Date

0001 - 0001

Role

PARTICIPANT

N/A

Description

Rising water temperatures and increasing carbon dioxide concentrations remain among the greatest threats to ocean ecosystems globally. This warming trend and associated ocean acidification poses a unique threat to species that use calcium carbonate to build their shells or skeletons, such as corals. While significant research has been dedicated to examining the effects of changing ocean dynamics on coastal reefs – the University of Western Australia, and her team icluding PhD candidate Paula Cartwright, joined RV Falkor to look deeper. This expedition was of great significance, as Schmidt Oceanodraphic Institute and the science team undertook the first ROV-based deep sea exploration of submarine canyons that have formed offshore southwestern Australia. For the first time, these unique deep-sea canyons were documented, imaged, and strategically sampled by ROV SuBastian. Sampling identified previously undiscovered species, and undertook comprehensive, high-resolution geochemical analyses of, for example, coral skeletons post-cruise. Deep-sea ROV technology is unavailable to Australian researchers, making this expedition a true voyage of discovery. https://schmidtocean.org/person/paula-cartwright/