Aquanauts study Keys reefs; watch live feeds

From an Associated Press story by Adrian Sainz:

KEY LARGO, Fla. — Marine scientists began a nine-day mission in the world's only permanent working undersea laboratory Monday to study changes along a coral reef off the Florida Keys, with plans to broadcast their dives and research activities over the Internet.

Six "aquanauts" will work, sleep and eat at Aquarius Reef Base, located on the ocean floor about nine miles southeast of Key Largo in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The base lets researchers dive for nine hours a day and return to the habitat without standard scuba diving requirements of surfacing and decompressing.

Researchers will study sponge biology and the area's coral reefs, which are fertile marine habitats but face threats that the rest of the world's reefs also encounter — disease, rising ocean temperatures and human factors such as pollution and overfishing.

The team will bring its research to students with undersea classroom sessions and to the public through Internet video. Feeds will come from both inside Aquarius and from divers wearing helmets mounted with cameras and audio equipment. The goal is to generate interest in science and the oceans among young people.