Have you already seen “Fatass Patricio”? If you have no idea what we are talking about, you clearly need to join this underwater craze that is taking over the networks. For a few days now, never-before-seen sea creatures have been the protagonists of an Argentinean scientific expedition broadcast live from the depths of the ocean, off the coast of Mar del Plata. Patricio estrella, SpongeBob’s friend, has already appeared and he is clearly Argentinean. Who else will appear at the bottom of the ocean?
Patricio Estrella, SpongeBob’s friend, is Argentinean and lives in Mar del Plata: this is the marine expedition that you can follow live.
Yes, you read that right: you can spy on the bottom of the Argentinean sea in real time, while a robot explores areas never recorded before off the coast of Mar del Plata.
The expedition is called Underwater Oases of Mar del Plata Canyon: Continental Slope IV and is a collaboration between researchers from CONICET, the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, universities of Córdoba, Mar del Plata and Puerto Madryn, and scientists from the United States.
During the next two weeks, this team of scientists will travel with an underwater robot through the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon, at a depth of between 1,000 and 3,900 meters.
The mission is internationally funded and supported by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which not only provides the cutting-edge technology, but also broadcasts everything live on its YouTube channel.
What are they looking for in the expedition where the starfish identical to Patricio Estrella appeared?
The live broadcast of this expedition off the coast of Mar del Plata surprised everyone by showing us incredible creatures that inhabit the seabed in this part of the Atlantic Coast. The great protagonist was undoubtedly the starfish that, even from the back, is identical to Patricio, SpongeBob’s inseparable friend, and made this expedition famous.
However, this expedition is looking for much more than that: fish and invertebrates never documented before, species that could be new to science, and also signs of our human impact: plastics, garbage and micro-pollutants that reach corners where no one lives.
All this they are recording with the ROV Subastian, a remotely operated vehicle that moves along the seafloor while sending HD images.
Where to watch the live broadcast of the Conicet’s expedition in Mar del Plata
If you want to follow closely everything the Conicet expedition discovers on the seabed off the coast of Mar del Plata and see if maybe another SpongeBob character appears or, why not, even Nemo, you can watch everything in real time on the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s YouTube channel, or follow the contents and summaries on accounts such as @schmidtocean, @ibiomar.conicet and @gempa.ar on Instagram. The campaign ends in a few days.