Secrets of the sea put under the microscope to study climate change impacts

Research treasures from the depths of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (MPA) are now being studied by University of Otago researchers.

 

New Zealand Antarctic Science Platform principal investigator, benthic ecology research team leader and University of Otago marine scientist prof Miles Lamare is aboard Niwa's research vessel RV Tangaroa, making the most of the 24-hour daylight in Antarctica to study the impact of climate change.

 

The team is there for six weeks, conducting environmental impact studies by looking at changes in the sea floor, as well as the organisms, sediments, seagrass communities and rock outcrops in the water, to determine the environmental health of the MPA.

 

The critical and unique seafloor ecosystems in the region are highly responsive to sea ice, temperatures and salinity.

 

Prof Lamare has developed a sequence of measurements from acoustic scanning, through to high-definition camera surveys and samples of the seafloor, sea life and water.

 

Their work incorporates the latest digital high-definition video, fibreoptic cable, environmental DNA and precision satellite positioning, and their surveys and sampling will build on previous RV Tangaroa voyages to the Antarctic.

 

"Over the past two weeks, we've been mapping and resurveying seafloor communities at key locations along the Victoria coastline and the southern Ross Sea, including sites not previously surveyed.

 

"Resurveying locations previously visited, helps us to understand if changes are occurring and how quickly seafloor communities can respond to changes in the environment.

 

"One site, Franklin Is has never been mapped or surveyed in any detail and we were able to spend two days working around the clock, filming and sampling there.

 

"We were astounded at the diversity of marine life, and the information will feed into biodiversity models of the region.''

 

Prof Lamare said the team had also just finished sampling the marine life alongside the Ross Ice Shelf.

 

"We were surprised at the amount of sea life we found at over 700m depth next to the ice shelf.

 

"This included octopus, sponges, soft corals, large numbers of sea stars and sea cucumbers and a range of fish species, just to name a few.

 

"These surveys are important as ice shelves are sensitive to environmental change, and the new biological information we are gathering next to the shelves will help us understand how this unique ecosystem and its species might respond or disappear if the Ross Ice shelf is lost.''

 

He said at each new site they visited, they were able to build a much better picture of the ecology, biodiversity and distributions of marine life in the Ross Sea.