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Thereâs some good ocean-related news this week. An expedition led by a team of scientists from Uruguay discovered that the South American nationâs deep-sea coral reefs are thriving and teeming with life. The reefs are primarily home to numerous species that were recently listed as vulnerable to extinction.Â
âWe always expect to find the unexpected, but the diversity and complexity of what we found exceeded all our expectations,â the expeditionâs chief scientist Dr. Alvar Carranza of the Universidad de la RepĂșblica and the Centro Universitario Regional del Este said in a statement.Â
Carranza and other scientists had first detected the coral reefs in 2010 using mapping technology. The team found that they were healthier, larger, and richer with life than they anticipated, and the tallest coral mound was just over 130 feet high. One of the largest reef complexes discovered is 984-feet-deep and covers the length of about 180 soccer fields.Â
The team discovered at least 30 suspected new species, including sponges, snails, and crustaceans, including hundreds of species never before seen in Uruguayan waters. This recent Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition also explored the wreck of the ROU Uruguay, for the first time. Check out some of what they found below. (Click to expand images to full screen.)
A sponge (Haliclona sp) atop a large mound of Desmophyllum pertusum, a slow-growing, cold-water stony coral species recently designated as vulnerable to extinction, documented at 269 meters deep. This dive took place near the head of the Cabo Polonio submarine canyon. The site is influenced by the Brazil Current, which carries Tropical and Central Waters of the South Atlantic. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute. Blackbelly rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus) were documented among soft mushroom corals (Heteropolypus sp) at 246 meters deep off the coast of Uruguay. The ROV dive took place at the head of the Montevideo Canyon, on the upper slope, immersed in Antarctic Intermediate Waters. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.A deep-sea catshark (Scyliorhinus haeckelii) documented at 198 meters (about 649 feet) on the outer edge of the continental shelf, near the head of the La Paloma submarine canyon. The site is influenced by the Brazil Current, which carries Tropical and Central Waters in the South Atlantic. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.A possible new species of Bamboo coral was documented at a depth of 2,415 meters (about 7,923 feet) at the base of the Cabo Polonio submarine canyon off the coast of Uruguay. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.An octopus, deep-sea sponge, and anemones on an outcrop with various corals at 1,619 meters (about 5,311 feet) deep. This dive took place in the middle portion of the Montevideo Canyon, in Upper Circumpolar Deep Water. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.The research team explored the shipwreck of the ROU Uruguay underwater, collecting data on the cannon-class destroyer that now serves as a reef habitat. The ship, initially the USS Baron during World War II, was donated by the U.S. to Uruguay in 1952 and sunk in 1995 as a naval exercise. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.The bright blue-green eye of a monkfish (Lophiidae) documented at 297 meters depth during an ROV dive at the head of the Montevideo Canyon, immersed in Antarctic Intermediate Waters. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteChemosynthetic worms (Lamellibrachia victori) grow adjacent mounds of deep-sea coral at a methane seep. While it is not often seen, previous studies have shown this is a normal part of the communityâs evolution. As the methane seep ages, the worms dig deeper for energy while bacteria transform the surrounding soft sediment into hard rock, which the coral attaches to and grows on. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute. A deep-sea nudibranch (a type of sea slug) in the Bathydoris genus documented on the seafloor at 3,125 meters (about 10,252 feet) depth on an abyssal plain at the foot and east of the RĂo de la Plata Canyon off the coast of Uruguay. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.An ovulid sea snail feeds on gorgonian soft coral, an uncommon sight in these cooler waters. Chief Scientist Dr. Alvar Carranza described the observation, made via ROV SuBastian, as akin to finding a giraffe in Antarctica. This dive took place near the head of the Cabo Polonio submarine canyon, and is known to be under the influence of the Brazil Current, which carries Tropical and Central Waters of the South Atlantic. Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute. Squid in the genus Gonatus at a depth of 1,462 meters (about 4,796 feet). Image: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute. Chief Scientist Alvar Carranza from the Universidad de la RepĂșblica in Uruguay, along with members of the science team, narrates streaming deep-sea footage for audiences watching in Uruguay and around the world. The footage is collected by pilots operating a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV. Image: Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean Institute.
According to Carranza, the data collected from the expedition will guide how Uruguayâs marine resources are managed. Currently, there is only one confirmed vulnerable marine ecosystem in Uruguay, but this 29-day expedition found evidence that more vulnerable areas exist.
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