Okeanos Explorer livestreams from a kilometre below the ocean

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) is going more than half a kilometre below the surface of the ocean and is livestreaming the landscape during a 36-day exploration of the Northeast U.S. Canyons and Mytilus Seamount, which is the continental slope off the U.S. East Coast.

The  U.S. government agency, which monitors climate, aids in fisheries management and supports marine commerce, is using remotely operated vehicles -- basically undersea robots with cameras and lighting -- to explore depths of between 560 meters and 2,135 meters in what it calls the Okeanos Explorer Program

It’s all livestreamed right here, with colour commentary from scientists working on the project, who speak in soft tones, with insights such as: "This is the first black coral we’ve seen today, and we’re trying to get a look at this egg mass... It looks like fish eggs."

And here, the scientists zoom in to describe some pink coral on a wall feature:

The underwater exploration has proven popular, with up to 50,000 people tuning in each day. The livestream ends Friday, Aug. 16.