Publications

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program compiles, curates, and makes public a National Database of biogeographic data and information on deep-sea corals and sponges. This report details developments and enhancements to the database since it became accessible through the online portal in 2015.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program convened a two-day science priorities workshop on May 2-3, 2023 to build partnerships and set research priorities for the program’s four-year (2023-2026) Northeast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative.
 

NOAA’s Deep-Sea Coral Research Technology Program began a 4-year funding initiative for the U.S. West Coast in 2018. The goals of the West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative were to: 1) gather baseline information on deep-sea corals and sponges in areas subject to fishing regulation changes prior to the implementation of Amendment 28; 2) improve our understanding of known deep-sea coral and sponge bycatch “hot spots”; and 3) explore and assess deep-sea coral and sponge resources within NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries with emphasis on areas of sanctuary resource protection and management concerns. Following the 2018 research expedition supported by NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada (Laidig et al., 2021), a second research cruise was planned for 2019 to further survey seafloor communities in priority areas off the West Coast from Washington to California. The 2019 expedition spanned 35 days (4 Oct–7 Nov) and was conducted from the NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker, beginning and ending in San Diego, CA. Surveys were conducted in deeper areas (generally 500-1200 m) in 2019 than in 2018 (limited to < 650 m). These two expeditions provide data on seafloor communities and deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages over a broad range of depths (50-1200 m).

This report summarizes fiscal year 2018 and 2019 activities that supported management decisions, improved our understanding of deep-sea coral communities, and prioritized partnerships to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. Operating through NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation, and funded at approximately $2.3 million annually to support national-scale research, the Program collaborates widely to cost-effectively study the role of corals in support of deep-sea ecosystems.

The Program, in partnership with NOAA Ocean Exploration, enabled a field research program in the Pacific Islands region between 2015–2017 that provided a first look at deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems in the marine monuments throughout the region, and in other areas of interest such as hydrothermal vents and seeps, isolated seamounts, and mid-water biological and chemical characterization. This report covers the deep-sea coral and sponge research.

This report includes a summary of activities related to three deep-sea coral research cruises conducted within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary between August 2014 and August 2015.

Patterns in deep-sea corals: seawater chemistry data report for Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

In August of 2016, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer conducted the first-ever deepwater exploration of the Wake Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. In total, the ship conducted 14 ROV dives ranging from 350 to 3,136 meters depth. All explored seamounts are flat-topped guyots with mainly pillow lavas coated in ferromanganese crust exposed on their lower flanks. 

The purpose of this cruise (project number NF-19-01) in particular was to collect multibeam sonar bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, remotely operated vehicle optical validation, and fishery acoustics within coastal waters of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Scientists collected high-resolution multibeam and fishery acoustic data in mid-water depths approximately 11 to 3066 meters, in order to continue characterizing seafloor habitats within all U.S. States, Territories, and Commonwealths.

This photo-identification collection is intended to provide a visual reference to commonly observed deep-sea corals in the Southeast United States, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. Caribbean, as a consensus aid for taxonomic identification of these organisms. This document also aims to provide an effectual representation of the diversity of coral fauna encountered in the deep-sea of this greater U.S. Southeast region (defined here as > 200 m deep) by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, using remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer in years 2017-2019.