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Session Proposal: Accelerating Exploration and Research of the Deep Sea to Inform Decision Making (AGU25)

OS001
Accelerating Exploration and Research of the Deep Sea to Inform Decision Making

Session ID#: 249787

Session Description:
The deep seafloor comprises more than half of Earth’s solid surface. Deep-sea crustal environments - defined here as the exposure of hard rocks to seawater, like on mid-ocean ridges, seamounts, nodules, and subseafloor oceanic crust - are key components of the deep ocean, hosting higher biodiversity and biomass than sedimented environments and playing an essential role in regulating ocean heat, chemical cycling, and biological habitat. With growing interest in potentially using the deep sea, from seamount fisheries to seafloor mining and storage of carbon dioxide, the next decade requires accelerated understanding of seafloor systems. This session aims to highlight the latest exploration and research of the structure, resilience, and ecosystem services of the deep sea environment, the shared objectives across federal, academic, non-profit, and commercial research and operations, and on how new and existing knowledge  is being translated for stakeholders to make informed decisions.
Co-Sponsor(s):
  • B - Biogeosciences
  • SY - Science and Society
  • V - Volcanology, Geochemistry and Petrology
Index Terms:

4805 Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL]
4832 Hydrothermal systems [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL]
6620 Science policy [POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES]
8494 Instruments and techniques [VOLCANOLOGY]
Primary Convener:  Beth Orcutt, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, United States
Conveners:  Julie A Huber, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, United States, Russell Shomberg, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, United States and Samuel Soule, University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, United States
Student/Early Career Convener:  Russell Shomberg, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, United States
 
The Orpheus AUV: An Ultra-Scalable Tool for Deep Ocean Exploration (1853246)
Jake Russell, Orpheus Ocean, New bedford, United States
 
The Dark Oxygen Research Initiative (DORI) project - Investigating Dark Oxygen Production in the deep sea (Invited) (1863795)
Andrew Sweetman, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, United Kingdom, Jeffrey J Marlow, Boston University, Boston, United States, Franz Geiger, Northwestern University, Chemistry, Evanston, United States and Franz Geiger
 
Multivariable analysis of pelagic fauna distribution in the Blake Plateau region (1868600)
Alexandra Ensign, The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States, Adrienne Copeland, NOAA Ocean Exploration, Silver Spring, United States and Ashley Marranzino, UCAR / NOAA Ocean Exploration Affiliate, Silver Spring, United States
 
Characterizing Deep-Seafloor Habitats and Communities off the U.S. West Coast (1872757)
Maven Mercado, Drexel University, Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Philadelphia, PA, United States and Savannah Goode, NOAA Fisheries, Office of Habitat Conservation, Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, Silver Spring, United States
 
Knowledge Gaps for Commercial Leasing for Marine Minerals in American Samoa (1873565)
Beth Orcutt, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, United States, Diva Amon, Benioff Ocean Sciences Laboratory - UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States, Steve Auscavitch, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, United States, Katy Croff Bell, Ocean Discovery League, Saunderstown, RI, United States, Jeffrey Drazen, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Department of Oceanography, Honolulu, United States, Cherisse Du Preez, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Deep-Sea Ecology Program, Sidney, BC, Canada, Val Finlayson, University of Maryland College Park, Department of Geology, College Park, MD, United States, Christopher R German, WHOI, Woods Hole, MA, United States, Annette Govindarajan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biology, Woods Hole, United States, Santiago Herrera, Lehigh University, Department of Biological Sciences, Bethlehem, United States, Julie A Huber, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, United States, Brian Kennedy, Ocean Discovery League, Saunderstown, United States, Lisa A Levin, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States, Randi Rotjan, Boston University, Boston, United States, Samuel Soule, University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, United States and Jason B Sylvan, Texas A&M University, Oceanography, College Station, United States
 
Tectonomagmatic Setting of Mid and Western Pacific Seamounts within the US Economic Exclusive Zone (1880995)
Kevin Konrad1, Andrea Balbas2, Cody Brown2, Paige Crawford2, Val Finlayson3, Nicholas Foresta4, Matthew G Jackson5, Anthony A P Koppers2, Thomas A Morrow6, Robert A. Pockalny7 and Daniel Wagner8, (1)Oregon State University, College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Corvallis, United States, (2)Oregon State University, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Corvallis, United States, (3)University of Maryland College Park, Department of Geology, College Park, MD, United States, (4)University of Nevada Las Vegas, Geoscience, Las Vegas, United States, (5)University of California Santa Barbara, Earth Science, Santa Barbara, CA, United States, (6)NOAA Ocean Exploration, Silver Spring, United States, (7)University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, United States, (8)Ocean Exploration Trust, New London, United States
 
Rapid Response to the April 2025 East Pacific Rise 9° 50’N Eruption Through an Education-Science Partnership (1888432)
Victoria Preston, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole, MA, United States; Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, United States, Sharon K Cooper, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, U.S. Science Support Program, Palisades, United States, Valerie Bennett, Clark Atlanta University, Tucker, United States, Leah H Joseph, Ursinus College, Environment & Sustainability, Collegeville, United States, Ross Parnell-Turner, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States, Adam D Skarke, Mississippi State University, Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State, MS, United States, Kaatje van der Hoeven Kraft, Whatcom Community College, Department of Sciences, Bellingham, WA, United States and Lisa D White, University of California Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, CA, United States
 
Microbes and Mining: Potential Impacts of Nodule Mining on Microbial Ecosystem Services in the Deep Sea (1896484)
Julie A Huber, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, United States, Beth Orcutt, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, United States, Emma Bolton, Basecamp Research, London, United Kingdom, Tremaine Bowman, University of the West Indies Mona, Kingston, Jamaica, Natalia Erazo, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, United States, Andrian Paladar Gajigan, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, United States, Moronke Harris, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada, Felix Janssen, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, HGF-MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Bremerhaven, Germany, Rose Jones, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States, Massimiliano Molari, Max-Planck-Instutute for Marine Microbiology, HGF-MPG Group for Deep Sea Ecology and Technology, Bremen, Germany, Jeffrey J Marlow, Boston University, Boston, United States, Sheryl Murdock, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States, Maria Pachiadaki, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biology, Woods Hole, United States, Gustavo Ramirez, California State University of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States, Miguel Semedo, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal, Alycia Smith, The Challenger Society for Marine Science, Southampton, United Kingdom, Andrew Sweetman, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, United Kingdom and Jason B Sylvan, Texas A&M University, Oceanography, College Station, United States
 
Combining multi-vehicle operations, autonomous sampling, and environmental ‘omics for surface to seafloor biodiversity assessments of the Geologists Seamounts (1899372)
Annette Govindarajan1, Jason Fahy2, Eric Hayden3, Larry A Mayer4, Christopher Roman2, Val Eugene Schmidt4, Nina Yang1 and Dana Yoerger3, (1)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biology, Woods Hole, United States, (2)University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, United States, (3)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole, United States, (4)University of New Hampshire, Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, Durham, United States
 
Accelerating research in seabed mineral science (Invited) (1901971)
Amy Gartman, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, United States, Kira Mizell, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States and Amanda W Demopoulos, US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, United States
 
Identifying Trace Metal Sources to the Australian-Antarctic Ridge Phytoplankton Bloom During a Suspected Hydrothermal Eruption (1903239)
Hope Jerris1, Pamela L Barrett2, Tamara Baumberger3, Patrick Monreal4, Jessalyn E Davis4, Casey Schine5, Kevin R Arrigo6, Randelle M Bundy4 and Joseph Resing4,7, (1)Middlebury College, Earth and Climate Sciences, Middlebury, United States, (2)NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, United States, (3)NOAA/PMEL & Oregon State University, Newport, United States, (4)University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, United States, (5)Middlebury College, Biology, Middlebury, VT, United States, (6)Stanford University, Earth System Science, Stanford, CA, United States, (7)Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
 
Charting the Unknown: How NOMEC Accelerates Deep-Sea Exploration for Informed Decision Making (1911258)
Rob Robert Thieler1, Benjamin Evans2, William Mowitt3, Amanda Netburn4, Jeff Danielson5, Amanda W Demopoulos6, Ms. Rachel Medley, M.S. Geoscience UMASS, Amherst; M.S. Ocean Mapping University of New Hampshire (UNH) CCOM, Durham, NH7, Michael Rasser8, Meredith Westington2, Jennifer Wozencraft9, Erik Brush2, Jason Gronich2 and Alexandra Smith10, (1)U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, United States, (2)NOAA National Ocean Service Office of Coast Survey, Silver Spring, United States, (3)NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Silver Spring, United States, (4)Office of Naval Research, Arlington, United States, (5)USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, United States, (6)US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, United States, (7)NOAA Ocean Exploration, Silver Spring, United States, (8)Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Herndon, Herndon, United States, (9)U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, United States, (10)U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, United States
 
Integrating Real Time Multibeam and In Situ Methane Measurements for Seep Hunting: A Case Study from the Chilean Margin (1932992)
Scott Wieman1,2, Jeffrey Beeson3,4, Adam D Skarke5, Sarah Youngs6, Jason Kapit6, Jeffrey J Marlow7 and Anna Michel6, (1)Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, United States, (2)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole, United States, (3)Oregon State University, Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resource Studies (CIMERS), Newport, OR, United States, (4)NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), Newport, United States, (5)Mississippi State University, Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State, MS, United States, (6)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole, United States, (7)Boston University, Boston, United States
 
Current Knowledge, Future Work, and Data Needs for Environmental Assessments of Infaunal Communities in the Clarion Clipperton Zone in Anticipation of Deep-Sea Mining (1940454)
Travis Washburn, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, United States
 
Historically Siloed but Mutually Inspired – Opportunities for Present and Future Collaboration and Advancement Between the Deep-Sea Oceanographic and Planetary Science Communities (1951181)
Dr. Elizabeth Marie Spiers, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States, Michael Jakuba, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., Woods Hole, United States, Anna Michel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole, MA, United States and Christopher R German, WHOI, Woods Hole, MA, United States
 
Thermophilic Endospores Throughout a 1.7 Ma Sediment Column at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (1953503)
Brielle Hrymoc1, Deidra K Ferguson1, Wolfgang Bach2 and Casey R. J. Hubert1, (1)University of Calgary, Biological Sciences, Calgary, AB, Canada, (2)University of Bremen, Faculty of Geosciences, Bremen, Germany
 
Baseline Environmental Assessments at Seamounts in Advance of Deep Sea Mineral Extraction: An Integrated Approach for Exploration, Resource Characterization, Impact Assessment, and Decision Support (1954221)
Tim McClinton, David Evans and Associates, Inc, Beaufort, SC, UNITED STATES
 
COBRA Master Class Delivers Collaborative and Effective Deep-Sea Expedition Leadership Training to Early Career Researchers (1958501)
Rosalynn Sylvan1, Randi Rotjan2, Julie A Huber3, Beth Orcutt1, Andrew T Fisher4, Charles Wheat5, Katy Croff Bell6, Kelsey Barnhill7, Russell Shomberg8, Loic Van Audenhaege9 and Johanna Weston10, (1)Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, United States, (2)Tufts University, Medford, United States, (3)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, United States, (4)University of California Santa Cruz, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Santa Cruz, United States, (5)University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, United States, (6)Ocean Discovery League, Saunderstown, RI, United States, (7)Towards IPOS (International Platform for Ocean Sustainability), Paris, France, (8)University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, United States, (9)National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, (10)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States
 
NOAA Ocean Exploration partnerships for seabed mineral decision-making in the Pacific region (Invited) (1960947)
Aurora C Elmore, NOAA Ocean Exploration, Silver Spring, United States, William Mowitt, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Silver Spring, United States, Adam A Soule, WHOI, Narragansett, United States, Amy Gartman, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States; USGS, Santa Cruz, United States, Jeremy Potter, BOEM, Washington DC, United States and gartman
 
Improving eDNA Tools For Deep‑Sea Stewardship: Reference Databases, Primer Design & Volume‑Optimised Sampling (1961336)
Dr. Santiago Herrera, PhD1,2, Luke McCartin2,3, Annette Govindarajan4 and Milan Sengthep3, (1)Lehigh University, Department of Biological Sciences, Bethlehem, PA, United States, (2)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States, (3)Lehigh University, Bethlehem, United States, (4)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biology, Woods Hole, United States
 
Metagenomics of Developing Complex Hydrothermal Microbial Communities (1967509)
Ana Sofía Holmes1, Jason B Sylvan2, Craig L Moyer3 and Dr. Heather Fullerton3, (1)College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States, (2)Texas A&M University, Oceanography, College Station, United States, (3)Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States
 
Habitat Complexity and Niche Differentiation Structure Deep-Sea Coral Assemblages Across the Blake Plateau (1972894)
Jules Fillion, UNITED STATES and Brian Kennedy, Ocean Discovery League, Saunderstown, United States
 
Heat Flow Measurements Reveal Hydrothermal Circulation Between a Newly Characterized Outcrop Pair on the Cocos Plate (1975962)
Rachel M Lauer, University of Calgary, Department of Earth, Energy and Environment, Calgary, AB, Canada, Robert Perrin, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, Andrew T Fisher, University of California Santa Cruz, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Santa Cruz, United States, Ryu Akiba, University of California Santa Cruz, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Santa Cruz, United States, Jorge Cortés, Universidad de Costa Rica, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, San Jose, Costa Rica and Beth Orcutt, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, United States
 
Exploration and Discovery at the Mariana Arc, Back Arc, and Remnant Arc: Findings from the NA171 "Mattingan" Expedition (1990741)
Jeffrey W Beeson1,2, William Chadwick Jr.3, Verena Tunnicliffe4, Derek Sowers5, Daniel Wagner6, Lynette Davis5, Sierra Landreth7, Breanna Jordan8, Evie Allison9, Jacob Tomer10, Eva Stewart11, Sean Macduff12 and Kelsey McClellan13, (1)NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Newport, United States, (2)Oregon State University, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Corvallis, United States, (3)Oregon State University, Corvallis, United States, (4)University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada, (5)Ocean Exploration Trust, Narragansett, RI, United States, (6)Ocean Exploration Trust, New London, United States, (7)Florida State University, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Tallahassee, United States, (8)Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, United States, (9)University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, United States, (10)University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, RI, United States, (11)Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom, (12)U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, (13)Northern Mariana College, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
 
Maximizing Ocean Data Utility: A Unified Data Repository Approach (1993913)
Stacy Johnson, US Navy, Washington, DC, United States and Tasheen Solangi, US Navy, Stennis Space Center, United States
 
Characterization of (Sub)Seafloor Microbial Communities at Octopus Nurseries Associated with Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Vents at La Pampa Submarina, Costa Rica (1999138)
Gustavo Ramirez1, Julie A Huber2, Beth Orcutt3, Oscar Almacen1, Ryu Akiba4, Timothy D'Angelo5, Andrew T Fisher6, Rachel M Lauer7, Ofelia Garcia Prado1, Holly Lutz8, Shiva Sadeghpour9, Margrethe Serres2, Amanda Sutherland10, Fiorella Vasquez Fallas11, Janet R Voight12, Charles Wheat13, Teodora Zhivkova2, Jorge Cortés11 and Octopus Odyssey Science Parties, (1)California State University Los Angeles, Department of Biological Sciences, Los Angeles, United States, (2)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole, United States, (3)Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, United States, (4)University of California Santa Cruz, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Santa Cruz, United States, (5)Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United States, (6)University of California Santa Cruz, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Santa Cruz, United States, (7)University of Calgary, Department of Earth, Energy and Environment, Calgary, AB, Canada, (8)The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States, (9)California State University of Los Angeles, Department of Biological Sciences, Los Angeles, United States, (10)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States, (11)Universidad de Costa Rica, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, San Jose, Costa Rica, (12)Field Museum, Chicago, IL, United States, (13)University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, United States
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