deepseasgroup - pressure lab
Description of facility
The pressure lab gives us the ability to study deep-sea organisms under pressurised conditions. The labs is based around two IPOCAMPs (Incubateur Pressurisé pour l’Observation et la Culture d’Animaux Marins Profonds). The lab is also equiped with a number of smaller pressure vessels also used to study the effects of pressure on the ecology and physiology of marine invertebrates.
IPOCAMP allows the study of organisms under deep-sea conditions in the laboratory, using a closed seawater circulation system. An endoscope system allows the behaviour of organisms to be video-recorded during experiments. The lab is connected to the NOCS aquarium and temperature controlled facilities. It has two seagoing, temperature controlled lab containers that allow use of the system at sea. Combined with the ROV technology at NOCS, this facility provides us with a unique capability.
Current work
We work on the ecological and physiological links between shallow- and deep-water faunas by comparing extreme environments, particularly polar and deep-sea environments. We focus on seafloor communities from the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic, including hydrothermal vent faunas. Current lab standards include biochemical analyses (CHN), temperature physiology including gene expression (heat-shock) and respiration measurements. Physiological work on the early ontogeny of invertebrates (embryos, larvae, juveniles) is supported by phylogenetic studies of the targeted taxa.
Current Staff & Students
| Dr Sven Thatje (Scientist-in-charge) (contact) | Ms Sally Hall (PhD student) |
| Prof. Paul Tyler (Chair) | Mr Adam Reed (PhD student) |
| Dr Chris Hauton (Lecturer) | Ms Katie Smith (PhD student) |
| Dr Nélia Mestre (Postdoctoral researcher) | Mr Alastair Brown (PhD student) |
| Ms Rumyana Voutchkova (PA, research assistant) | Mr Andrew Oliphant (PhD student) |
| Ms Stephanie Price | |
| Mr Felix Smith (Masters candidate) | |
| Mr James Morris (Masters candidate) |
Projects & Collaborations
| ABYSS2100 project |  |
| SERPENT Project |  |
| Autoclave France |  |
| Université Pierre & Marie Curie |  |
