Welcome Back!

We have been studying how shallow water corals are part of the ocean ecosystem to better understand out future and the way biology can amplify change, and not always for the better.

After a bit of a break from our blog, we are back and embarking upon a new project in Antarctica. For the past few years we have been working all over the Pacific Ocean to better understand how it works, from the coral reefs of Mo’orea, French Polynesia to the deep sea off of Oregon and New Zealand. Throughout this we have continued to be amazed by the diversity and amazing life that supports humanity through a multitude of ways.

Sometimes we stay local to improve our research skills – for example here is a dive from Clear Lake, OR. We dove here since the water is cool (around 40 F or 4 C) so we can use the gear we use in Antarctica without sweating too much.

This year, and for the next 4 years, a team of 3 scientists a cinematographer, educator and visual artist (although not all at once) will join an expedition back to Antarctica to better understand the role of this vast continent in the gasses that shape our current and future climate. We will be actively blogging and sharing the experiences from August until November for the next few years.

During our training we spent many dives in Oregon looking at the pretty wildlife. This lingcod was a great subject to practice our camera work on (since it didn’t move much at all when we approached it – my favorite kind of fish.)

The First Deploying Team is Lila Ardor Bellucci, Dr. Rowan McLachlan, and Dr. Andrew Thurber.

The first step of the journey is a multi leg trip to New Zealand. Travel on COVID test willing this starts on August 15th – just a few days away.

Deep-Sea and Polar Biology

A research blog about polar and deep-sea research.

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