 ISLANDS IN THE STREAM MISSION SET TO BEGIN OCEAN EXPLORATION INITIATIVE WILL TAKE SCIENTISTS DEEP INTO THE ATLANTIC OFF FLORIDA'S EAST COAST FORT PIERCE, FL. August 24, 2001 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - A dockside news conference will be held Tuesday, August 28, beginning at 10am alongside the main channel at HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution. The occasion is to announce plans for one of the most significant ocean exploration initiatives off Florida's Atlantic coast in recent years. The "Islands In The Stream - South Atlantic Bight" expedition is a continuation of a year-long NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) research undertaking consisting of five legs. The first leg of the mission to be carried out off Florida's Atlantic coast begins from HARBOR BRANCH the morning of Wednesday, August 29th. NOAA, HARBOR BRANCH, and other scientists will be exploring deep-water coral reefs, hard-bottom communities and the currents that connect the different habitats. The first portion of the cruise will be to the deep-water Oculina reef, a unique reef habitat in approximately 300 feet of water that extends from the Fort Pierce inlet north to Jacksonville. Ship and submersible operations will be conducted for three days. Scientists have visited the Oculina reef as recently as March of this year (go to www.at-sea.org/missions/oculina/oculina_dispatch.html) and there have been several missions in recent years as well, and this will give them another chance to study a deep-water reef that is recognized as unique in the world. At the news conference, scientists will brief the media on the goals of the expedition, and reporters and camera crews will then be given the opportunity to tour the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON II to view the on-board laboratories, the bridge, accommodations, and the submersible Clelia on deck. For further information about the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON II or the submersible CLELIA, please visit our web site at www.hboi.edu, and click on "Ships And Subs". In addition to the Oculina reef, areas to be explored include the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary; an area of pinnacles and outcrops off Georgia known as the Savannah Scarp; the Charleston Bump off Charleston; and an area of deep water Lophelia (a coral species) and a system of submerged canyon heads in an area called the Point off Cape Hatteras. The mission is a continuation of an expedition that has visited Belize, the Gulf of Mexico, the western coast of Florida and the Florida Keys. The goal of IIS is to better understand linkages between the Caribbean, Gulf and Atlantic regions. Ultimately, these areas are connected. What happens in one part of the "stream" impacts "islands" elsewhere. For more information on the news conference, please contact HARBOR BRANCH, Director of Public Relations at HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, at 772.465.2400, , or 772.216.0390. Portions of the information in this news release were provided by NOAA. The Islands In The Stream mission is being conducted by NOAA, in collaboration with HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, and will utilize the HARBOR BRANCH submersibles, Clelia and the Johnson-Sea-Link. For more information please call HARBOR BRANCH at 772.465.2400. HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, Inc., is one of the world's leading nonprofit oceanographic research organizations dedicated to exploration of the earth's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions for the benefit of mankind. |