Sneak Peek at Johnston Atoll’s Amazing Biodiversity! | Nautilus Live

Take a first look at some of the amazing animals we’ve spotted in our first few dives of NA141 exploring in and around Johnston Atoll. From tripod fish to spiral corals to glass sponges, this is just a taste of what’s to come as we continue to survey never-before-explored areas of the seafloor in this region of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM). Utilizing data from previous mapping expeditions and NOAA campaigns, we are targeting ROV dives along ridge features to expand our understanding of prime deep sea coral and sponge habitat. While conducting surveys of the density and diversity of benthic habitats, we will also be acquiring physical and chemical data supporting PRIMNM’s conservation goals, as well as rock samples for geological analysis. Learn more about this expedition funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute: