BY THE NUMBERS

7 EXPEDITIONS WITH MORE THAN 170 SCIENCE DAYS

53,716 KM SAILED

119,188 KM2 OF SEAFLOOR MAPPED

74 SCIENTISTS HOSTED, REPRESENTING 35 ORGANIZATIONS &

23 EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON FALKOR

79 UNDERWATER ROBOTIC DIVES

1,979 SAMPLES AND MORE THAN 97 TERABYTES OF DATA TO ADVANCE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING

Spindle Cowrie

The observation of a spindle cowry at Ashmore Reef extended the species range.

OVER 52,000 PEOPLE connected VIA 60 PRESENTATIONS & PODCASTS, AND 44 SHIP-TO-SHORES

SHARED THE SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THROUGH 70 BLOGS, 78 SCIENCE PUBLICATIONS AND 400+ PRESS STORIES REPORTED IN OVER 20 COUNTRIES AND IN 13 LANGUAGES. REACHED MORE THAN 7 MILLION PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM

Crossing Oceans

In 2021, R/V Falkor completed expeditions in Australia, traveled to the Phoenix Islands for a month of exploration, and then continued on it’s eastward journey across the Pacific to support research in Southern and Baja California. Seven expeditions resulted in nearly 2,000 sample collections and 800 hours of ROV diving.

“Studies like these help to demonstrate the value of marine protected areas and conservation. Although most of the deep sea is unknown and unseen, it is clear that it has transformative potential both for the ocean and for ourselves.”

Dr. Randi Rotjan, Boston University

PINGING IN THE NEW YEAR: MAPPING THE TASMAN AND CORAL SEAS

January/February
Tasman and Coral Sea,
Australia

SEAFLOOR TO SEABIRDS IN THE CORAL SEA

February/March
Coral Sea Marine Park,
Australia

AUSTRALIAN MESOPHOTIC CORAL EXAMINATION

April
Ashmore Reef Marine Park,
Australia

DISCOVERING DEEP SEA CORALS OF THE PHOENIX ISLANDS

June/July
Phoenix Islands Protected Area,
Kiribati

BIODIVERSE BORDERLANDS: MINERAL-RICH HABITATS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

July/August
Southern California
Borderland, USA

DESIGNING THE FUTURE 2

August
Southern California
Borderland, USA

INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE PESCADERO BASIN

October/November
Gulf of California,
Mexico

Peering into the Deep

Spindle Cowrie

50 meters deep

April 15th - Ashmore Reef Marine Park - Dive 410

The observation of a spindle cowry at Ashmore Reef extended the species range.

Short-Nose Sea Snake

67 meters deep

April 12th - Ashmore Reef Marine Park - Dive 406

The short-nose sea snake is critically endangered and thought to be locally extinct at Ashmore Reef until ROV SuBastian captured imagery of the species in April.

Large Sponge Colonies

104 meters deep

April 22th - Ashmore Reef Marine Park - Dive 417

Sponges are ecosystem engineers that can create, modify, maintain, or even destroy habitats for other organisms.

Methane Seep

381 meters deep

August 2nd - San Diego, California - Dive 449

Hundreds of crabs were observed dwelling on a newly discovered methane seep on Lasuen Knoll in the Southern California Borderland.

First Test of Three Novel ROV Technologies

418 meters deep

August 12th - San Diego, California - Dive 453

Three newly developed pieces of ROV technology, the DeepPIV, EyeRIS, and RAD2, were tested in tandem, successfully creating a new workflow for rapid collection of data on midwater species.

Tubeshoulder Fish Releasing Luminous Fluid

626 meters deep

August 20th - San Diego, California - Dive 460

The footage of a tubeshoulder fish is suspected to be the first-ever recording of one releasing luminous fluid in its natural habitat.

Glass Octopus

661 meters deep

June 26th - Phoenix Islands - Dive 433

Two individual glass octopuses were observed, resulting in the first-ever high-quality recordings of the species.

Whale Shark

670 meters deep

June 15th - Phoenix Islands - Dive 422

This was the first sighting of this female whale shark and the deepest ever recorded imagery of a whale shark.

DDT Barrel Field

885 meters deep

August 3rd - San Diego, California - Dive 450 & 451

ROV SuBastian captured footage of the DDT dump site off Los Angeles, which is estimated to contain thousands of barrels of discarded DDT waste.

Whale Fall

885 meters deep

August 3rd - San Diego, California - Dive 450

While exploring the DDT Dump Site, scientists discovered a new whale fall in the San Pedro Basin.

Feather Duster Siphonophore

1170 meters deep

August 20th - San Diego, California - Dive 460

A stunning siphonophore was the last species characterized during Designing the Future 2 expedition.

Coral Wound-Healing

1602 meters deep

June 21st - Phoenix Islands - Dive 428

Footage of a new polyp forming on a wounded area of a deep-sea coral provides first physical evidence that these corals heal after predation.

Squid Brooding Eggs

2106 meters deep

October 30th - Gulf of California - Dive 471

Rare footage of a Gonatus onyx brooding her eggs in the water column, these squids are the first cephalopod known to incubate their eggs on their tentacles instead of on the seafloor.

Blue Scale Worms

3634 meters deep

November 7th - Gulf of California - Dive 479

Peinaleopolynoe orphanae was discovered during SOI's 2018 expedition to the Pescadero Basin and officially announced as a new species in 2020; a large quantity of the species were found to be living on the newly discovered 'Melsuu vent.

New Hydrothermal Vents

3661 meters deep

November 2nd - Gulf of California - Dive 473

Two new hydrothermal features, named Maija Awi and ‘Melsuu, were documented during the Interdiscplinary Investigation expedition, providing further insight into the hydrothermal vent communities of the Pescadero Basin.

BUILDING CONNECTIONS

Collaboration and community are essential to our mission. Schmidt Ocean Institute is excited to build relationships and formalize new partnerships, many with the vision of broadening access to and participation in the marine sciences. R/V Falkor is not just a vessel for science but also a bridge from the deep sea to the communities living in regions where we operate.

Increasing Recognition

Schmidt Ocean Institute was honored to receive the following awards acknowledging our dedication to deep sea exploration and sharing our findings with the public. 

 

Alta Sea Blue Hour – Explorer Award

 

Maritime Foundation Media Awards – First Sea Lord’s Award for Best Use of Digital Media

 

MarComm Platinum – 2020 Impact Report

 

MarComm Gold – Deep Ocean Education Project

 

MarComm Gold – Wonders Australian National Maritime Museum Exhibit Video