SC scientists lead mission with diving robot to unravel 'mysteries' of 4,500 A trio of researchers embarks on September 15th on an expedition towards Ghana, on the African continent, to investigate the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. The mission will use the SuBastian robot, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of diving up to 4,500 meters deep, to collect data, images and samples from unprecedented environments (see the video above). The team from the University of Vale do Itajaí (Univali), in Santa Catarina, is led by professor Angel Perez and includes oceanographers from Santa Catarina Lucas Gavazzoni and Flávia Masumoto, as well as 22 specialists from four other countries. ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp On board a research ship, the group will cross from Fortaleza (CE) until disembarking in Tema, in the African country, on October 29th. Researchers from SC will investigate 'mysteries' 4,500 meters from the ocean with the help of a robot diver Dales Hoeckesfeld/Disclosure Mapping of unknown ecosystems ?? The Gap expedition focuses on the Romanche Fracture Zone, an underwater formation approximately one thousand kilometers long, made up of a sequence of mountains and valleys. Situated in the Atlantic Ocean, along the Equator, the area is located halfway between the northeast coast of Brazil and the west coast of the African continent. As it is located under an area of ??high surface productivity, the expectation is that the site will house complex and still unknown ecosystems. Therefore, during the incursion, scientists will carry out high-resolution mapping to study the water column, habitats and biodiversity of the seabed. "This area that we are going to investigate is under the influence of a zone of high surface productivity. It is believed that this feature reaches the bottom, supporting important communities that, in turn, may require conservation actions in the high seas. To achieve this, we need to present concrete scientific evidence", explains Professor Angel Perez. The mission will use the robot SuBastian Schmidt Ocean Institute/ROV SuBastian Live transmission at a depth of 4,500 meters The robot's dives will last around eight hours and will be broadcast live, in high definition, on the Schmidt Ocean Institute YouTube channel, with narration in Portuguese and English. The equipment, considered high performance, will be responsible for collecting underwater samples that will serve as input for future studies. All data, images and samples collected during the expedition will be made available to the public. Ocean hides surprises Univali is part of the Deep Sea Program of the National Institute for Oceanic Research (Inpo) and has participated in expeditions of this nature since 2009. According to the university, the other explorations took place in 2013, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2025. Professor Angel explains that these expeditions are a legacy for the preservation of the Atlantic Ocean, as they help scientists understand the deep sea, a area equivalent to 70% of the surface of the entire planet. "Excluding the continents and the shallowest part of the ocean, which is submerged, everything else is considered deep sea. When we add up the entire area covered by ROVs on the bottom of the ocean to date, this would be equivalent to around 0.01% of this surface. In other words, more than 99.9% of this environment has not yet been explored. And the most interesting thing is that this 0.01% that we already know has revealed an enormous amount of discoveries", he observes. Angel, who has already participated in other investigations at the bottom of the ocean, adds that science builds its knowledge based on what has already been observed and documented. Therefore, it is not uncommon that, throughout these explorations, scientists come across realities that are completely different from those imagined. "That's why it's not an exaggeration to say that the deep sea is the place on Earth where the biggest surprises are," he concludes. Scientists from SC lead mission with robot diver to unravel 'mysteries' 4,500 meters at sea Schmidt Ocean Institute/ROV SuBastian VIDEOS: g1 SC's most watched in the last 7 days