2019 Costa Rica Margin
January 2019
R/V Falkor, ROV SuBastian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBybtuB9jXQ
A team led by Dr. Cordes continued study at the continental margin west of Costa Rica where natural gas seeps stud the seafloor. However, this research cruise also explored the seamounts along the margin that support deep sea corals and their diverse associated communities. The team studied relationships between species at all biological scales from microorganisms to pelagic fish and also identified at least four novel species of coral and six associated organisms. Additionally, the team identified consistent zonation of the seamounts correlated to the amount of oxygen present, which is an increasingly pervasive phenomenon as the warming planet contributes to the the decrease of oxygen in the ocean. Many of the seamounts studied in this cruise were previously unexplored, and this research will provide a baseline for these ecosystems that will support marine conservation efforts in Costa Rica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X4AZeMYYE0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFAjBtOIn-s
https://schmidtocean.org/new-deep-sea-animal-discoveries-protections-costa-rica/