The Expedition to the Deep Slope 2007 continues our exploration and study of hydrocarbon seep communities found in waters deeper than 1,000 meters (m) in the Gulf of Mexico. Funded by the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the leader in supporting the scientific characterization of seep communities in the Gulf of Mexico, and the NOAA Ocean Exploration (OE) program, our diverse team of scientists will be using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason II and the NOAA research vessel (R V) Ronald H. Brown. Our team includes U.S. scientists who have led the exploration, discovery, and study of the Gulf of Mexico cold seeps for the last 20 years, as well as leading international seep scientists from Germany, France, and Austria. |