Thursday, 7 September 2017

Funding for underwater vehicle helps unlock the secrets of sponges


Sponges so deep not even divers can reach them may soon have a name, thanks to the use of an underwater drone.

A team from Victoria University of Wellington will be using a state-of-the-art underwater vehicle to study the sponge gardens off the coast of North Taranaki in the Parininihi Marine Reserve.

With most sponges yet to be identified and named, the study will give scientists a chance to get closer to the small animals than they have in the past.

The study is the work of Ben Harris, a student from the United Kingdom who is investigating how the reefs function compared with shallow water sponge groups elsewhere and deeper water sponge groups in the Taranaki region.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/96392669/funding-for-underwater-vehicle-helps-unlock-the-secrets-of-sponges

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