Scientists working on the bottom of the Caribbean have come across a plethora of “blue goo” organisms that appear to be resting stock-still on the ocean floor. It is still unclear which organisms are these. They are bumpy and globular blobs in appearance.
Since May this year, scientists at the NOAA’s flagship exploratory vessel Okeanos Explorer have been exploring the largely unexplored deep-water depths of the North Atlantic. This activity is a component of an ongoing expedition called “Voyage to the Ridge 2022.”
A video from the official livestream of the expedition captures both the blue goo critter and the scientists’ confused reactions.
“Well, I can tell you it’s not a rock,” one scientist jokingly conceded.
“Blue biomat?” chimed in another.
“I’ve been calling it blue goo.”
One of the crew members stated that: “We’re still not sure. And we all really like a good mystery.”
According to scientists, the blue goo blob might be a type of sponge, soft coral, or even tunicate. However, they cannot say anything for sure before collecting a sample and examining it, unless an expert is able to identify the creature from the images.
“I will definitely reach out to one of my sponge colleagues here in the Caribbean,” said one of the scientists in the video.
One crew member notes that it is an enthralling discovery.
“I think that’s actually one of the things that’s most exciting about Okeanos explorer expeditions,” they said. “There’s always at least one thing that stumps you.”
