Pacific Ring of Fire Expedition. Close-up of a vent barnacle that we're currently trying to identify. The furry things are their little legs (cirri) that capture food particles. The density of barnacles was so extreme here that there was little room for other organisms. The red dots at the top of the image are lasers, spaced 10 centimeters apart for scale.

Image ID: expl0022, Voyage To Inner Space - Exploring the Seas With NOAA Collect
Location: Mariana Arc region, Western Pacific Ocean
Photo Date: 2004 April
Credit: Pacific Ring of Fire 2004 Expedition. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration; Dr. Bob Embley, NOAA PMEL, Chief Scientist

Category: Ocean exploration/

• High Resolution Photo Available