Remote Underwater Exploration
Interesting marine and robotic educational facts
Snorkelers had a once-in-a-lifetime experience on the Great Barrier Reef last year, spotting a juvenile oarfish, about 1m to 2m long. Oarfish are rarely found in shallow waters, maybe because they need space to turn around? They are possibly the world’s longest bony fish and can grow up to 8m in length!
Full article at: 9News 28jun22
Such an inspiring story about a student working out a way to address a global problem!
Anna Du has been building and perfecting an ROV since the age of 12, specifically to identify microplastics in the ocean. She also created an Artificial Intelligence (AI) simulation to predict microplastic locations and has even written a book about her passion!
Full article at: InspireMore 05jun22
“I’m thrilled to be celebrating our 20th World Championship! What started as a workforce development program for the marine industry has evolved into a workforce development program for our planet, one that empowers students to work collaboratively and creatively to address issues — from mitigating climate change to feeding our growing global population — that impact us all,” said Jill Zande, president and executive director of MATE Inspiration for Innovation (MATE II) and one of the competition founders.
Articles: AZORobotics 22jun22
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) captured absolutely stunning ROV footage of a new species of jelly, inside the midnight zone of Monterey Bay:
Atolla jellyfish or Coronate medusa, is a species of deep-sea crown jellyfish with a characteristic deep red in color and a hypertrophied trailing tentacle that is significantly longer than the others and thought to help capture prey.
Over the past 15 years, MBARI researchers have observed and collected numerous specimens of three types of Atolla-like jellies that lack the typical trailing tentacle. Researchers realized this rare jellyfish, living at depths of 1,000m to 3,000m and with distinctive thorny projections around its body or bell, had never been seen before. It has subsequently been named the species Atolla reynoldsi, in honor of the Aquarium’s first volunteer Jeff Reynolds.
Tuesday challenge: How many animal species can you spot? Hint: coral, sponges and sea squirts are all animals! We love finding such a diverse ecosystem on the NSW South Coast.