A Pacific expedition has discovered over 30 “potentially new” marine species ranging from sea cucumbers to starfish.
The new species were collected by a team from Britain’s Natural History Museum, using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in the abyssal plans of the Clarion-Clipperton zone of the central Pacific – an area rich in minerals and the focus of deep sea mining.
Lead author of the study, Dr Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras, said the megafauna specimens had previously only been studied from seabed images.
Peniagone vitrea is one of the oldest deep sea species known, being discovered by the Challenger expedition in the 1870s. Image © DeepCCZ expedition, Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation & NOAA.
“Without the specimens and the DNA data they hold, we cannot properly identify the animals and understand how many different species there are,” he said.
Of some 55 specimens recovered, 48 were different species. Dr Adrian Glover of the Natural History Museum’s Deep Sea Research Group said that it was known that “small millimetre-sized animals called macrofauna are extremely biodiverse in the abyss”.
“However, we have never really had much information on the larger animals we call megafauna, as so few samples have been collected,” Dr Glover said.
“ This study is the first to suggest that diversity may be very high in these groups as well,” he said.
The researchers say the findings add further evidence that the majority of deep sea life is yet to be discovered.
This unidentified Zoroaster starfish is one of the species that may be new to science. Image © DeepCCZ expedition, Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation & NOAA.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone covers over five million square kilometres in the Pacific Ocean, lying between Hawaii and Mexico, and is around 5,500 metres at its deepest – nearly as deep as Mount Kilimanjaro is high.
Large portions of its flat abyssal plans are covered in polymetallic nodules – mineral lumps the size of potatoes which are rich in key metals such as cobalt, nickel, manganese and copper. It has been estimated that there is more cobalt and nickel in polymetallic nodules than can be found on land.
Four specimens of Psychronaetes sea cucumber were collected, and are thought to represent a new species. Image © DeepCCZ expedition, Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation & NOAA.
These minerals are required for wind turbines, electric cars and other net-zero energy technologies, so there is a push for seabed mining to pave the way for a green revolution.
However, opponents worry that seabed mining could cause irreparable damage to seafloor ecosystems.
The CCZ is a focus of scientific research to evaluate the impacts of seabed mining on this environment, and the study examined three of the protected Areas of Particular Environmental Interest.
The study was funded with grants from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the leadership of Prof Emeritus Craig Smith of the University of Hawaii.'
The paper in Zookeys is available here
