OSM20 By The Numbers – SOI at Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020

 Schmidt Ocean Institute had a strong presence at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020 in a variety of ways. Here is a quick look at some of the numbers: Four spoken presentations about Falkor science (Block, Watling, Babbin, Cordes) Seven posters related to Falkor work (Michel, Baumberger, Babbin x3, Sousa, Wurl) Three spoken presentations by Artists-At-Sea … Continued

Schmidt Ocean Institute at Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020

The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is the flagship conference for the ocean sciences and larger ocean-connected community held every two years. Its importance has been bolstered by the approaching UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, beginning in 2021. Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) had a strong presence in OSM 2020 in a variety of … Continued

Schmidt Ocean Institute Appoints Dr. Jyotika Virmani as Executive Director

The Schmidt Ocean Institute announced today it has appointed Dr. Jyotika Virmani as its first Executive Director, to lead the global nonprofit in its work to advance the field of oceanographic science through innovative research and technology. The announcement was made at the Ocean Sciences Meeting, the flagship conference for the ocean sciences and larger … Continued

PUBLIC TESTIMONY – UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT SUBCOMMITTEE, DISCUSSING OCEAN EXPLORATION

June 5, 2019: Schmidt Ocean Institute was invited to testify before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Environment Subcommittee to discuss Ocean Exploration. Dr. Carlie Wiener was selected to be one of four witnesses to discuss the current state of the U.S. ocean exploration enterprise (involving public, private and academic/non-profit), … Continued

Global Initiative – United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

May 13-15, 2019: Schmidt Ocean Institute was proud to contribute to the first planning meeting for the UN Decade of Ocean Science. The Global Planning Meeting provided a forum to gather approximately 200 thought-leaders/champions/key stakeholders. A mixture of plenary and breakout groups facilitated international, interdisciplinary discussions across sectors (such as: ocean science and technology; ocean … Continued

Otherworldly Mirror Pools, New Lifeforms, and Mesmerizing Landscapes Discovered on Ocean Floor

Scientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor recently discovered and explored a hydrothermal field at 2,000 meters depth in the Gulf of California where towering mineral structures serve as biological hotspots for life. These newly discovered geological formations feature upside down ‘mirror-like flanges’ that act as pooling sites for discharged fluids. GULF OF CALIFORNIA, … Continued

New Deep Sea Animal Discoveries Warrant Expanded Protections in Costa Rican Waters

Scientists aboard​ Schmidt Ocean Institute’s​ research vessel Falkor surveyed deep-sea seamounts outside Isla del Coco UNESCO World Heritage site revealing coral communities with surprising diversity. PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA – A three-week expedition off the coast of Costa Rica has just expanded our knowledge of deep sea ecosystems in the region. Led by Dr. Erik Cordes, … Continued

New Undersea Maps Lead to Hydrothermal Vent and Species Discoveries

Autonomous and interactive robotic seafloor mapping systems were used on an expedition aboard research vessel Falkor in the southern Gulf of California, leading scientists to a new hydrothermal vent field and enabling the discovery of new deep-sea organisms. SOUTHERN PESCADERO BASIN, GULF OF CALIFORNIA – A spectacular new hydrothermal vent field, named JaichMatt, has been … Continued

Artificial Intelligence Guides Rapid Data-Driven Exploration of Changing Underwater Habitats Mapped onto one of the World’s Largest Multiresolution 3D Photogrammetric Reconstruction of the Seafloor

Researchers aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor used autonomous underwater robots, along with the Institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian, to acquire 1.3 million high resolution images of the seafloor at Hydrate Ridge, composing them into the largest known high resolution color 3D model of the seafloor. Using unsupervised clustering algorithms, they identified dynamic … Continued