To the Deep End and Beyond: Deep-Pelagic Research in the NSU Oceanic Ecology Lab
Location
HCAS Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University
Start
2-14-2025 11:15 AM
End
2-14-2025 11:30 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral Presentation
Abstract
The need for pelagic ecosystem data after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster precipitated a research program (DEEPEND; www.deependconsortium.org) spanning 15+ years (2010-present). The first iteration (2010-2015) focused on Census of Marine Life-like objectives (quantitative pelagic faunal inventories from 0-1500 m depth), the second (2015-2020) on population trajectories and ecological processes, and the third (ongoing) on continued time-series analyses and resource management utilization. We have learned much over this time. The deep-pelagic Gulf is exceptionally speciose, likely due to the combination of natural drivers and high sampling/analysis intensity. For example, more fish species occur in the deep-pelagic domain than in coastal waters, including coral reefs, a startling finding. We find that high vertical connectivity, from epi- to bathypelagic depths, is the Golden Rule, not the exception. The classical three-layer system concept becomes nonrepresentational once organisms cross the zooplankton-micronekton mobility threshold. This interconnectivity, coupled with extensive, multi-generational pollutant contamination, may be the reason that deep-pelagic populations have yet to recover from precipitous declines shortly after DWH. A sister project of DEEPEND, entitled Deep-Sea Benefits, has recently been funded to run in parallel. Initial surveys have detected areas of enhanced mesopelagic abundance in several Gulf continental slope locations. These “triple junctions,” namely mesopelagic aggregations over deep coral communities coincident with habitats of critically endangered cetaceans (e.g., Rice’s whale) that feed on the mesopelagic fauna, are the first of their kind for the Atlantic Ocean. Last, recent and future pelagic research projects in the Gulf of Alaska, eastern South America, and western Africa, will be briefly highlighted.
To the Deep End and Beyond: Deep-Pelagic Research in the NSU Oceanic Ecology Lab
HCAS Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University
The need for pelagic ecosystem data after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster precipitated a research program (DEEPEND; www.deependconsortium.org) spanning 15+ years (2010-present). The first iteration (2010-2015) focused on Census of Marine Life-like objectives (quantitative pelagic faunal inventories from 0-1500 m depth), the second (2015-2020) on population trajectories and ecological processes, and the third (ongoing) on continued time-series analyses and resource management utilization. We have learned much over this time. The deep-pelagic Gulf is exceptionally speciose, likely due to the combination of natural drivers and high sampling/analysis intensity. For example, more fish species occur in the deep-pelagic domain than in coastal waters, including coral reefs, a startling finding. We find that high vertical connectivity, from epi- to bathypelagic depths, is the Golden Rule, not the exception. The classical three-layer system concept becomes nonrepresentational once organisms cross the zooplankton-micronekton mobility threshold. This interconnectivity, coupled with extensive, multi-generational pollutant contamination, may be the reason that deep-pelagic populations have yet to recover from precipitous declines shortly after DWH. A sister project of DEEPEND, entitled Deep-Sea Benefits, has recently been funded to run in parallel. Initial surveys have detected areas of enhanced mesopelagic abundance in several Gulf continental slope locations. These “triple junctions,” namely mesopelagic aggregations over deep coral communities coincident with habitats of critically endangered cetaceans (e.g., Rice’s whale) that feed on the mesopelagic fauna, are the first of their kind for the Atlantic Ocean. Last, recent and future pelagic research projects in the Gulf of Alaska, eastern South America, and western Africa, will be briefly highlighted.