THE BATTALION
Thursday, November 1 !
Page 8A
Bottom dwellers
A&M researchers delve deep to study the sea floe
COURTESY OF SOPHIE Dfc BF.UKFIj\R, DEPT. OF OCEANOGRAPHY
Aboard the University's research ship in the Gulf of Mexico, Dr. Gilbert
Rowe, professor of oceanography, removes a small fish from the mouth
of a monk fish held by a fellow researcher.
By Melissa Braddock
THE BATTALION
Nine thousand feet below the
surface of the ocean, on the bot
tom of the Gulf of Mexico, the
water is bitterly cold and the pres
sure intense. Sunlight cannot
reach these depths, and the only
food is what falls from above.
Yet there is life here in abun
dance — creatures of all sizes,
from bacteria and worms to fish
and shellfish. Many of them glim
mer with their own phosphores
cent light, creating a scene similar
to a forest of fireflies.
Texas A&M scientists led by
Dr. Gilbert Rowe are in the mid
dle of a 4-year project to gather
detailed information on these
sea-floor communities.
The researchers will make
observations of the species diver
sity and distribution and then put
together conceptual models of
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the seafloor ecosystems and how
they function.
The Deep Gulf of Mexico
Benthos (DGoMB) project has
received $4.85 million in funding
from the Minerals Management
Service (MMS) of the U.S.
Department of the Interior, the
division responsible for managing
off-shore oil and gas prcxluction in
the United States.
As new technologies allow the
oil and gas industry to expand
drilling operations to deep sea
areas, the MMS is concerned
about how life on the bottom of
the Gulf might be affected.
According to Rowe, oil
drilling and exploration cause
little disturbance of the sea
floor unless there is a spill or
a blowout. Such accidents
could have serious impacts on
deep sea life.
“We're not really looking at
effect; we are looking at what's
there that will be affected,”
said Rowe, a professor of
oceanography at Texas A&M.
DGoMB researchers spend
the summers collecting data at
sea on the University's 182-ft.
oceanographic research vessel,
the R/V Gyre.
For the remainder of the year,
they analyze specimens and
send samples out to research
specialists around the world.
In June 2(XX). the project
began with a 50-day, 43-site sur
vey in which trawls and dredges
were used to catch as many speci
mens as possible.
Based on that survey, they
chose four interesting sites to use
for more detailed functional stud
ies beginning last summer.
These studies will examine and
model tlie processes for which the
communities of deep-ocean organ
isms are responsible, such as the
cycling of organic matter, regener
ation of nutrients and the transfer
of material up the ftxxi chain.
To reach the Gulf bottom, the
team sends down a benthic lander, a
10-foot-tall device weighted to sink
to the ocean fkxir.
Once there, it uses sensors to
analyze the water and time-lapse
cameras to record animal activity.
After a predesignated amount of
time, a timer releases the weights
and the lander floats to the surface
to be collected.
On the base of the lander are
chambers that can sink into the
mud, encasing a section of sedi
ment and water. By measuring the
oxygen concentration in the
encased water, researchers can
determine how much oxygen the
local community is using and
quantify how large and healthy the
community is.
These respiration rates Fire gen
erally very low, indicating a low
biomass of primarily small, inac
tive organisms. The communities
are probably limited by the avail
able food supply, Rowe said.
According to Rowe, the type
and amount of life obseiv.
with the location.
Particularly strife
researchers was the fti
high density of life
Mississippi C.tmon.aitp/l
the mud f rom tlie Mi- j
flows down the contineit
bringing with it a fresh',
nutrients.
So far, DGoMB has ft
the nonhem continental
the Gulf, stretching at
Florida and Texas. Th.:-
which ranges farm 200
3,(XX) meters in depth,
most current oil drilli
place. But the deepest,
turbed parts of the Gulftt
Mexico.
Next year. Rowe:
collaborate up with Me
enlists to begin expli
these areas as well.
A staggering number
species are waiting to betfei
in the world's deep oceansh
ects such as DGoMB. said!)
Addy. a marine scientist h
for British Petroleum iBP,
mini-workshop on campus.
“The oceans are by it
hugest living space on Bait.
Addy. “yet we have i
scratched the surface in e
our understanding of thedst
"In many ways vvekno
about the surface of the mo
we do about pans of the an
BP is funding a three vez
doctoral investigator posi
work with the DGoMB pn$
investigating deep wean life,
of the leading candidates it
Tuesday's workshop.
Addy emphasized ife
it is not the mosr M10
area of study rig/U now; fj
and classifying deep sea
important to scientists*'
oil industry.
"Deep sea biodives
understood and alms
underestimated,” he said
“If we can't name «tii|
we can't measure it, andteti
we can't manage it.”
During the next two ya
DGoMB researchers hop:
establish an understandkii'
composition, structure andii
tioning of deep biological com
nities in the Gulf and tomodd
relationship between these
inanities and local environirc
conditions.
Ultimately, Rowe said lx
sions making mapsofiii
species distributions, of com
ties of species and of y
diversity on the Gulf Hoot.
"We are doing this fttl
MMS to determine wtu
potential effects might be)
shore oil and gas product
the natural community
isms,” said Rowe, "but,into
know so little about thesectf
nities that we are doing
basic research on what lives
"We are interested note
how many species there ate,
how they interact and functif
in
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