December 2012

Discovering biodiversity: 300 meters deep in the Italian sea

For the first time ever, three different species of black coral, which are considered rare in Mediterranean seas, have been filmed in their natural environment. One of these, Antipathes dichotoma, has until now remained little known as it was possible to study it only through fragments preserved in museums. MoBioMarCal (Monitoring of Marine Biodiversity in Calabria), a scientific marine exploration project, has revealed a wealth of underwater species and diversity in Italy by using innovative technology which allows to film nature very deep in the sea.


The filming robot used in this project has also detected the presence of vast forests of thousands and thousands of colonies of another black coral, Antipathella subpinnata, which appears white in its natural environment due to a "skin" which covers its skeleton. This coral species is tree-shaped and it can reach a diameter of ten centimeters and a height of 1.5 meters. Some colonies can be thousands of years old.


A sophisticated underwater robot (ROV, Remotely Operated Vehicle), which can reach depths not operational for divers, equipped with a camera and a High Definition video camera, has collected unique images of marine organisms never observed before in vivo. These were put together in a documentary created by Marco Pisapia from ISPRA, the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, an IUCN Member.



More info: stampa@isprambiente.it

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