Expedition: Saving Our Seas Documentary Explores Marine Conservation
Southern Ocean hydrothermal vents drive deep-sea research as a new documentary brings marine conservation to screens, Science News reported.
Expedition: Saving Our Seas premieres on November 13 on the National Geographic Channel at 9pm EST and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Key Clinical Takeaways:
- The documentary explores marine conservation projects across the globe, following the path of the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt.
- Researchers discovered the southernmost hydrothermal vent ever found in the Southern Ocean, teeming with pregnant krill.
- Projects highlight community-led conservation, including mangrove restoration in The Gambia and coastal cataloging in the Arctic.
The film opens by viewing Earth’s five oceans as a single connected system driven by ocean currents. Andrew Thurber scanned the seafloor aboard a research vessel in the Southern Ocean using a remotely-operated vehicle named SuBastian.
“It was a marathon of excitement.”
said Andrew Thurber, a biological oceanographer at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The vehicle spotted a large black smoker, identified as the southernmost hydrothermal vent ever found. Swarms of pregnant female krill surrounded the vent, providing a critical food source for the local food web.
“That blew all of our minds.”
From the Southern Ocean, the documentary follows the ocean current north to Banjul, the capital of The Gambia in West Africa. Maiyai Taal Hocheimy is tracking Atlantic Ocean waters encroaching on the coastline.
Hocheimy founded the GREAT Institute in 2017 as the first aquatic and coastal science research institute in the country. The project enlists young local scientists to plant salt-tolerant mangrove trees to protect the coast.
“The goal is to train the next generation of environmental stewards.”
In the Arctic, marine biogeochemist Kristina Brown co-leads an expedition in Sherman Basin, Nunavut, Canada. Local Inuit communities invited the research team to catalog species present in the waters.
Katy Croft Bell founded the Ocean Discovery League to build inexpensive deep-sea exploration tools like the DORIS camera system. The device descends to 6,000 meters and costs less than $10,000 to expand access for researchers worldwide.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and scientific communication purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment plan.