Dr. Larry Mayer UNH

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May 12, 2015

Sperm Whales: Protection

With the largest brain of any animal today, the Sperm Whale is under protection and many researchers are curious to research the massive mammal. Being the only teethed whale, ocean explorers have been looking into learning the habits of the whale in order to protect it. The are looking to learn its patterns and swimming/breeding grounds in order to have the Sperm Whales breed. Fortunately for researchers, many of the Sperm Whales which are remaining many are tagged for research purposes.

Recently, off the Gulf of Mexico approximately 2,000 feet below sea level, the ROV, Hercules  ran into a massive Sperm Whale, which is rare in these parts of the water.

These whales are expected to go extinct in the next ten years or so. If more strict hunting laws were set in place, this number could shoot higher and give the Sperm Whale population a chance for recover.

For more ocean exploration news and updates, please visit Larry Mayer‘s official website.

April 8, 2015

NOAA Explores The Oceans Depth

Researchers and exploration enthusiasts are both very excited for the upcoming dives by the NOAA. A group of scientists will be boarding the Okeanos Explorer and head out to the Caribbean and Atlantic oceans and dive up to 3.7 miles to understand and observe the depths. The unmanned vessel ROV is expected to dive deep to explore the unknown which will be available for live stream as it dives into the abyss.

The reason for the dive according to the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research is, “In order to understand and sustainably manage the ocean’s resources, we first have to survey what resources exist.” Many are particularly excited for this dive since the success of ROV’s previous dives in the troughs of Puerto Rico and the fact no live stream has ever recorded so deep in the Atlantic and Caribbean. A dumbo octopus displays a body posture never before observed in cirrate octopods. Unprecedented sights like this are one of the reasons dozens of scientists (and hundreds of thousands of members of the public) follow live video from the seafloor during each Okeanos Explorer expedition. Image courtesy of the NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1402/logs/highlight_imgs/media/dumbo.html) Even the members of the NOAA are excited to see what is in store for the dive since they truly cannot determine what they will be encountering. They do know about the area they are diving and the habits, they understand this is an area with high seismic hazards which include earthquakes and tsunamis. Also the amount of coral and deepwater geological mud volcanoes are active in the region.

In past dives, the team has come across strange creators including a dumbo octopus displaying postures and notions which most dumbo octopus rarely exhibit.The live stream is expected to begin the morning of April 9, 2015 EST. To tune in you can head over to www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

For more ocean exploration news and updates, please visit Dr. Larry Mayer‘s official website.

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