Mission & Project Info | NOAA’s Aquarius Undersea Laboratory
Mission Blog

This mission has two separate science teams working at Conch Reef. One consists of the four aquanauts who will be working on experiments around the clock to improve our understanding of the role of sponges in the coral reef ecosystem. The other is a team that will work from surface boats, making short dives each day to track the health of Conch Reef by repeating measurements of coral, sponges, algae, and fish that have been made at this location since 1994.

Sponges are composed of a number of different kinds of cells, connective structures, and water canals. Some cells, called choanocytes, line the canals and have hair-like structures called flagella. By moving the flagella, the cells allow water to sucked through tiny holes in the porous colony, into larger canals, and send it shooting out through large holes. It’s hard to see with the naked eye, but add some dye to the water surrounding the sponge and your senses are in for a feast! By studying the filtering rates of sponges, we will get a better idea of just how important they are to the water of the reef.

In addition, the aquanauts will measure changes in water chemistry as it moves through a sponge. From earlier work, it is known that sponges produce wastes like any other animal (did I mention that sponges were animals?). Enough waste is generated that sponges may actually “fertilize” the reef, enhancing the growth of algae, which can then effectively compete for space because of its rapid growth rate, and negatively affect corals – normally the building blocks of the reef.

Does that make sponges the bad guys? It doesn’t seem likely. Sponges are common on many coral-dominated reefs that have very little algae cover. What keeps the algae in check? Maybe fish. Maybe sea urchins. Maybe other animals that graze the plants. When a reef is unhealthy, are these relationships somehow out of balance? Whatever the case, there is clearly much to learn about the dynamics and interactions between the major groups of animals and plants that make up this diverse ecosystem. That is what the aquanauts will be focusing on during this mission.

Another group of divers will be working from a day boat, using tape measures, quadrats, writing slates and cameras to measure the current populations of corals, sponges, algae, and fish on Conch Reef. This work started at this location in 1994. Repeated visits are telling us how the deeper portions of reefs in the Florida Keys are changing. Direct comparison of data at long-term “sentinel” sites like those in Carpenter Basin are one of the ways scientists and managers can track reef condition. These sites are also places where we can track the effectiveness of management actions by the many agencies working to keep south Florida ecosystems healthy and productive.

For thousands of years, modern coral reef communities have stood the test of time. What have they learned during that time? What do they know about the oceans that we have yet to learn. What can they tell us about species that come and go, about the quality of the ocean waters, and the effects they are seeing from global climate change? If these reefs could talk, what would they tell us?

Join Team Aquarius and NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program on a mission to the world’s only undersea laboratory as we ask these questions and more. During a 9-day mission, Team Aquarius will live in the watery world of the Florida Keys inside the National Undersea Research Center’s Aquarius. Team Aquarius will commune with the coral communities of the keys and work to understand what they can tell us about our oceans, our planet, ourselves. Six divers will live in an unfamiliar habitat 50 feet below the ocean, diving up to nine hours a day to conduct experiments and get a close-up look at Florida’s coral reefs — while giving you the chance to travel along! New technologies will allow the team to deliver video and voice communications over the web directly to your homes and classrooms. A few clicks of a mouse will take you from the comfort of your easy chair to the challenging environment of the outer reefs of the Florida Keys, where storms and heavy seas can turn a calm, sunny day into a scary experience in a hurry.

Listen and watch aquanauts live, eat, sleep and work full time underwater. Tune in as they deal with the challenges of living in the sea, and learn what they discover from their research of the reefs. Hear about the chill of long dives, taking sensitive equipment to places it was not designed for, and trying to ward off skin conditions that come with long exposures to humid air. Ask aquanauts questions on your computer. Watch short programs on reef ecology, the technology of an undersea habitat, and living and working underwater. If you teach, watch for educational programs and materials that are sure to keep your class’ attention.