Parke, M., Dieter, B., Parrish, F., Kelley, C., Wagner, D.

Pacific Islands 2015 quick look report for DSCRTP

2015

NOAAs National Marine Fisheries Service; University of Hawaii; Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument

23

"The Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program is funding a fieldwork initiative in the Pacific Islands Region from 2015 to 2017 to locate and characterize the deep-sea coral habitats, investigate the environmental factors that influence their distribution, and study their life history. The first year of activities under the initiative focused on the Hawaiian Archipelago and Johnston Atoll. From July through September four separate cruise legs took place on board the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (cruise EX1504) in the waters around the Hawaiian Archipelago, including the Main Hawaiian Islands, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the Johnston Atoll region of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM). The 69-days of exploration in the region, given the moniker Hohonu Moana ( meaning deep ocean? in the Hawaiian language), mapped 79,333 square kilometers of seafloor and conducted 37 ROV dives ranging from 323 to 4,829 meters deep. The ROV collected rock samples so scientists can learn about the origin and age of the geologic features, such as seamounts, in the region. Seventy biological samples were also collected, all of which are potentially new species or new records for the Hawaii region. Sixty-eight rock samples were obtained during the dives, all of which are still at the University of Hawaii. The contract between NOAA Office of Exploration and Research (OER) and the Oregon State University repository has still not been finalized. Once it has, the rocks, weighing a total of 370 lbs, will be crated and shipped to OSU where preliminary cuts and distribution of subsamples will take place. Seventy biological samples were collected during the cruise, which include 46 cnidarians and 20 sponges. Selected specimens were split, with a small piece remaining in Hawaii at the Bishop Museum. The bulk of the split specimens along with those that were not split have already been sent off to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Until these specimens are thoroughly examined, it is difficult to say how many represent new species; however, it is certain that there will at least be a substantial number of new records for the Central Pacific from this first year of collections. Another part of the expedition surveyed areas near Hawaii Island that were covered by lava flows at different times in history and examined how coral communities differ in these places. This will tell provide information on how corals colonize a fresh lava field and the rate at which the populations recover after being destroyed by lava or other disturbance. The dive on the western branch of the 1968 lava flow was designed to be comparable to surveys conducted in 2011 by the Hawaii Underwater Research Laboratory (HURL) Pisces V submersible. Data are currently being analyzed to determine species richness, diversity, abundance, maximum size of species, and size class frequency of Coralliidae (pink coral). In addition, the benthic terrain characteristics, such as substrate hardness, slope and curvature, will be examined along the survey track to determine if there was an association between high coral abundance and specific characteristics of the seafloor terrain. Rock samples are being analyzed to confirm the age of the substrate as originating from the 1868 lava flow. Prior testing at this site indicated that the submarine substrate was of a younger age than the samples collected from the sub-aerial 1868 lava flow. These new samples will help us understand why previously collected submarine samples did not reflect the age of the sub-aerial flow."

Funded by NOAAs DSCRTP; Project Title: Pacific Islands Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative

NOAAs Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program