Deep sea corals: The movie

For several years, Temple University marine biologist Erik Cordes has been traveling to the Gulf of Mexico to research deep sea corals.  Some of his work has delved into whether the Deepwater Horizon oil spill harmed these strange and vital communities of corals thousands of feet below the ocean's surface.

Now, Cordes is returning. But this time, he'll be investigating the effects of ocean acidification on the corals. And he's bringing along a film crew. Their working title for the subsequent documentary is "Acid Horizon."

"The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is working its way into the ocean," Cordes told a Temple science writer. "There has been a lot of attention focused on acidification in shallow waters, but the fact is, the first effects of acidification are being felt in the deep sea."

The three-week research trip, funded by the National Science Foundation, will be aboard the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute's vessel, Atlantis. Cordes and his colleagues will be heading to the ocean floor in the refurbished submersible, Alvin.

You can read all about on the Temple news site.