below are related top education themes for this expedition.

Seamounts

Meet the Exploration Team

Learn more about the team members and their contributions to this project.

Meet the Full Team
Chad Allen
ROV Technician - Oceaneering
Kate Ariola
Undergraduate Student – College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Carlee Belt
Media Team Leader, Education Liason - Microcosm
James Bertramson
ROV Pilot/Technician - Oceaneering
Delaney Coleman
Graduate student - University of Alaska Fairbanks
Eric Collins
Professor in Oceanography - University of Alaska Fairbanks

Resources & Contacts

Related Links
  • Published July 19, 2019
  • Last updated August 5, 2019