NOAA has signed an agreement with ocean advocate Fabien Cousteau’s Proteus underwater lab to advance marine science, research and education.
The Proteus station will be located off Curacao’s coast and serve as an underwater habitat where scientists, innovators, private citizens, the public sector and global customers can live underwater to study the ocean environment for extended periods of time.
According to Jeremy Weirich, the director of NOAA Ocean Exploration:
“This partnership has the potential to greatly expand our capabilities in studying the ocean. By living underwater for extended periods in this new ocean laboratory, we’ll be able to unlock the ocean’s mysteries so that we can better manage, sustainably use, protect and appreciate its resources.”
Under the new cooperative research and development agreement, NOAA will provide access to scientific experts, vessels and other technology, expedition plans and mission results relevant to Proteus activities, as well as access to shoreside facilities and programs throughout the agency’s mission portfolios of the ocean, weather, climate and coastal science. Proteus Ocean Group will share data and insights related to the development phase of the underwater habitat.
Fabien Cousteau, founder and Chief Oceanic Explorer of Proteus Ocean Group, said:
“On Poteus, we will have unbridled access to the ocean 24/7, making possible long-term studies with continuous human observation and experimentation. With NOAA’s collaboration, the discoveries we can make — in relation to climate refugia, super corals, life-saving drugs, micro environmental data tied to climate events and many others — will be truly groundbreaking. We look forward to sharing those stories with the world.”
