Stealthy new deep-sea camera system may find new deep-sea...( FORT PIERCE FL. July 18 2002 A HARBO...)

You might say Dr. Edie Widder, a world-renowned expert in marine bioluminescence (www.biolum.org), is literally taking a scientific "shot in the dark" that may result in images of creatures that have never been seen before.

The "Eye In The Sea" camera system Dr. Widder designed will be used for the first time on July 23 in the deep Monterey Canyon area off Monterey Bay, California, at depths of between 700 meters and 1,000 meters.

What makes the camera so unique is its ability to sit alone on its tripod on the deep ocean bottom, waiting quietly for a flash of bioluminescence to bring it to life. The instant any creature in the inky depths flashes its chemical signal, the camera will record the bioluminescent flash, and then send out a beam of red light, invisible to the animal, while simultaneously taking a digital image.

Dr. Widder explains why she hopes to capture images of creatures that may have remained undiscovered until now. For one thing, only a tiny percentage of the ocean depths have been explored and scientists believe there could be creatures living in those depths that humans have never seen.

The second reason is simple; stealth.

"A big noisy submersible with its bright lights can be seen or heard or otherwise sensed by deep-sea creatures from a long way away, and that has no doubt scared away a lot of animals," Dr. Widder said.

Dr. Widder has been trying since 1994 to make her Eye In The Sea project a reality. She finally succeeded in launching the effort last year with a $35,000 check from HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution (www.hboi.edu) to the Harvey Mudd College of Engi
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Contact: Geoff Oldfather
oldfather@hboi.edu
561-465-2400
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
19-Jul-2002