healthy collected corals now in onboard tanks for further study. Photo: Changing Oceans

The Changing Oceans Cruise is a 35 day scientific expedition that departed May 17 from Glasgow. Its mission is to examine the potential impact of changes in the temperature and chemistry of the oceans on cold-water coral reefs and the associated reef-creatures. The expedition started by visiting the shallow Mingulay Reef Complex in the Outer Hebrides and then to the deep waters of the Rockall Trough. Various apparatus will be used to survey and sample the deep water coral communities and to study the biology, chemistry and physics of cold-water coral sites, along with conducting onboard experiments. Their daily blog and gallery make for an interesting read.