Introduction

Did you know that more than 90 percent of the ocean floor has never been explored? One group that is trying to find out more about the bottom of the sea is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Each year, NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration funds several deep-sea research expeditions. Many of these expeditions are to parts of the ocean that have never been seen before. Scientists make maps, take pictures, and collect samples to learn more about the new sites.

Some NOAA expeditions return to recently discovered sites. In 2005, NOAA helped to fund a return expedition to the Lost City. The Lost City is a hydrothermal vent field that lies 2,100 ft beneath the surface of the ocean. Huge white mineral towers form the “buildings” of Lost City. Microbes, snails, clams, and other creatures live on and around the towers. All of the Lost City organisms survive in complete darkness. Their food web is fueled by chemicals rather than sunlight. The chemicals are contained in hot fluids that seep through cracks in the ocean floor.

The manipulator arm of the ROV Hercules takes a sample from one of the towers at the Lost City hydrothermal vent site during the 2005 expedition. Credit: IFE, URI-IAO, UW, Lost City science party, and NOAA

The 2005 expedition was the third visit to Lost City. Scientists first discovered the site in 2000. Three years later, some scientists went back to the site, but they did not find out everything they wanted to know. So a group wrote a proposal that asked for funding for another return trip. The proposal was a success. During the 2005 expedition to Lost City, scientists took new pictures, made new measurements, and collected new samples. Through the use of new technologies, scientists on the research ship were able to work closely with scientists on land. All of the scientists learned a lot more about this amazing and unique ecosystem at the bottom of the sea. The return expedition was definitely a success!