Throughout 2020, humanity had to learn to adapt, as did the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI). We welcomed our first Executive Director, first formal Advisory Board, and as the pandemic evolved, so did our sea-going expeditions. As a result, Falkor remained one of the only research vessels in the world that operated throughout the year, leading to many notable discoveries. We brought to life stories of hope and wonder during SOI’s first dedicated geographic campaign exploring the beautiful depths of Australia’s waters. Among them were newsworthy sightings of the world’s longest sea creature, a 45-meter siphonophore; a new coral reef standing taller than the Empire State Building; more than 50 new potential species; and a rare video recording of the Ram’s Horn Squid.
CONNECTING IN A VIRTUAL WORLD
Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) engaged with communities around the globe like never before this year. When R/V Falkor arrived in Australian waters at the beginning of 2020, nearly a thousand people came to the Welcome to Country ceremony and public ship tours in collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum. In February, SOI participated in the 2020 Ocean Sciences Meeting, introducing our first Executive Director and continuing our alumni event tradition, while also co-hosting the National Ocean Exploration Forum Town Hall and chairing other sessions and presentations.
DOWN UNDER
For Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), 2020 held more surprises and discoveries than we could have imagined. SOI undertook a year-long initiative in Australia, conducting expeditions with interdisciplinary teams of scientists from partnering research institutions in Australia and around the world. Until Falkor’s arrival, Australia did not have a dedicated science ROV for exploring deep waters. Our work allowed for some of the first visualizations of the continent’s deep-sea environments. Astounding ROV footage unveiled gardens of glass sponges, massive gorgonia forests, and coral graveyards.
2020 IN REVIEW
From new species discovered to significant insights into Australia’s seafloor– condensing all that we learned this year is a difficult task. Explore some of the amazing discoveries witnessed and question what you know about our majestic ocean.
A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER
There are predicted to be millions of unknown species whose function and contribution to the ocean, global ecosystem, and human health are still unknown. Understanding goes hand in hand with technology, but we have not had the tools to enable a complete view of the ocean until very recently. Advances in technology have allowed for groundbreaking discoveries, including new species and behaviors like those recorded this year in Australia. Falkor’s multibeam sonars uncovered exciting new seafloor features, including a massive drowned waterfall basin and a 500-meter tall detached reef in the Great Barrier Reef – the first discovered in this area in the last 120 years.
IN PERSPECTIVE
The range of life-forms in the ocean vary in scale greatly, as do our discoveries. Schmidt Ocean Institute’s 2020 findings came in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny one-centimeter pygmy seahorses to the lengthy 45-meter siphonophore, proving that there is so much left to explore in the global ocean.
ALL THE GOOD STUFF
