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Suction Sampler Collecting a Ctenophore
The suction sampler of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer gently collects a lobate ctenophore during Dive 03 of Windows to the Deep 2021. It was collected during the midwater transect at 600 meters (1,967 feet) depth, which was selected as a depth for exploration because it was the site of the deep-scattering layer (DSL) at the start of the dive. The DSL is a region in the water column where there is such a high density of marine organisms that they generate their own sonar signal. By the time of the 600-meter transect, however, the DSL had appeared to disperse or thin out, though it was unclear if this was natural or due to ROV interference.
Credit

Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021.