In Deeper Waters - Photographic Studies of Hawaiian Deep-sea Habitats and Life-forms (Hardcover)

Thousands of meters beneath the surface of Hawaii's warm, sunlit waters lies the vast Hawaiian Ridge, a dark, cold region more than 2,600 kilometers in length. Its undersea mountains, sediment plains, lava flows, and volcanic vent fields are home to a variety of unusual deep-sea organisms. Since 1965 the ridge's unique geological features and animal communities have been studied with the aid of submersibles. This illustrated volume describes 200 animals and geological formations photographed and collected by the University of Hawaii's HURL (Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory) submersibles around the Hawaiian Islands, Cross Seamount, Loihi Volcano, and Johnston Atoll. The complexity of relationships and variety of Hawaii's deep-sea fauna are discussed in non-technical language as are submersible operations and factors influencing the geology and biology of various Hawaii locations. An extensive bibliography and table summarizing the abundance, substrate, and location of each animal are included. In Deeper Waters is a valuable record for the professional and amateur marine biologist and geologist alike and adds substantially to our knowledge of deep-sea floor features and the distribution and behavior of their inhabitants.