WONDERS OF THE DEEP

Underwater Discovery

Watch an erupting underwater volcano

September 2008

Underwater volcano — William Chadwick Jr. and a team from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration were the fist to video tape an erupting underwater volcano NOAA Photo Library

Legend has it that the Greek mathematician Archimedes ran naked in the streets shouting "Eureka!" when, in his bath, he came up with a way to measure the purity of gold. While most modern scientists keep their clothes on, their enthusiasm for discovery remains unabated. "It's exploding like an egg!" exclaims William Chadwick Jr. of Oregon State University as he watches the first-ever video of an erupting underwater volcano, NW Rota-1. Chadwick, along with a team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (co-sponsors of the new Ocean Hall), used a remote camera to record this 2006 event.

Click the link to the right to hear Chadwick's eureka moment and see the video that inspired it.

Walrus in Cape Lee, Edge Island Ralph Lee Hopkins

Jellyfish in Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia Yeang Ch’ng

Humpback Whale in the Silver Bank Marine Mammal Sanctuary, Dominican Republic Wyland

Moon Jellyfish off Boston Harbor, Boston, Mass. Wayne J. Dudley

Boulders on Beach in Island Hoy, Orkney Islands, Scotland Verena and Georg Popp

Sea Otter in Prince William Sound, Alaska Tom and Pat Leeson

Harbor Seal in LeConte Glacier, Alaska Tom and Pat Leeson

Spine-cheek Anemonefish in Raja Ampat, Indonesia Todd Mintz

Florida Manatees in Three Sisters Spring, Crystal River, Fla. Todd Essick

Wailau Beach rainbow near North Shore Molokai, Hawaii Jon Cornforth

Ocean Views, a photography exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History spotlights the ocean’s vast wildlife and environment. Nature’s Best Photography and the museum invited photographers of all skill levels to submit their photos of the sea. Over 10,000 photos were submitted and Ocean Views showcases the very best. The exhibit complements the museum’s Ocean Hall, opening September 27, 2008... Hawksbill Turtle off the coast of French Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands Christopher Guglielmo

Western Clown Anemonefish in Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Takako Uno

John Hopkins Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska Jon Cornforth

Orca Whales off Vancouver Island, British Columbia Ralph Lee Hopkins

California Sea Lion in Monterey Bay, California Kevin Schafer

Tripletail Wrasse in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia Keri Wilk

Iceberg in fog off Quirpon Island, Newfoundland John Sylvester

Sperm Whale off Pico Island, Azores, Portugal Franco Banfi

Goliath Grouper and Cigar Minnows offshore Jupiter, Fla. Douglas David Seifert

Gentoo Penguins in Neko Harbour, Antarctica Cynthia Walpole

Anika Gupta | | READ MORE

Anika Gupta’s writing has appeared in India and the United States, including in Business Today magazine, where she served as its first digital content editor, the Hindustan Times newspaper and Smithsonian magazine. Currently, she is a Master's student at MIT, where she studies user-generated content and mainstream media culture. She's also a science writer, media blogger, and essayist.