Ghost sharks. Zombie worms. Twenty species new to science, sitting on a stretch of ocean floor that had never been mapped or seen by anyone until this year. Trinidad and Tobago is 93 percent deep ocean, and for the entire history of the nation, that deep sea sat unexplored. It's expensive to reach, hard to study, and easy to ignore. A team of mostly Trinbagonian scientists, led by Dr. Diva Amon, decided to go look anyway.
Over a month aboard the research vessel Falkor (too), the team mapped 13 percent of Trinidad and Tobago's uncharted seafloor, more than 11,335 square kilometres, using seafloor sonar to spot 219 bubble streams and the ROV SuBastian to confirm 25 of them as active cold seep ecosystems. Cold seeps run on methane bubbling up from the ocean floor. Chemosynthetic bacteria turn that methane into energy, supporting mussels, clams, and tube worms in total darkness, no sunlight required. The expedition collected more than 700 specimens and came back with at least 20 suspected new species, including a rare manta ray fall at 1,025 meters, a black swallower fish caught mid-meal, and a Graneledone octopus that Dr. Amon first spotted in 2014 but couldn't confirm until this expedition, more than a decade later.
The team also found something they weren't hoping for: human-made trash, sitting on a seafloor that had never been touched by a human hand before. Dr. Amon has pointed to it as a reminder that the ocean doesn't have an untouched corner left anymore, however deep or however new to human eyes. This is the first locally led deep-sea expedition in Trinidad and Tobago's history. Outside teams have explored other reefs and passed through Caribbean waters before. This time, it was scientists who call Trinidad and Tobago home, mapping the ocean floor beneath their own two islands for the first time. You can't protect what you don't know is there, and this team just got a very good look.
Chapters:
0:49 – Dr. Diva Amon Leads a Team of Trinbagonian Scientists
3:11 – Same Octopus, Found Again a Decade Later
5:33 – A Rare Manta Ray Fall at 1,025 Meters
9:44 – Ghost Sharks, Zombie Worms, and 20 Species New to Science
10:16 – Dr. Amon: "No Part of the Ocean Is Untouched Anymore"
Takeaways:
A team of mostly Trinbagonian scientists, led by Dr. Diva Amon, ran the first locally led deep-sea expedition in Trinidad and Tobago's history.
Trinidad and Tobago is 93 percent deep ocean; the month-long expedition mapped 13 percent of it, over 11,335 square kilometres of previously uncharted seafloor.
The team used seafloor mapping to spot 219 bubble streams and the ROV SuBastian to confirm 25 of them as active cold seep ecosystems, methane-powered communities of mussels, clams, and tube worms.
The expedition collected over 700 specimens and returned with at least 20 suspected new species, including a Graneledone octopus Dr. Amon first spotted in 2014 but couldn't confirm until this trip.
Other highlights include a rare manta ray fall at 1,025 meters, a black swallower fish, ghost sharks, and zombie worms.
The team also documented human-made trash on the seafloor, evidence that no part of the ocean is untouched anymore, however deep or however new to human eyes.
Ocean Decoded Live streams Monday through Thursday, 4:00–6:00 PM Eastern, hosted by Andrew Lewin. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss it.
#OceanConservation #MarineBiology #SaveOurOceans #ProtectTheOcean #OceanAwareness #BluePlanet #ConservationMatters #ScienceForChange #SustainableOceans
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