Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon and Cold seep Habitats
About DEEP SEARCH
DEEP SEARCH was launched in September 2017 as a multi-agency 5-year study of deep-sea coral, canyon, and gas seep ecosystems in U.S. federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including offshore Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The goal of the study is to augment the ability to predict the location of seafloor communities off the Atlantic coast of the Southeast US that are potentially sensitive to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. This area encompasses a variety of different habitat types, including submarine canyons, cold-water coral mounds and gardens, methane seeps, and soft sediments. Specifically, this project will explore and characterize the biological communities of the study area, examine the sensitivity of habitat-structuring fauna and associated communities to natural and anthropogenic disturbance, and describe the oceanographic, geological, geochemical, and acoustic conditions associated with each habitat type.
This study will improve our understanding of the habitats and communities in offshore areas of the Atlantic Large Marine Ecosystem and will contribute to the environmental information needed to address current and emerging science and management issues, in particular with respect to the potential development of energy and marine mineral resources in the area.
DEEP SEARCH is an initiative of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP). Three federal agencies (BOEM, USGS, and NOAA), along with TDI-Brooks international, Inc. as the prime contractor and seven academic institutions, serve as partners in the project. NOPP is a federally mandated initiative that coordinates and develops collaborative ocean research efforts among Federal, state and tribal governments, academia, private industry, and non-governmental organizations.
Expeditions
September 11 - 28, 2017 aboard the Pisces: On this first cruise of the DEEP SEARCH program, scientists used a combination of mapping with water column profiling and sampling to improve knowledge of the geology along the U.S. continental margin, the types of communities found on the seafloor, and the mid-water communities that interact with them. See more about the mission of this expedition here & Mission logs
August 19 - September 2018 aboard the Atlantis: See more about the mission of this expedition here and follow #DeepSearch on Twitter
April 9 - 30, 2019 aboard NOAA's ship the Ronald H. Brown: From April 9 to 30, 2019, NOAA and partners at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the U.S. Geological Survey will conduct a research expedition on NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown to collect critical baseline information about deepwater habitats offshore the U.S. Mid- and South Atlantic coasts. Learn more here. Read the expedition summary here.
More Information
NOAA Ocean Explorer DEEP SEARCH
Also see our partners' pages:
NOPP DEEP SEARCH Project
BOEM Environmental Studies Program
USGS DISCOVRE Project
#DeepSearch Social Media
The best way to keep track of DEEP SEARCH activities is by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We will be primarily using the ECOGIG social media channels and the #DeepSearch hashtag.
Facebook: @ecogig.outreach
Twitter: @DeepseaECOGIG, @OceanDeepSearch
Instagram: @ecogig
Scientists' Twitter Accounts:
Erik Cordes @CordesLab
Amanda Demopoulos @ademopoulos
Samantha (Mandy) Joye @seepexplorer
National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) @thenopp
Press Releases & Announcements
Press Release (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management), September 12, 2017: "Federal Ocean Partnership Launches DEEP SEARCH Study Off the Mid- and South Atlantic Coast"
Press Release (U.S. Geological Survey), September 13, 2017: "Federal Ocean Partnership Launches DEEP SEARCH Study of Coral, Canyons and Seeps Off the Mid- and South Atlantic Coast"
TDI-Brooks International DEEP SEARCH Announcement
BOEM Announcement of August/September 2018 Atlantis Expedition
BOEM Announcement of April 2019 Expedition
Press Regarding Discoveries on the April 2019 Expedition:
The State: https://www.thestate.com/latest-news/article229617829.html
Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tubeworm-discovery-atlantic-ocean_n_5cd2f021e4b07ce6ef790fd3
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/strange-deep-sea-tube-worms-north-carolina-atlantic-coast-1420761
Reports
October 1, 2016 - September 30, 2017
Institutional Partners
Federal Partners:
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean Exploration & Research (NOAA OER)
United States Geological Survey
Academic Partners (coordinated by TDI-Brooks International, Inc.):
Temple University (Lead principal investigator and project manager Dr. Erik Cordes)
University of Georgia
Nova Southeastern University
Florida State University
Harvey Mudd College
University of New Hampshire
Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research
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