Publications

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.

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.

This report summarizes the objectives, accomplishments, and outcomes of NOAA's West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative, funded by the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program. The four-year initiative (2018-2021) was designed to explore, map, characterize, and conduct research on deep-sea coral and sponge habitats in the Pacific Fishery Management Council region, inclusive of waters off California, Oregon, and Washington.

This report summarizes fiscal year 2020 and 2021 activities that supported management decisions, improved our understanding of deep-sea coral and sponge communities, and leveraged 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 and leverages substantial funding to study the role of corals in support of deep-sea ecosystems.

The purpose of this science plan is to outline a general strategy for the execution and completion of the most important research activities conducted under the Alaska Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative (AKCSI). The plan outlines the general approach and proposed research. Research projects supported by the 2020-2023 AKCSI will consist of the following:

• Research expeditions that survey, sample, and map DSCS ecosystems throughout the Alaska
  region.
• Research projects focused on deep-sea coral and sponge data and analyses of survey samples.
• Deliverables that support the goals of AKCSI and the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program.

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.