deepseasgroup - research themes
The deepseas group has interest in most branches of deep-sea biology and indeed in many aspects of related oceanography, marine geology and technology development. Use the links in the items below to find out more:
High-pressure ecologyOur new Pressure Lab provides a unique asset for the study of deep-sea organisms under pressurized conditions. The heart of the lab is the IPOCAMP (Incubateur Pressurisé pour l’Observation et la Culture d’Animeux Marins Profonds), enabling us to study the effects of pressure on the ecology and physiology of marine organisms. See also the ABYSS2100 project supported by the Total Foundation.
Oceans 2025NERC, and its reviewers, have assessed our new proposed core science programme (2007-2012) "Theme 5, Continental Margins and the Deep Ocean" and found it to be of a high scientific standard, consequently this programme will now be funded. Follow the link here to find out more about the DEEPSEAS Group's involvement in Oceans 2025 ... [more]
The Porcupine areaThe Porcupine Seabight and Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) have been a mainstay of the DEEPSEAS Group's research for some decades now. Of particular note are the large-scale spatial survey of the Seabight and the long-term time-series study of the Abyssal Plain. The PAP site is a major focus of our current core science programme "Oceans 2025". See also PAP Observatory website.
The UK deep seasThe deep-sea areas around the UK (largely to the north and west of Scotland) are a key area of recent research for the group (see AMES project). These areas are particularly rich in deep-water habitats, in the north they have a unique thermal regime, visit the DC-UK page for more information - deepseascape.
ROV-based scienceDeep-diving remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are opening up new areas of deep-sea science, the DEEPSEAS Group is actively engaged in developing this science. For the first time the UK science community now has a deep-sea science vehicle: ISIS. Our SERPENT and DIEPS programmes access other ROVs through a novel partnership with the offshore industries.
The Crozet IlesLes Îles Crozet, part of the Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), are a remote spot located in the far south of the Indian Ocean. They are an ideal location to study how changes in the quantity and quality of incoming flux influence deep-sea benthic communities. Two projects (CROZEX & Benthic Crozet) address this issue. A special issue of Deep-Sea Research II based on CROZEX has now been published.
Deep-water coralsAlthough know from the outset of the science of deep-sea biology in the 1800s, deep-water corals have excited considerable interest in recent years. Working with our colleagues in the Challenger Division we discovered the "Darwin Mounds" in 1998 - in March 2004 the Darwin Mounds area was subject to a permanent ban on deep-water trawling making them the UK's first deep-sea protected site: deepseacape.org.
The European deep seasThe deepseas group is an active participant in European deep-sea research. We are currently studying canyons and other "hot spot" environments in the HERMIONE programme. We are members of the MarBEF (Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning) and ESONET / emso (ocean observatories) projects - our Deep-Ocean Observatories website for more details on the latter.
The Arabian SeaThe Indian Ocean is the least know of the ice-free oceans, among many intuiging features it has the world's most extensive and intense oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). The Group has been involved in major surveys of the Oman and Pakistan continental margins, researching the impact of the OMZ on benthic biodiversity and biogeochemistry.
The polar oceansThe deepseas group ventures towards both poles - during the Autosub Under Ice missions and the ANDEEP programme for example. Most recently the group has been heavily involved in the ChEsSo (ChEss in the Southern Ocean) project - watch for news of the forthcoming ROV Isis missions.
Mid-ocean ridgesHydrothermal vents and their faunas are probably the best publicised deep-sea habitats. But do remember that chemosynthetic life occurs elsewhere in the deep sea. The ChEss (Biogeography of Chemosynthetic Ecosytems) project, hosted at NOCS, will keep you informed. Mid-ocean ridges also provide physical barriers to the distribution of the deep-sea fauna, the ECOMAR project tackles that issue at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Taxonomic researchTaxonomy is the key science underpinning all of biology and particularly biodiversity. The deepseas group has particular expertise in the taxonomy of Foraminifera, Amphipoda and Echinodermata. (See also The Discovery Collections).
The Census of Marine LifeThe Census of Marine Life (CoML) is a global network of researchers engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans. There are a number of deep-sea CoML projects to which we contributes (CAML, CeDAMar, CenSeam, ChEss, CoMargE, MAR-ECO).
