You Don't Need to Dive to Discover | Samantha Schwann | TEDxABQ

Underwater visual artist and explorer Samantha Schwann discusses how advancing remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology is expanding what can be learned from the ocean. Her talk draws on seven ROV expeditions into a submarine canyon, a protected environment, where she documents biodiversity in the low-light twilight zone. She argues that the ocean's least-observed places are only beginning to be understood.

• Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) used to observe the ocean's twilight zone
• Seven progressively challenging expeditions into a submarine canyon
• Hidden biodiversity and marine events in a well-documented protected area
• Role of exploration technology in conservation

Samantha Schwann reframes exploration itself, showing how advancing ROV tech is expanding what the ocean can teach us. Samantha Schwann is an underwater visual artist and explorer working at the intersection of exploration, technology, and conservation. A member of The Explorer's Club, she pilots a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to document biodiversity in the ocean's low-light “twilight zone,” where only a fraction of sunlight reaches. In her talk, Samantha shares findings from seven progressively challenging ROV expeditions into a submarine canyon, revealing hidden biodiversity and surprising marine events in an otherwise well-documented protected environment. As ROV technology advances, she shows how our understanding of the ocean's least-observed places is only beginning to unfold. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx