Rover grabs gorgonians

An international team of researchers have discovered and collected two new species of soft corals (gorgonians) with the aid of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

Experts from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami found the gorgonians on the third-largest atoll in the world, the Saba Bank in the Netherlands Antilles and collected them using an ROV developed by Seabotix.

The SeaBotix LBV200L ROV they used is rated to operate in depths of 200m and includes a fibre optic video system that provides images from a high-resolution colour and a low-light B/W camera. Brushless thrusters on the ROV enable it to be manoeuvered in four axes, just like a helicopter.

An optional grabber arm was used by the researchers allowing them to collect the deepest new soft coral species at 70m, a depth that would be impractical to explore using conventional diving techniques.