0:00
28:26
28:26

Deep-sea mysteries - A 5-week research mission in the Atlantic | DW Documentary

Nature and animals

Aboard the research vessel Meteor, scientists venture into the vast Atlantic. Five weeks in tight quarters push the team beyond its limits. Their mission: to study unknown species and habitats at the bottom of the sea. It's 3 a.m. in the middle of the Atlantic, and Meteor is surrounded by darkness. But the 58 men and women on board are wide awake. All eyes are on the ship's crane as it hauls a "box corer" - a mechanical sample collector - from a depth of five kilometers. The heavy seas cause it to slam against the ship's hull. The immense pressure levels involved in deep-sea research require heavy-duty equipment, with parts made of steel and even titanium. But when the crew finally manage to get the sample box back on deck, they find it's empty: containing only water and no seabed sediment. After the immediate disappointment, they soon set about preparing the next attempt before sunrise, because time - and money - are of the essence on this five-week expedition. "More than 90 percent of deep-sea species have probably not yet been discovered," says marine biologist Torben Riehl. With this vast and enigmatic ecosystem under threat from climate change, overfishing, oil drilling and pollution, the team's mission is an urgent one - to study the manifold creatures before they disappear forever. #documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs #atlantic #deapsea #discovery ______ DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary. Subscribe to: ‬ ⮞ DW Documentary (English): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumentary ⮞ DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumental ⮞ DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdocarabia ⮞ DW Documentary हिन्दी (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdochindi ⮞ DW Dokumenter (Indonesian): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDokumenter ⮞ DW Doku (German): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdoku For more visit: http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610 Follow DW Documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/ Follow DW Documental on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwdocumental We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G

ADVERTISEMENT

Comments 39

Sign in to join the conversation

Sign in
R
raagini_dhar 4 months ago

❤ This was great fun to watch! Thank you very much DW! Good luck to the crew and scientists! Safe journey.

M
manyadaylight5 4 months, 1 week ago

A massive red flying puffa fish is caught 50 metres above the Atlantic, got to be a record!!

C
carol_atkinson 4 months, 1 week ago

4 days at sea for 1 worm + 1 shrimp.

A
abeerbath407 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Guessing the mission was a resounding failure overall as there is scant video of the actual research conducted.

S
stéphane_lagarde 4 months, 2 weeks ago

14:43 - It’s the SAHARA desert, not the Sahara DESERT. Otherwise a worthwhile docu to watch!

M
matthewpalmer720 4 months, 2 weeks ago

how to get 3 minutes of story become 30 minutes. FILM ALL THE YOGA SESH

michael.campbell
michael.campbell 4 months, 2 weeks ago

A good insight into the tedious side for would-be marine scientists working on a tight budget.

J
james_west 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Wtf did I just watch ….bold and the beautiful or some bloody sitcoms.Cry me a river.

R
ray_lewis 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Core samples are useless if you drag the cage on the seafloor,

B
bradley.page 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Why does he keep calling himself a cheap scientist?

C
christy_cooper 4 months, 2 weeks ago

I ALMOST STOPPED WATCHING WITIN THE FIRST SENTENCE FROM THE TEAM LEADER. The only reason I continued was because of my past experiences with DW Documentaries. You should NEVER start any video with the subject whining and acting like a Diva. If the basket retrieved ONLY water and NOT sediment then he has FAILED the very first task. Were test runs made with the digger to make sure that the crew KNEW how to operate the machine and do the calculations correctly and that the machine was able to go as deep as was needed? Were the calculations double or even triple checked? Word for the producer(director/editor, in your next production, do NOT start off with someone complaining and whining because it’s very off putting! Viewers want to relate to the research team and become invested in their project while watching which is ha4d to do when you have a first introduction to someone who rubs you the wrong way.

lakshmiatlas43
lakshmiatlas43 4 months, 2 weeks ago

This is a great film. It reminded me of the 4-5 weeks I spent on the RRS Discovery in the North Atlantic in 2006 helping with SOLAS. I also had my own prototype instrument on board mounted on the foremast to measure ozone, it falied after three days and I was not allowed to climb up and remove it, as that area is off-limits. After that, I helped other researchers with their experiments, launching buoys and fixing instruments. Great camaraderie and I generally enjoyed life at sea. The clouds, sunsets and sunrises look completely different compared to on land, as you have a continuous horizon. The Moon appears huge. I also sent a polystyrene cup down to 5000 m and it shrank to about a 5th or 6th of it's size, and was more like ceramic. I still have it! 😃

advaithsoni654
advaithsoni654 4 months, 2 weeks ago

So nothing about the marine life and no high quality footage of those scientific discoveries, more like footage of people on a ship...

kerry_nicholson
kerry_nicholson 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Nice people doing very important work. You won't see much of it done on this video, interesting just the same. Thank you

K
kimberlyechoing26 4 months, 3 weeks ago

the way the cups shrink is terrifying lol

J
jacquelinesanchez870 4 months, 3 weeks ago

I’ve gone to sea for research cruises many times. My specialty was electronics, test equipment, computer hardware and logistics. All of us wore many hats with our specialties supporting the science staff. People have no idea what one has to think about when going to sea for extended periods of time. For instance how many boxes of paper clips or erasers. Or how many backup printer cables or bulk CAT5 cable to setup the lab network. I miss it so much and would do almost anything for one more cruise.

H
helen_hunter 4 months, 3 weeks ago

James Cameron's favourite activity😅

E
enzogabriel_pacheco 4 months, 3 weeks ago

5:55 Sounds like a good time. Probably the Norwegian in me

C
crystal_ramirez 4 months, 3 weeks ago

There is nothing wrong with Russia and Amerika….its the leaders that are the problem😂

L
liabeier261 4 months, 3 weeks ago

I got this weird feeling when their smiles got bigger when they found nodules.