Seychelles: An atoll of Astove which is 1,041 km from Seychelles in Africa emerged as a subject of interest for the Nekton scientists. It is a key feature of the island which forms an underwater cliff marking an immediate transition to deep ocean.
Being surrounded by various aquatic ecosystem, the cliff descends deep below 500 metres. Descending into the deep, the scientists were pleasantly surprised to find a world rich in life - an abundance of soft corals, sponges, tunicates and more present a dense habitat .
"This is really exciting because on a very deep and steep wall, you can get very different currents, which will allow other animals coming up from the depth to also inhabit some of the waters here. And that's really interesting to see," says Lucy Woodall, Nekton Mission's principle scientist.
"Often there's quite a lot of animals that are living on the walls. Walls are really good as well for filter-feeders, because they come away from the surface, they come out into the current."
According to the scientists the one thing which puts Astove on a different platform, is that it is deprived of big fish, except a few sharks and only a few Groupers .
Now a month in to their seven-week-long exploration of the Indian Ocean, Nekton scientists have collected huge amount of data and samples to analyze back home. Samples and data collected during the mission will be analyzed over the coming years . And it is expected to give a better understanding of the Indian Ocean. The information will also be made available to researchers around the globe to help them in their endeavors.
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