Coral Conservation

Explorers

Feather pen-like coral (unidentified black coral) on the Davidson Seamount at 2467 meters depth.

View a slide show illustrating some of the science activities that took place off the central California coastline during an earlier expedition to Davidson Seamount, back in 2002.

Click image to view a slide show.

Researchers discovered this big white coral (an unidentified primnoid) on the Davidson Seamount at 1,570 m depth. Click image for larger view and image credit.

Davidson Seamount: Exploring Ancient Coral Gardens

January 26 - February 4, 2006

Most people think that corals are found in warm water and that mountains exist only on land. But this is not the case! In 2002, deep-sea researchers used new technologies to explore Davidson Seamount, located in the cold waters from 1,250 to 3,660 m depth (or 4,100 to 12,000 ft) off the central California coastline. What did we discover in this deep, cold, underwater environment? The seamount was covered with spectacular organisms, including large and ancient coral gardens. We also determined that the corals are located primarily on seamount ridges, and that we still have much to learn about the taxonomy (scientific names) of these species.

Now, in 2006, we are returning to Davidson Seamount — which remains 99.98% unexplored — to test a model we have developed that predicts where corals will be found. At the seamount, we will take measurements of water currents and food availability to understand what causes corals to thrive in some areas, but not others. Along the way, we will photograph and collect corals to determine if they are new species as well as their ages and growth patterns.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will be filming during the cruise. Join in on the fascination of deep-sea life on an upcoming broadcast of their series, Planet Earth. Be sure to watch!

The collaborating institutions on this project are the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the BBC, and NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration.

Related Links:

Learn more about the background of this mission at the MBARI Davidson Seamount Web site .

See art from local students illustrating interesting facts about the mission.

Davidson Seamount: Exploring Ancient Coral Gardens
Mission Facts

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1. Davidson Seamount is an inactive ocean-floor volcano that last erupted about 9.8 million years ago.

2. Davidson Seamount, one of the largest seamounts along the western United States, is 42 km (26 mi) long and 13 km (8 mi) wide.

3. Davidson Seamount rises 2,400 m (7,874 ft) from the sea floor, and its peak is over 1,250 m (4,000 ft ) below the ocean surface.

4. Twenty deep-sea coral taxa were observed on the Davidson Seamount in 2002, and they were almost exclusively located in high-relief ridge areas.

5. Age estimates for bamboo coral (Keratoisis sp.) exceed 200 years; and estimates for precious coral (Corallium sp.) exceed 115 years.

6. The physical structure of high relief ridges may accelerate currents that bring nutrients to deep-sea corals and affect their growth.

7. Partly because of the high diversity of its deep-sea corals, Davidson Seamount is under consideration for inclusion in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

8. Deep-sea corals have been severely impacted by humans throughout the world's oceans, mostly from collection and breakage caused by bottom-fishing nets.

9. The remotely operated vehicle Tiburon is one of the few vehicles in the world that can work at the depths of Davidson Seamount.

10. Many deep-sea corals have yet to be named, and fewer than a dozen people in the world are experts in doing this kind of work.

11. Many corals live in the aphotic zone (an ocean depth where sunlight cannot reach), yet they can be vibrant colors of pink, orange, and yellow.

12. The water temperature in the deep sea is close to freezing, ranging from 0 to 5º C (32 to 41º F)

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13. Unlike shallow-water coral communities, which are the subject of many nature films, deep-sea corals are unfamiliar to the public and even to many marine scientists.

14. It has been estimated that two-thirds of all identified coral species live in waters that are deep, cold, and dark.

15. Deep-sea corals are fragile and long-lived, so they are easy to break and take many years to recover.

16. Deep-sea corals are threatened by bottom fishing, collecting, global warming, pipelines, and ocean dumping.

Updates & Logs
Click images or links below for detailed mission logs and updates.

Mission Summary The Davidson Seamount team made 70 hours of observations and collected 102 deep-sea animal and rock specimens — including some species likely new to science! Now the real work begins . . .

February 4 Explorers share their favorite moments and discoveries from the Davidson Seamount expedition.

February 3 Expeditions are expensive and resource intensive, but sharing data and images with others spreads the wealth and adds value to the work.

February 2 While the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Tiburon "flies" with its instruments through the deep sea, many skilled individuals back on the research vessel Western Flyer are overseeing its operation.

February 1 Scientists gather data to determine how water flowing around the Davidson Seamount may affect the distribution and abundance of corals on its surface.

January 31 Enormous amounts of information are collected during ocean expeditions. Find out how scientists keep track of it all.

January 30 The Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) catalogues hundreds of photos from previous Davidson expeditions. The explorers can't wait to add the 2006 crop.

January 29 Scientists use the ROV Tiburon to photograph and collect two coral species of particular interest — bamboo coral and a pink coral.

January 28 The BBC begins filming! Capturing the underwater environment in high definition video is both exciting and challenging to the crew.

January 27 Managing the video data on expeditions can be a daunting task. Some computer tools and the personal knowledge of explorers make the job easier.

January 26 Join scientists on Day 1 of the cruise as they are welcomed aboard with an orientation to the ship and safety protocols — and a practice session putting on survival suits.