Schmidt Ocean Institute

The team dove into setting up the Schmidt Ocean Institute #ArtistAtSea exhibit in partnership with Nautilus Magazine and UNESCO. The excitement and anticipation here remind us of what it feels like in the hours and days before the R/V Falkor (too) leaves port for a deep-sea expedition. Cranes move crates and gear onto the deck, visiting scientists set up their lab spaces and learn about the ship, and the crew ensures everything is safe and ready to mobilize. This year, Art Basel Paris takes at the Grand Palais, a 100-plus-year-old space in the heart of the Champs-Élysées. This is one of the world’s largest art fairs, and you can find us in the Emergence Gallery, the section of the fair dedicated to emerging galleries and artists. We’re excited to engage in dialogue here, and to continue to bring imaginative and moving stories of the deep Ocean inspired by our research expeditions. This Oct. 18 - 20 exhibit features Artist-at-Sea alumni Rebecca Rutstein and Taiji Terasaki, who participated in the program remotely. #SciArt #SciArtFriday #ArtistAtSea #ArtBasel #ArtBaselParis

When the ship pulls into port, and the science teams depart for their labs loaded with samples, data, and gear, the work continues — often for years. In 2020, researchers on R/V Falkor explored the remote canyons, platform reefs, and seamounts of the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks. Robin Beaman of James Cook University was the principal investigator when this image of ROV SuBastian collecting samples of different genera of hard corals was taken. “I’m working on Falkor data every day. There are mountains of it,” said Beaman. He shared that their research results have spawned great interest, and several organizations, including Parks Australia, have stepped forward to conduct more targeted research based on the data from R/V Falkor’s time in the region. Currently, Beamen is building high-resolution 3D models of the Queensland Plateau using data from these Australian expeditions. You can also puzzle together this beautiful image, R/V Falkor, or Falkor (too), thanks to the folks over at Liberty Puzzles. Order limited-edition, hand-crafted wooden puzzles by Nov. 15 to commemorate Schmidt Ocean Institute’s exploration of the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks; learn more here: https://lnkd.in/evQEDZZv #VisioningCoralSea

Oct. 18 - 20, we are delighted to showcase works from Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Artist-at-sea program at Art Basel Paris, a world-renowned international art fair. In collaboration with UNESCO and Nautilus Magazine, we will feature Artist-at-Sea alumni Rebecca Rutstein and Taiji Terasaki, who participated in the program remotely. Rustein’s piece Blue Dreams was inspired by her time on the research vessel Falkor during a transit from Vietnam to Guam. Blue Dreams is an immersive video installation that integrates abstract imagery, deep-sea video footage, and computer modeling to portray the resilience of our planet’s smallest yet most vital living systems — microbial networks. This immersive piece is meant to inspire awe and wonder at systems, processes, and landscapes otherwise hidden from view that connect us to our past and which we rely on for survival. Rutstein created this piece in collaboration with scientists Rika Anderson, Samantha Joye, Shayn Peirce-Cottler, and Tom Skalak. #SciArt #SciArtFriday #ArtistAtSea #ArtBasel #ArtBaselParis

It was once believed that only microbes and viruses inhabited the subseafloor crust beneath hydrothermal vents. Yet, on the seafloor, animals like the giant tubeworm Riftia pachyptila thrive. Their larvae are thought to disperse in the water column, despite never being observed there. In 2023, #VentUnderworld Chief Scientist Dr. Monika Bright and an international team of scientists on R/V Falkor (too) suspected that ecosystems existed beneath the seafloor, and water being sucked into and pumped out of cracks in the surrounding seafloor and vents could be a mechanism for building new hydrothermal vents. The scientists also thought these subseafloor ecosystems could facilitate the conditions for life dwelling on the vents by spreading animal larvae and adults, and microbial communities between vent fields. In a Nature Communications paper published today, Bright et al. show that animal life also exists in this shallow rocky subseafloor province. These findings support their hypothesis that larval dispersal occurs within the crustal subseafloor and expands the known macrofaunal biosphere. Ultimately, this discovery transforms the scientific understanding of ecology and the evolution of animal life at and beneath hydrothermal vents in the deep sea. For the researchers, this new knowledge is a reminder that conservation and protection must include what we see on the surface and what is living below. Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/deE252FD

During the #SalasyGomezRidge expedition, Berth of Opportunity participant Serafina Heirangi Moulton Tepano spoke of her efforts as an educator to keep the Rapa Nui language alive while fostering her students' connections with the natural world. She explains that her journey as an educator began with her grandparents, who taught her that everything comes from nature, adding, “I want to follow that path to safeguard my language...take care of the Vaikava, our ocean.” https://lnkd.in/embsx-24 #IndigenousPeoplesDay

Oct. 18 - 20, we’re delighted to showcase works from Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Artist-at-sea program at Art Basel Paris, a world-renowned international art fair. In collaboration with UNESCO and Nautilus Magazine, we will feature Artist-at-Sea alumni Rebecca Rutstein and Taiji Terasaki, who participated in the program remotely. Deepest Reveries is Terasaki’s large-scale, immersive installation that uses augmented reality, or A/R, technology to depict the dreamy beauty of life in the deep sea and the Ocean's critical role in the planet's health. Deepest Reveries features images captured during scientific expeditions around the globe. “The ocean has always been a boundless source of inspiration and a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness with the natural world,” said Terasaki. ”With Deepest Reveries, I aimed to bridge the gap between art and science, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the beauty and complexity of our oceans while confronting the urgent need for conservation and rewilding.” #SciArt #SciArtFriday #ArtistAtSea #ArtBasel #ArtBaselParis

"We sail for sport and also for Ocean health—because all life on Earth depends on a healthy Ocean." — Wendy Schmidt, philanthropist & co-founder of 11th Hour Racing. The Deep Blue Exploration Zone, named after Wendy's winning Botin 85 sailboat, will be featured at this year’s Barcolana race village in Trieste, Italy. Located in Piazza dell'Unità, it offers an immersive look at the ocean's vital role, with footage from Schmidt Ocean Institute's Falkor (too) and BioMa. Don’t miss this unique experience now through Oct 13th! To celebrate her victory at Barcolana 54 in 2022, Wendy Schmidt donated $100,000 to BioMa—an environmental study center that offers immersive experiences about the Gulf of Trieste and the Miramare Marine Protected Area. Her donation supports BioMa’s vital work in protecting marine #biodiversity and helping visitors connect with the ocean to foster understanding and conservation.

It's been a fascinating time at the 2024 Marine Imaging Workshop, which Schmidt Ocean Insitute helped support. Marine imaging is a major method in the science, policy, and public understanding of the world's oceans. The topic is developing rapidly, driven by the technological evolution and increasing application of marine imaging in all Oceans. Images of all types are used to explore unseen ocean habitats, motivate the designation of marine conservation areas, assess environmental baselines, monitor human impacts, and communicate ocean narratives. The international Marine Imaging Workshops assemble scientists and engineers from different disciplines to push the boundaries of marine imaging. Biologists, geologists, engineers, computer scientists, and end-users discussed topics such as the start to finish of marine image and video analysis. Topics include imagery collection, processing, still and video annotation, machine learning, image data management, and much more. Pictured here: Ryan Gajarawala, Schmidt Futures Projects; Corinne Bassin, Schmidt Ocean Institute; Beatriz Naranjo, Falkor & Falkor (too) alum; Jason Loi, Schmidt Futures Projects https://miw2024.org/

If you missed our oceans symposium at the weekend you can listen on demand here: https://lnkd.in/eKBERZSC Nekton Schmidt Ocean Institute

Swimming in the Ocean requires a great deal of energy. Imagine how hard it would be to tread water nonstop to avoid sinking! You’d have to eat constantly to stay strong enough to maintain your position. Luckily, for animals like this squid, nature finds a way. Squid are ammoniacal, meaning ammonia ions are stored in their arms, head, and mantle tissue. Neutral buoyancy occurs when the object's density is equivalent to that of the water around it, balancing out the gravity that would otherwise cause the object to sink. According to Seibel et al., “By far, the most prevalent method of attaining neutral buoyancy in cephalopods is the exchange of sodium for ammonium ions creating low-density fluids that impart lift.” The authors explain that ammonium is a readily available by-product of the squid’s diet. The #NazcaHighSeas science team observed this mollusk, which they suspect is an Ancistrocheirus lesueuri, or sharpear enope squid, during the first test dive of a recent expedition in the high seas off the coast of Chile. It is the only species in the genus Ancistrocheirus and family Ancistrocheiridae, and they are often found along seamounts and submarine ridges. Happy #WorldSquidDay! You can read more about ammonium content and buoyancy in midwater cephalopods here: https://lnkd.in/es357eqf