During Dive 01 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, we collected a limited number of biological samples for later analysis. Here, the manipulator arm of remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer reaches to collect a piece of an interesting demosponge in the genus Haliclona at a depth of 583 meters (1,913 meters). While this sponge has been observed elsewhere in the region, scientists had not previously been able to collect a sample of the sponge to verify its identity.
Collecting Demosponge
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).

During Dive 01 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, we collected a limited number of biological samples for later analysis. Here, the manipulator arm of remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer reaches to collect a piece of an interesting demosponge in the genus Haliclona at a depth of 583 meters (1,913 meters). While this sponge has been observed elsewhere in the region, scientists had not previously been able to collect a sample of the sponge to verify its identity.