Soft Coral Garden, a First Habitat of Its Kind, Discovered in the Depths of Greenland’s Waters

Scientists from University College London, Zoological Society of London, and Greenland Institute of Natural Resources have discovered a deep-sea soft coral garden habitat in Greenlandic waters. The team of researchers built and utilized an innovative and low-cost underwater camera to facilitate the discovery.

The uncovered soft coral garden is the first-ever habitat of its kind to be identified and determined in West Greenland waters. The authors of the study say their findings have direct implications for the governance of economically significant deep-sea trawl fisheries, which were found alongside the habitat.

Furthermore, the researchers hope that the newly discovered 486 km2 area will be identified as a "Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem" by the UN to make sure that it stays protected.

According to Stephen Long, the first author of the study from UCL Geography and ZSL, the deep sea is often forgotten in terms of exploration. He explains how there are more maps of the planet Mars than there are of the deep sea.

He adds that the development of a low-cost apparatus that can endure deep-sea environments allows new possibilities for deeper understanding and management of marine ecological communities. The team will then be collaborating with the Greenland government and fishing industry to ensure that the habitat is well taken care of.

The full findings of the paper were published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science on June 29, 2020.

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Soft Corals: Wonders of the Deep

Five hundred meters below the surface of Greenland waters, lies the soft coral garden discovered by the researchers. It lies in total darkness and has pressure 50 times greater than at sea-level. The exquisite and diversified habitat features ample cauliflower corals, feather stars, brittle stars, sponges, anemones, hydrozoans, and other underwater organisms.

According to Chris Yesson, a co-author from ZSL, coral gardens are characterized by compilations of one or more species that sit on a broad range of soft and hard habitats. He adds how an appreciable medley among coral garden communities have been previously seen in areas such as northwest and southeast Iceland.

Despite being the largest habitat covering approximately 65 percent of the planet, the deep sea is the most poorly explored habitat on Earth. Until recently, very little was known about Greenland's deep-sea territory, its distribution, nature, and how human activities impact them.

Low-cost Deep Sea Exploration Method

Conventional approaches to surveying the deep sea have customarily been proven to be expensive and rather difficult. Deep-sea surveys are usually done using expensive remote-operates machines and manned submersibles, which are engineered to withstand deep-sea pressure.

The authors of the study overcame this problem by developing a low-cost towed video sled. The team made use of a GoPro video camera, lasers, and lights in special pressure housings, fixed on a steel frame.

So far, the team has made it to an impressive depth of 1,500 meters underwater. Long said their machine has worked remarkably well and has led to interest from scientists from other parts of the world.

Martin Blicher from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources is hopeful that similar studies will increase the understanding of ecological relationships, and will lead to contributions and sustenance efforts for fisheries management.