Ocean Exploration
The drive to discover fueled the founding and development of Harbor Branch, and the engineers and scientists who built and used the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles made the institution world-renowned for ocean exploration. Their pioneering work established a culture of scientific inquiry that includes:
Coral reef discovery, characterization, and conservation
| Discovery of听 Oculina 听coral reefs off Florida鈥檚 east coast by our researchers in 1975 led to the world鈥檚 first Marine Protected Area for deepwater coral. More recent study of听 Lophelia 听reefs as fragile, essential fish habitat was instrumental in NOAA鈥檚 designation of more than 23,000 square miles of Deepwater Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern (right). Research in these and other coral reef habitats continues through the听 Robertson Coral Reef Research & Conservation Program 听 and the NOAA听 听 (CIOERT). |
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Marine biomedical and biotechnology research
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Because many medications have natural origins, we have been collecting sponges and other organisms during ocean expeditions for decades. Our听 Specimen Collection 听 , which includes an extensive array of frozen invertebrates from various depths and more than 19,000 different marine microbes, is at the heart of efforts by the 听 Marine Biomedical & Biotechnology Research Program 听 to discover marine natural products with utility as medicines or as tools to probe the molecular basis of disease. |
| Our 听 Ocean Engineering & Technology 听 and CIOERT research helps drive the expansion of exploration technologies, especially through the development of optic sensor systems, innovative image processing, and networks of sensors and robotic platforms. 麻豆精品视频Harbor Branch also is home to one of 10 Exploration Command Centers established by 听 听 and its partners worldwide that enable remote participation in research cruises involving the听 and its deep-diving remotely operated vehicle. |
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