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Cruise Report: EX-17-06, Laulima O Ka Moana: Exploring Deep Monument Waters Around Johnston Atoll (ROV & Mapping)
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2020
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Series: EX-17-06
[PDF-51.42 MB]
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Description:EX-17-06 was a combined mapping and ROV cruise to the Johnston Atoll Unit (JAU) of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) that took place between July 7 and August 2, 2017. During the cruise, one ROV test dive was conducted offshore of O’ahu for engineering purposes and 14 ROV science dives were conducted from 250 to 2,600 meters on never before surveyed sites in the JAU to survey the biological and geological variability of oceanic habitats, including deep-sea coral and sponge habitats, ferromanganese (FeMn)-encrusted habitats on seamounts, and the water column biome. Thirteen dives were conducted on JAU seamounts to investigate deep-sea coral communities and FeMn-encrusted seafloor habitats, and one dive was conducted on the flank of Johnston Atoll that documented precious coral Hemicorallium sp. communities in this monument unit for the first time. Seven high-density, deep-sea coral and sponge communities that varied in diversity and species composition were discovered during the dives. Focused water column transects were conducted at the end of four dives to obtain information on animals living in the largest unexplored biome on the planet. 77 biological specimens were collected in total including 35 primary specimens and 42 associates consisting of corals, anemones, zoanthids, hydroids, sponges, sea stars, feather stars, brittle stars, squat lobsters, amphipods, shrimps, barnacles, snails, tube worms, bryozoans, polychaete worms, a sea slug, a sea spider, and an isopod. These collections will enable confirmation of new species designations, provide type specimens for descriptions, and enable genetic analyses to establish evolutionary relationships with other known species. As many as 44 of these specimens could represent new species, and most of the specimens from known species will represent new range records. More than 38,300 km2 of seafloor was mapped during the cruise, including approximately 23,161 km2 mapped inside the JAU of the PRIMNM. This included full coverage of eight seamounts in the JAU mapped for the first time with sonar and partial coverage of three seamounts. During ROV dives, 24 rock samples were collected for dating and geochemical analyses that will help reveal the geological history of seamount groups in the JAU and help improve understanding of the geological history of central Pacific seamounts.
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Rights Information:CC0 Public Domain
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