Posted 07.29.04 at 7:22 pm

July 27 (Tuesday)-- Les Watling removes a type of coral known as a sea pen from the starboard "biobox" of the remotely controlled collecting vehicle Jason II on the deck of the R/V Revelle. The coral was plucked from the Aleutian seafloor. The coral is commonly called a sea pen because, underwater, it looks like an old-fashioned quill pen. Researchers roamed undersea "forests" of such sea pens in the last couple of days. The researchers keep detailed notes on where the collected specimens are placed in the ROV's various collection boxes, so that specimens can be rapidly retrieved upon being hauled aboard. Photo by SONYA SENKOWSKY