Oceana Ranger Expedition 2011 Archives

Illustrated catalogue of cold water corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from Alboran basin and North Eastern Atlantic submarine mountains, collected in Oceana campaigns

Along the Oceana marine exploration trips (2011–2012) it has been collected 17 species of cold water corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from deep Alboran basin and submarine mountains located South of Portugal. There are two new records from theMediterranean and also an important found regarding the enigmatic Dendrobrachia bonsai. The paper is completed by some images with … Read more

Marine litter in the upper São Vicente submarine canyon (SW Portugal): Abundance, distribution, composition and fauna interactions

Marine litter has become a worldwide environmental problem, tainting all ocean habitats. The abundance, distribution and composition of litter and its interactions with fauna were evaluated in the upper S. Vicente canyon using video images from 3 remote operated vehicle exploratory dives. Litter was present in all dives and the abundance was as high as … Read more

New black coral species found?

Oceana’s expedition to the southeast Spanish coast, in the Almeria region, had an unexpected outcome. Using a submarine robot, we recorded more than 50 species along the Abubacer ridge, but one of them in particular, made quite an impression: an unidentified black coral. It could be a species new to science and, at the moment, … Read more

Summer of at-sea expeditions at an end

Well, we’ve reached the end of our summer at-sea expeditions. You may recall, we had an incredible experience in the Baltic Sea a few months ago and a few weeks ago, the Oceana Ranger pulled into its final port after spending 2 months travelling through and studying the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic (by Portugal). Our … Read more

Oceana’s expedition in the Portuguese Atlantic identifies over 100 marine species on Gorringe seamount

Oceana identified over 100 different marine species on Gorringe seamount after completing a scientific expedition in the Portuguese Atlantic during recent weeks with support from the Foundation for the Third Millennium. Apart from important kelp forests, the international marine conservation organization documented deep-sea sponge fields, black coral forests, extensive oyster beds and over 100 different … Read more

Oil Company set to destroy marine habitats with the Spanish government’s permission

Spain’s beautiful Costa Del Sol, a tourist destination for millions, is under threat from Repsol, and oil company with plans to prospect for gas in the area, and some incredible habitats and marine animals that we just recently documented as part of our latest Ranger Expedition are in danger of being destroyed. Repsol wants to … Read more

Cetacean sighting in the Alboran Sea

Oceana´s Ranger expedition is going strong as it continues through the Alboran Sea, which is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea. This area, famous for its great number and variety of cetaceans (marine mammals), did not disappoint: our on-board team of scientists, photographers, videographers and divers spotted more than 400 cetaceans in just one … Read more

Underwater robot (ROV) in the SIROCCO A survey area

Recently, the Spanish Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Environment [Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y Marino (MARM)] has approved, through a positive environmental impact declaration, the surveying of a large marine area in the search for fossil fuels, that could be found at more than 1600 metres, on the sea floor at … Read more

So called Day Off

That’s it, we have called today “day off”, but we all know that it doesn’t mean that we are not going to be working. There are thousands of things to do, things that cannot be done when we are at sea or that are left for later: photographing under the microscope the samples collected during … Read more

More Surprises

It is impressive how, after almost 50 dives made by Oceana with the underwater robot (ROV) in this area, we can still find new habitats. This time, the surprise has come by the hand of a mollusk, the giant oyster Neopycnodonte zibrowii. More than 400 metres in depth, over some rocks, we have found several … Read more