MARE researchers in pioneering deep sea study

A team of researchers, including several members of MARE, has just published a new article in the scientific journal Communications Biology from the Nature group. The article describes a 24-month experiment in which they studied how the depth, orientation of the substrate and its constitution influence the benthic communities in the transition zone between light and dark (mesophotic and lower limit of euphotic) in the ocean. ​

The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth's surface, with most of this area covering depths of more than 100 metres, constituting the Mesophotic zone, the place of transition between light and total darkness. Despite this enormous size, the ecosystems of this transition zone are very little explored. The archipelagos in Macaronesia are no exception, and most of the current knowledge about mesophotic habitats is quite limited, and comes from a limited number of videographic contents.

At a time when anthropogenic impacts continue to increase, jeopardising the health of marine ecosystems, and interest in deep-sea mining is growing alongside the demand for minerals to support ecological transition, it is of the utmost importance to learn more about these deep-sea habitats in order to better understand the impacts they are subjected to and how best to mitigate them. To this end, a team of researchers led by MARE-Madeira director João Canning-Clode and his team conducted a 24-month experiment in which they studied how the depth, orientation of the substrate and its constitution influence the benthic communities of the mesophotic zone and the lower limit of the euphotic zone.

To make this possible, a manned submersible and several recruitment panels were used, which were placed at 100, 200 and 400 metres in various positions. 
From the data collected, it was possible to conclude that both the depth and the orientation of the substrate and its constitution contribute to the structuring of macrofouling communities - living beings that accumulate on solid surfaces, such as oysters or mussels.

This study is not only essential for understanding these communities, but also establishes a basis for future research and efforts to recover mesophotic environments in the Madeira archipelago, making it a pioneer in the area.

To access the article click HERE