A school of alfonsino fish swims over Viosca Knoll 826 (VK826), a natural deep reef, and an example of the kind of habitat scientists will study aboard the Lophelia II expeditions. VK826 refers to a Minerals Management Service (MMS) leasing system for oil and gas. MMS sponsored researchers aboard Lophelia II will compare the biota of natural reefs to biota on artificial reefs, like oil rigs and shipwrecks. Ocean chemistry is measured using a rosette of Niskin bottles and a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) deployed over the side of the boat.
Video courtesy Lophelia II 2009: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks Expedition, sponsored by Minerals Management Service and NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Music is "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com
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