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
LONDON – Schmidt Ocean Institute has come together with The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project for the joint signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to share all of its collected mapping data with the project. According to the Seabed 2030 Project, about 32 million square kilometers or 15% of the ocean has been mapped. The … Continued
MENLO PARK, Calif.— Eric and Wendy Schmidt announced today a $1 billion philanthropic commitment to identify and support talent across disciplines and around the world to serve others and help address the world’s most pressing problems. Building on the last 13 years of their family’s philanthropy, led by Wendy Schmidt, the couple has steadily increased … Continued
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
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
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
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
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
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
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Using multiple autonomous vehicles simultaneously, an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers returns to the United States after exploring the North Pacific Subtropical front – a sharp boundary where cold fresh waters from the north meet warm salty waters from the south. The fronts are the most conspicuous oceanographic phenomena and … Continued
