Marine Technician and Expedition Co-Chief Scientist Tomer Ketter, supervises Mission Control room monitors, together with ROV Supervisor Michael Rae, and Erin E. Easton, Assistant Professor in the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – UTRGV. Credit: Misha Vallejo Prut / Schmidt Ocean Institute
A team of oceanographers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute has identified and mapped a previously unknown seamount on the Nazca Ridge, located approximately 900 miles west of Chile in international waters. The Nazca Ridge, an underwater mountain range, along with the nearby Salas y Gómez Ridge, is being considered for designation as a high seas marine protected area.
The discovery of the seamount is one of many significant findings from a 28-day expedition to the Nazca Ridge in international waters, led by Schmidt Ocean Institute in collaboration with Ocean Census and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center at the University of New Hampshire.
The newly discovered underwater mountain is over 1.9 miles (3109 meters) tall and supports a thriving deep-sea ecosystem. In addition to mapping the seamount, the team conducted an exploratory dive with an underwater robot on one of the mountain’s ridges, finding sponge gardens and ancient corals.
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“Upon concluding our third expedition to the region, we’ve explored around 25 seamounts on the Nazca and Salas y Gómez Ridges,” said Co-Chief Scientist and Schmidt Ocean Institute Marine Technician, Tomer Ketter. “Our findings highlight the remarkable diversity of these ecosystems, while simultaneously revealing the gaps in our understanding of how the seamount ecosystems are interconnected. We hope the data gathered from these expeditions will help inform future policies, safeguarding these pristine environments for future generations.”
The expedition was the third exploration this year of the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges conducted on the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too). Two previous expeditions in January and February documented over 150 previously unknown species and numerous range extensions for animals not previously known to live on the ridge. An additional 20 suspected new species were collected during this expedition.
Prior to Schmidt Ocean Institute’s expeditions this year, 1,019 species were known to live in this portion of the Pacific Ocean. The number now exceeds 1,300 and is growing. The records will be sent to the Ocean Census, an international, collaborative alliance led by the Nippon Foundation and Nekton to accelerate the discovery and protection of ocean life.
“The seamounts of the Southeastern Pacific host remarkable biological diversity, with species found nowhere else to date,” said Prof. Alex David Rogers, Science Director of Ocean Census, “The work our taxonomists have conducted aboard Falkor (too), supported by Schmidt Ocean Institute team, will significantly enhance our understanding of the distribution of remarkable life forms on these underwater mountains, including several that have never before been mapped or seen by human eyes.”
