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Young scientists plan an epic three-year underwater odyssey to explore extraordinary creatures, Marmaris, Turkey - 16 May 2014
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Olga Grum-Grzhimaylo/REX (3755086a)
Cyanea capillata (Lion's mane jellyfish) in the White sea, Russia
Marine Specialists Launch Three-Year Underwater Odyssey
Marine Specialists Launch Three-Year Underwater Odyssey
A team of 12 young scientists have announced their plans to attempt an epic three-year, underwater journey to explore the world's oceans.
Expedition Aquatilis will cover 35,000 miles spanning the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans to discover more information on stinging water-dwellers and other gelationous zooplankton.
These creatures, otherwise known as gelata, are vital to the health of the Earth's ecosystems, since they form the basis of the marine food chain - fish, crustaceans and marine mammals, such as whales, depend on smaller gelata as a food source.
Science currently knows of only about 1000 species of gelata which is an estimated mere 20% of all such creatures in the world.
This lack of knowledge is explained by how difficult it is to study gelata in laboratories, mainly because their fragile bodies tend to fall apart when removed from the ocean.
The team, which is dominated by Russians, is led by marine biologist and underwater photographer Alexander Semenov, whose previous pictures illustrate what intriguing creatures the team is likely to encounter.
They will be travelling in a 70 ft custom-built, self-sufficient expedition vessel, and are scheduled to depart from Marmaris, Turkey in the summer of 2015.
Along the way the team will visit the Azore Islands, Portugal to the Caribbean Basin; on to Brazil and Argentina; Cape Horn, heading North past Chile and Peru, then towards California and San Francisco Bay.
From there they will make their way to the Trash Islands towards Hawaii; through Oceania towards New Zealand; past the Great Barrier Reef towards Papaua New Guinea; Philippines to Indonesia, Sri Lank...
For more information visit http://www.rexfeatures.com/stacklink/BHAMCFXXV
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