Underwater expedition aims to unravel mysteries of the Maldives

(CNN) — Think “Maldives” and the first images that come to mind for many are rows of overwater luxury villas jutting out from long wooden docks, or gorgeous beaches edged by stunningly white sands.

But in spite of the Maldives being one of the world’s most coveted places for a vacation, not to mention a dream destination for scuba divers, scientists say there’s a lot they’ve yet to learn about its underwater ecosystems.

Now, the Maldivian government and UK marine research institute Nekton have teamed up to unravel some of those mysteries by launching an ambitious expedition into the country’s unexplored waters.

The Nekton Maldives Mission, which launches on September 4 and includes teams of scientists from the Maldives and abroad, plans to carry out extensive research below 30 meters using two high-tech submersibles — one of which can go as deep as 1,000 meters.

The aim is to help the Maldives manage the impact of the global climate crisis.

“The Maldives is 99% ocean and just 1% land, sitting on average 1.5 meters above the sea. As a result, the nation faces a growing threat from the rising seas,” says a statement from Nekton.

“But, armed with more knowledge of what their waters contain, work can begin to protect what lives there and safeguard the environment those species inhabit, which in turn makes the country better able to withstand climate change.”

The institute says 10 Maldivian marine scientists have been selected as the first “Maldivian Aquanauts” to lead over 30 first descents in submersibles to explore the country’s deeps. The very first descent will be led by an all-women team of aquanauts.

“We are determining the location, health and resilience of our coral reefs, especially the deeper ecosystems which we know very little about, so that key habitats may be identified for protection and management,” said Maldivian team leader Shafiya Naeem, director general of the Maldives Marine Research Institute, in a statement.

“The reefs that surround our atolls help reduce the impacts from sea level rise and the increasing frequency and intensity of storms, and forms the basis of our economies,…