First Observations of Seeps, Shipwrecks, Species Recorded in Gulf of Mexico Deep Waters

In the spring of 2018, scientists completed a 23-day expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, collecting data on poorly understood deep-sea habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. The researchers used remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to survey areas, both never explored and previously investigated, identified as priorities by ocean management and scientific communities.

Sending ROVs equipped with state-of-the art cameras and lighting down to depths approaching 2.5 miles, the team encountered a diverse seafloor of deep coral and sponge communities, bottom fish habitats, seamounts, undersea canyons, shipwrecks, and a variety of chemosynthetic habitats, including cold seeps, mud volcanoes, and brine pools.

The researchers documented the first known observations of several marine species in the gulf (e.g., Remaster palmatus sea star, Metalogorgia melanotrichos coral, and Myxasteridae sea star), including some which further analysis may reveal to be new species. The team also witnessed never before seen behaviors in animals, such as the burrowing of a deep-sea octopus (Muusoctopus johnsonianus), and a Pythonaster sea star feeding on a glass sponge.

The gulf has an estimated 4,000 shipwrecks on its seafloor. Previous discoveries include several late 19th- to early 20th-century wooden sailing vessels, as well as the only World War II German U-boat sunk in the northern gulf by Allied forces. On this mission, the researchers explored a handful of shipwrecks for the first time, including one thought to be the New Hope, a tug lost off the Louisiana coast in 1965 during Tropical Storm Debbie.

For more information and the original video source, visit https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/...