Researchers Map the Deep Ocean Off Alaska's Coast
2023-08-17
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1The U.S. weather agency is exploring the ocean around the Aleutian Islands aiming to map the sea floor and make discoveries about undersea life.
2The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research ship, called Okeanos Explorer, is on a five-month mission.
3It is a former U.S. Navy ship, which has been changed to meet current needs.
4Civilians and members of the NOAA Corps are carrying out the mission.
5The ship has a 48-member crew.
6It has technology and tools to gather information about the deep ocean and to immediately share it with researchers.
7The hope is that the data will be used for future research.
8Mission leader Shannon Hoy said that the sea floor near Alaska is full of life.
9She added, "You would never know that unless we were able to go down there and explore."
10Researchers are using several kinds of sonar technology, used to map objects underwater, and two remotely operated vehicles, Deep Discoverer and Seirios.
11They are designed to map and collect samples.
12The researchers are exploring the Aleutian Trench and Gulf of Alaska, areas of water near the U.S. state of Alaska.
13The researchers are also using cameras that can operate at depths of up to 6,000 meters.
14The cameras permit the researchers to document and immediately share their findings.
15The ship can also share live video of the dives with the public.
16Hoy said that, in two to four weeks, the Okeanos Explorer can map as much as 50,000 square kilometers of ocean floor.
17Hoy said the team plans to investigate some of the area's cold "seep communities."
18These are places where gas from under the sea floor rises through openings.
19Life in these places is not believed to depend on the sun for food production.
20Hoy said the researchers are also going to study the water column to see what interesting animals they can find there.
21Kasey Cantwell is the ship's operations chief.
22She said the data will help researchers and the public better understand these areas of the ocean.
23The information could also help make decisions about fisheries and could also identify dangers at sea and improve maps.
24"It's really hard to care for things you don't understand, to love things you don't understand," Cantwell said.
25The deep ocean off Alaska's Aleutian Islands is one of the least mapped places in the U.S. Modern mapping has covered just 34 percent of the sea floor off Alaska.
26The area includes one of America's largest coastal ecosystems, and only a small part of that has been seen, the mission's web site says.
27Emily Crum is a communications specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
28She said filling holes in current information is a mission goal.
29The effort will also help meet a goal of mapping all of the United States' deep waters by 2030 and near-shore waters by 2040.
30I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The U.S. weather agency is exploring the ocean around the Aleutian Islands aiming to map the sea floor and make discoveries about undersea life. 2The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research ship, called Okeanos Explorer, is on a five-month mission. It is a former U.S. Navy ship, which has been changed to meet current needs. Civilians and members of the NOAA Corps are carrying out the mission. 3The ship has a 48-member crew. It has technology and tools to gather information about the deep ocean and to immediately share it with researchers. The hope is that the data will be used for future research. 4Mission leader Shannon Hoy said that the sea floor near Alaska is full of life. She added, "You would never know that unless we were able to go down there and explore." 5Researchers are using several kinds of sonar technology, used to map objects underwater, and two remotely operated vehicles, Deep Discoverer and Seirios. They are designed to map and collect samples. The researchers are exploring the Aleutian Trench and Gulf of Alaska, areas of water near the U.S. state of Alaska. 6The researchers are also using cameras that can operate at depths of up to 6,000 meters. The cameras permit the researchers to document and immediately share their findings. The ship can also share live video of the dives with the public. 7Hoy said that, in two to four weeks, the Okeanos Explorer can map as much as 50,000 square kilometers of ocean floor. 8Hoy said the team plans to investigate some of the area's cold "seep communities." These are places where gas from under the sea floor rises through openings. Life in these places is not believed to depend on the sun for food production. 9Hoy said the researchers are also going to study the water column to see what interesting animals they can find there. 10Kasey Cantwell is the ship's operations chief. She said the data will help researchers and the public better understand these areas of the ocean. The information could also help make decisions about fisheries and could also identify dangers at sea and improve maps. 11"It's really hard to care for things you don't understand, to love things you don't understand," Cantwell said. 12The deep ocean off Alaska's Aleutian Islands is one of the least mapped places in the U.S. Modern mapping has covered just 34 percent of the sea floor off Alaska. The area includes one of America's largest coastal ecosystems, and only a small part of that has been seen, the mission's web site says. 13Emily Crum is a communications specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She said filling holes in current information is a mission goal. The effort will also help meet a goal of mapping all of the United States' deep waters by 2030 and near-shore waters by 2040. 14I'm Gregory Stachel. 15Carla K. Johnson reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 16________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18mission - n. a specific military or naval task 19sample - n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from 20column - n. something that is tall and thin in shape 21ecosystem - n. everything that exists in a particular environment 22shore - n. the land along the edge of an area of water 23________________________________________________ 24What do you think of this story? 25We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 26Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.