A team of scientists has discovered a rich tapestry of marine life along the remote coastline of Chile during a recent expedition aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel, R/V Falkor (too).
Of the many species recorded during the trip, at least 60 are thought to be new to science. Notable observations included large congregations of Humboldt squid, a sighting of a glowing anglerfish, massive chemosynthetic clam beds and a shimmering polychaete worm.
The 55-day voyage charted a course from the city of Valparaíso in central Chile to Punta Arenas in the south of the country, and included the surveying of nearly 20 methane seeps (cracks in the ocean floor that release methane gas into the ocean) and four previously unexplored submarine canyon systems.
This ambitious undertaking marked the first time a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used in the region to livestream underwater imagery, providing real-time insights into one of the world’s least understood marine environments.
The team – co-led by Dr Jeffrey Marlow, Dr Patricia Esquete and Dr Eulogio Soto – also used advanced sonar mapping, bathymetric surveys and methane concentration measurements to identify and map the canyons and seep sites.
Methane seeps support microbial communities that form the basis of diverse food webs. While previous expeditions had hinted at the presence of seeps along the Chilean coast, this mission provided the first comprehensive exploration and sampling of many of these sites.
The researchers discovered seep environments across a range of depths and terrains — from shallow, rocky outcrops to deep, sediment-laden waters.
“I was most impressed by how different the methane seeps in this area are from those we’ve studied in North America – and how distinct the sites we visited were from one day to the next,” says Marlow, a microbial ecologist who served as the expedition’s chief scientist.
“The fact that we came across so many seeps in such a relatively small area suggests that they’re pervasive along the Chilean coast, serving as hubs for biodiversity and elemental cycling on a vast scale.”
Dr Esquete, assistant Researcher at the Biology Department and Centre of Marine and Environmental Studies of the University of Aveiro, says that “these exploratory expeditions are invaluable for deepening our understanding of Earth’s hidden ecosystems. We believe we have discovered at least 60 new species, and we’re excited to begin the detailed work required to formally describe them.”
During their journey, the team mapped four unnamed submarine canyons. The largest of these canyons covers around 2,000 square kilometres and plunges to depths of over 3,000 metres. These deep-sea chasms are crucial habitats, providing refuge for glass sponges, deep-sea corals and other creatures that build complex ecosystems on the canyon walls.
The researchers also uncovered a new methane seep near Chile’s triple junction, where three tectonic plates converge. This geologically active zone is of particular interest for understanding the relationship between plate tectonics and methane seep formation.
The discoveries off the Chilean coast highlight the richness and importance of these little-known deep-sea ecosystems, say the scientists, whose next step is to analyse their findings in more detail.
Main image: one of many species observed during the expedition that's yet to be described. All Images and videos credited to Schmidt Ocean Institute https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Find out more about the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
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