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The far side of the sound (where Michael’s post described the trip out to) is very different underwater. Sandy, non-volcanic rocks and lots of different types of life.
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There are still sponges but many different kinds of animals that we don’t really see near McMurdo station. Especially scallops which cover the seafloor.
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While we get Crinoids on both sides of the sound, there were two at the site that we were working at. I only saw one, but it was a pretty one. These are closely related to star fish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers and swim by waiving all their arms in a rhythmic pattern. We didn’t see any swimming though.
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And in addition to the life on the seafloor, the algae growing on the underside of the ice, truly made the place special.