Ann Bucklin, professor of marine sciences, recently took part in a research cruise aboard the R/V Henry B. Bigelow exploring the deep layers of the North Atlantic Slope Water off the coast of New England, together with oceanographers and engineers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Deep-sea animals, including fish, squid, octopus, and jellyfish, were captured in a large trawl system deployed during a research expedition exploring the deep layers of the North Atlantic Slope Water. As the crewmembers winch the net on deck, scientists are already checking for interesting species caught in the mesh. (Ann Bucklin/UConn Photo)

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Deep-sea animals, including fish, squid, octopus, and jellyfish, were captured in a large trawl system deployed during a research expedition exploring the deep layers of the North Atlantic Slope Water. As the crewmembers winch the net on deck, scientists are already checking for interesting species caught in the mesh. (Ann Bucklin/UConn Photo)

Close examination of a trawl sample from the Ocean Twilight Zone is exciting for everyone onboard the R/V Henry B. Bigelow. Researchers Michael Jech of NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, left, and UConn’s Ann Bucklin, right, are joined by crew member Andrew Harrison. (Photo by Jennifer Berglund, Oh Sister Productions)

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Close examination of a trawl sample from the Ocean Twilight Zone is exciting for everyone onboard the R/V Henry B. Bigelow. Researchers Michael Jech of NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, left, and UConn’s Ann Bucklin, right, are joined by crew member Andrew Harrison. (Photo by Jennifer Berglund, Oh Sister Productions)

Biological samples were collected using a MOCNESS (Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System), which can collect zooplankton and fish from targeted layers of the deep ocean. WHOI biologists Peter Wiebe (one of the inventors of the MOCNESS), foreground, right, readies the net for deployment, with from left, Helena McMonagle, Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang, and Paul Caiger. (Ann Bucklin, UConn Photo)

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Biological samples were collected using a MOCNESS (Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System), which can collect zooplankton and fish from targeted layers of the deep ocean. WHOI biologists Peter Wiebe (one of the inventors of the MOCNESS), foreground, right, readies the net for deployment, with from left, Helena McMonagle, Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang, and Paul Caiger. (Ann Bucklin, UConn Photo)

The cruise highlight was the first ocean launch of Deep-See, a towed vehicle equipped with cameras and holographic imaging systems, an acoustic (sound) scattering system, biological samples for water and DNA, and integrated environmental and engineering sensors. Deep-See can be deployed down to 2000 meters and can provide unprecedented views into the ocean’s depths. (Ann Bucklin, UConn Photo)

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The cruise highlight was the first ocean launch of Deep-See, a towed vehicle equipped with cameras and holographic imaging systems, an acoustic (sound) scattering system, biological samples for water and DNA, and integrated environmental and engineering sensors. Deep-See can be deployed down to 2000 meters and can provide unprecedented views into the ocean’s depths. (Ann Bucklin, UConn Photo)

The Ocean Twilight Zone research team, including oceanographers and engineers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and National Marine Fisheries Service, and UConn marine sciences professor Ann Bucklin (front row, second from left). (Photo by Jennifer Berglund, Oh Sister Productions)

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The Ocean Twilight Zone research team, including oceanographers and engineers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and National Marine Fisheries Service, and UConn marine sciences professor Ann Bucklin (front row, second from left). (Photo by Jennifer Berglund, Oh Sister Productions)

The expedition, which took place Aug. 10-21, was the inaugural cruise of the Ocean Twilight Zone initiative, a six-year, $35 million effort that is using innovative technologies to document the many remaining mysteries of the ocean’s deep and dark layers from 200 to 1,000 meters below the surface.

A combination of sonars, cameras, and sampling systems was used to try to quantify how many and what kind of animals live in this dimly lit swath of ocean hundreds of meters below the surface. They found an abundance of marine life, including zooplankton, squids, salps, and fish. The findings suggest that the sea’s murky depths may host more life than previously thought.