New ECOMAR discoveries!
The United Kingdom MAR-ECO project named ECOMAR just returned from the cruise to the mid-Atlantic with stunning images and new discoveries obtained by the ROV Isis. |  |
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ECOMAR cruise
The final but very promising MAR-ECO cruise to the mid-Atlantic Ridge is being conducted 26 May-3 June 2010. Follow the team on the blog and twitter! |  |
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Centenary celebration
A hundred years ago, in April 1910, the Norwegian research vessel 'Michael Sars' under the leadership of Johan Hjort and John Murray, initiated a 4-month expedition to explore marine life of the North Atlantic. |  |
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Successful workshop
In April 2010 a fish workshop was held at Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen, to work up material from the 2007 and 2009 ECOMAR cruises to the mid-Atlantic Ridge. |  |
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Identified
In 2009 an extensive collection of benthos was collected on the RRS James Cook cruise to the mid-Atlantic Ridge. Russian and UK taxonomists identify and sort the samples. |  |
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NEW BOOK: Life in the Mid Atlantic by P Boyle
In a new well illustrated book entitled 'Life in the Mid Atlantic' the late Professor Peter Boyle tells the story of MAR-ECO from the planning stage to the synthesis phase. Contributions to mid-oocean ridge exploration are seen in a historical context. |  |
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Composer Inspired by Deep-sea Images
Inspired by new deepwater animal images by wildlife photographer David Shale, Norwegian composer Steffen Flasnes joined MAR-ECO and composed fascinating music. |  |
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Join Norway students on a voyage of discovery!
As a lead-up to the finale of Census of Marine Life in 2010, MAR-ECO invites the worldwide community of students to a 3-hour webcasted event. An exciting learning experience with enjoyable arts elements and communication features. Get online on Wed 21 Oct! |  |
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First MAR-ECO cruise to the South Atlantic
The cruise on Russian RV “Academic Loffe” (13 October – 2 December 2009) is the first dedicated effort serving the South Atlantic MAR-ECO project. MAR-ECO partners from Brazil, Uruguay, South Africa and Russia will carry out exploratory biodiversity studies on the mid-Atlantic Ridge and adjacent seamounts. |  |
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FOLLOW THE FIRST 2009 MAR-ECO CRUISE TO THE MID-OCEAN
In the 2009 summer season two research vessels will conduct MAR-ECO studies in the mid-Atlantic, specifically in and around the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. The first, FRV Henry Bigelow from the USA, run by NOAAs National Marine Fisheries Service, is already underway and will be out for another month until 17 July. The other is the RRS James Cook from the United Kingdom which will start on 1 August. |  |
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Biology and ecology of the abyssal halosaur
The understanding of life histories and ecology of most deepwater animals is very limited and MAR-ECO aims to fill this knowledge gap for a range of deepwater organisms. During May 2009, a student from the University of Aberdeen visited the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Flødevigen, near Arendal in southeastern Norway, to conduct her masters thesis research. The project was conducted under supervision from Odd Aksel Bergstad (IMR) and Nicola King (University of Aberdeen) and was completed in August 2009. The focus is on the abyssal halosaur, a common bottom-living deepwater fish. |  |
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Unraveling the secrets of marine mammals
The first systematic survey information along the entire northern mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) on cetacean populations was conducted during the multidisciplinary survey with the Norwegian research vessel G.O.Sars in June 2004. The results are now published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. This has truly been an international effort including authors from four different countries. |  |
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MAR-ECO attend Census of Marine Life final year meeting
In the first week of February a 4-person delegation from MAR-ECO joined the Census of Marine Life community to develop plans for the final year of the programme. The venue was the impressive ocean liner ‘Queen Mary’, now functioning as a hotel and conference facility in Long Beach, California, USA. |  |
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3D visualisation of the unseen ocean
How we made a three-minute animated documentary showing a thriving nekton ecosystem and the incredible variety of deep-sea bioluminescence. Our challenge was to create a film that was not only factually accurate but also entertaining and beautiful to watch! |  |
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How old are abyssal fish?
Living below 2000 meters is far from easy. It is generally thought that fish living in the abyssal plains have slower growth rates and live longer than their shallow water relatives. However, comparatively little is currently known about the ages of deep-ocean fish. |  |
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A new species of snailfish
During the GO Sars cruise in 2004 a few specimens of the family Liparidae were caught. Due to the gelatinous flesh and fragile skin of these fishes, they are notoriously difficult to identify, so the onboard identification was tentative. |  |
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The Luminous Deep wins award (again)
The MAR-ECO supported animation “The Luminous Deep” by Amy Scott-Murray and Kevin Adams has recently won the Scottish round of the Royal Television Society awards for the best student documentary. The animation will now go forward to the UK-wide round in March. |  |
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Unraveling population connectivity in the deep sea
DEECON is currently developing scientific tools from such diverse fields as molecular biology, trace element analysis, and oceanographic modeling, and integrating them into a concerted interdisciplinary approach to unravel population structure and connectivity in selected commercially important deep sea fishes. |  |
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![News: Analysis Phase [2009 - 10]](/__lib/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
News: Analysis Phase [2009]
