Latest news with #SchmidtOcean
Daily Mirror
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Deep sea starfish caught on camera but people are distracted by one thing
A non profit organisation has left people laughing after sharing footage of a deep sea diving expedition, which saw the public spot an odd-looking starfish which reminded them of a popular character A deep sea starfish spotted on a livestream from the Schmidt Ocean Institute has left people in stitches. The odd detail on the sea creature had members of the public stunned, with many passing comment on the starfish. The latest footage from an expedition to the Underwater Oases of Mar Del Plata Canyon in Argentina, which was broadcast on the Schmidt Ocean livestream on YouTube, has since gone viral. People from "all over the world" have gathered in the comments of the video upload to try and spot the starfish, which has been likened to a popular cartoon character. Joking comments compared the starfish to Patrick Star from the hit show SpongeBob SquarePants after an uncanny likeness was spotted on camera. Patrick Star spotted on deep sea video The deep dive from ROV SuBastian's Dive saw the Schmidt Ocean team traverse the wall of a moat. During their excursion, they came across a starfish with a cheeky outline which many seemed to think was a sighting of the cartoon character. One user commented: "I love that people from all over the world are here to see Patrick." Another user has since tagged the time you can see Star, with a user sharing it was four hours, one minute, and 38 seconds into the footage. People were left thrilled by the appearance of the starfish, with many commenting on its apparent similarity to the Nickelodeon character. One joked: "Patrick's lost his pants!" Another added: "It's big-bottomed Patrick." Patrick's cameo appearance on the near eight-hour livestream comes as the Schmidt Ocean team were working on "previously mapped featured" of the ocean. A description for the livestream reads: "Welcome to ROV SuBastian's Dive 811. We are traversing up the western wall of a moat. We are starting at a presumed area of coral mounds, and working our way up previously mapped features. "We are conducting exploration of topography that was of interest from our EM124 sonar system on board Falkor (too)." The non profit organisation has since offered an introduction to their new social media followers, with their Facebook account providing a statement which shared the surprise increase in traffic. It reads: "We send a warm welcome to all our new followers who have found us on the Mar Del Plata Canyon expedition, led by Dr. Daniel Lauretta of CONICET. "A quick introduction that comes a little late, as we have been watching the divestreams, too! The data collected by the team will establish a strong foundation for future research, conservation, and resource management. We are happy you joined us!" A series of posts made by the account on X are also going viral, with their deep sea diving footage capturing squids in Argentina as their science team continues exploring. Schmidt Ocean are carrying out their first expedition in Argentinian waters this year, with the non profit confirming they had embarked on July 24.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Massive iceberg breakaway exposes undiscovered creatures beneath Antarctic waters
Giant sea spiders, octopuses, ice fish, corals, and sponges—some likely to be hundreds of years old—were discovered in a newly exposed stretch of the ocean after a colossal iceberg, roughly 19 miles long, broke away from the Antarctic ice sheet on January 13. The event revealed a seabed that had been hidden from sunlight for decades, offering researchers aboard the vessel Falkor (too) a rare opportunity to explore uncharted deep-sea ecosystems. Led by Patricia Esquete, a researcher at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, the expedition team had modest expectations. 'It's the kind of event that when it happens, you leave whatever you're doing,' Esquete said. Given the thick ice cover, scientists doubted that much life could thrive in such an extreme environment. However, the seabed under the A-84 iceberg was teeming with biodiversity. The researchers estimate they may identify dozens of new species from the expedition. 'We were really surprised and amazed by the diverse and rich ecosystems we found down there,' Esquete said. The discovery, which was announced on Thursday, is crucial for understanding how deep-sea life may change on a warming planet, researchers said. Explorers discovered dozens of creatures, including crustaceans, snails, worms, and fish, under and around a massive Antarctic ice shelf. Over the course of nearly a month, researchers used a remotely operated vehicle to capture photos, record video, and collect specimens from some of Antarctica's deepest waters. The team also surveyed parts of the remote Bellingshausen Sea, beyond the ice sheet. Among the species that may be new to science are crustaceans, sea snails, worms, and fish. Confirming the discovery of new species will require months of detailed lab analysis, the researchers said. 'Most of the work starts now,' Esquete said. Since the beginning of an expedition off the coast of Chile last year, scientists from the Schmidt Ocean have identified more than 70 new species, including squat lobsters and marine snails, which were previously unknown to humankind. Scientists have been working to unravel the mystery of how life thrives beneath thick Antarctic ice. In most oceans, photosynthetic organisms supply nutrients by drifting down to sustain seafloor creatures. However, beneath the dark Antarctic ice, no such process occurs. Instead, researchers believe ocean currents, glacial meltwater, or another unknown factor may be providing the nourishment needed to sustain deep-sea life. 'This is all very much an area of active scientific research now because of this discovery,' Jyotika Virmani, head of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, a nonprofit that facilitated the research, said. The George VI Ice Shelf, from which the iceberg broke, has experienced significant melting in recent years, including a record-high surface melt in 2019–2020. Unlike most ice shelves that extend over the open ocean, George VI is wedged between the Antarctic Peninsula and Alexander Island, making it more stable despite extensive melting. Scientists believe past melt events have been driven by wind patterns bringing warm air to the surface and excessive cloud cover trapping heat.
