 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
FLORIDA FRONTIERS Exploring Unknown Deep-Sea Biomedical Resources MISSION DISPATCH 3 • May 22, 2004 - Location: Florida Straits Dispatch Article by John Reed - Harbor Branch Senior Scientist Exploration of Deep Water Reefs in the Straits of Florida Amazingly, there are extensive deep-water coral reefs off the east coast of Florida that have remained relatively unknown and unstudied until recently. Estimates are that there may be over 40,000 individual deep-water reefs covering approximate 400 km2 on the Blake Plateau and Straits of Florida which may exceed the areal extent 
of all the shallow-water reefs of the southeastern US. Nearly 20
years ago was the first time I had a chance to get a glimpse of this hidden realm. Using Harbor Branch's CORD Remotely Operated Vehicle
(ROV), I made a dive on a massive pinnacle deep in the Gulf Stream off Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately the strong currents made it nearly
impossible to control the ROV which was connected to the surface ship with a tether. As the ROV drifted along the bottom, the pinnacle
suddenly loomed before us on the video screen. I only had a few minutes of video of the bottom showing thickets of coral before the
ROV crashed and lost the video signal. Now twenty years later I have a chance to go back and really study these reefs, in person, with
the aid of the Johnson-Sea-Link I (JSLI) submersible.
This will be the first time that many of these sites have ever been explored, mapped, or samples studied for biomedical potential. Very few studies of the deep-water reefs in the western Atlantic and southeastern US have ever been made. Recent funding in 2002 by NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration first allowed more extensive surveys with the Johnson-Sea-Link I (JSLI) submersibles of the fish and macrobenthos associated with the deep-water Lophelia reefs on the Blake Plateau. And this year's funding for the Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology has enabled this expedition in the exploration and discovery of new reefs and biomedical resources in the Straits of Florida. We will be exploring three general areas: deep-water reefs off central and northern Florida, the Miami Terrace and the Pourtales Terrace off the Florida Keys. Collection Methods 
At each dive site and prior to the submersible dive, profiles of the bottom topography are made with the ship's echo sounder (depth finder).
Then we select exactly where we want the sub to go during the dive. Samples of the dominant macrobenthic species (primarily sponges, soft
corals, gorgonians, mollusks, echinoderms, and bryozoans) along with sediment and rock samples are collected using the submersible's
manipulator. Documentation of specimens include underwater videotapes, digital photographic images, museum voucher specimens, and detailed
notes describing the benthic and fish communities. Color videotapes (digital mini DV) are recorded with an external pan and tilt videocamera
(Sony DX2 3000A with Canon J8X6B KRS lens, 6-48 mm zoom) which has parallel lasers (25 cm apart) for scale. Each specimen is photographed
with the JSL's digital Canon camera. Taxonomic specimens, videotapes and photographs are archived at HBOI's Museum for the Division of
Biomedical Marine Research (DBMR).
Florida's Deep Water Reefs 
Deep-water reefs are sometimes also referred to as bioherms, coral banks, or lithoherms. Some deep-water reefs are mounds of mud and coral
debris with caps of living coral, such as some Oculina and Lophelia coral reefs, whereas lithoherms are high-relief, pinnacles of limestone
rock that also may be capped with thickets of coral. These deep water reefs are quite different from shallow water coral reefs, based on
their physical and biological characteristics.
Various types of deep-water reefs are common off the southeastern United States, primarily from Florida to North Carolina. These occur along the base of the continental slope on the Blake Plateau which is north of the Bahamas. They also occur in the Straits of Florida which is a giant canyon, 2400 feet deep, that separates Florida from the Bahamas and Cuba and is bounded to the north by the northern limit of Little Bahama Bank and to the southwest by the termination of the Florida Keys off Dry Tortugas. 
Deep-water Oculina coral reefs occur at depths of 250- 300 feet along the shelf-edge off central eastern Florida. In contrast, Lophelia,
Enallopsammia, and Madrepora scleractinian corals form reefs at greater depths, 1500- 3000 feet, on the Blake Plateau from Florida to
North Carolina, in the Straits of Florida, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Our first study sites for the first four days of this expedition
will be these reefs off northern Florida. The second leg of the mission will be off southeastern Florida where the continental slope is
interrupted by two intermediate-depth terraces, the surfaces of which are composed of limestone outcrops of Eocene-Miocene age rock
(20- 60 million years old): Miami and Pourtales Terraces. Each have high-relief topography and deep-water sinkholes. The Miami Terrace
is a 60 mile long platform, at depths of 600 to 1500 feet, about 10 miles east of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. South of this, in the
southern Straits of Florida is the Pourtales Terrace which provides extensive, high-relief, hard bottom habitat, covering 1,000 nm2 at
depths of 600 to 1500 feet. The terrace parallels the Florida Keys and is bounded to the north by the sediment slope of the Florida Reef
Tract. Louis Pourtales first surveyed Pourtales Terrace in 1867 with the coastal survey ship Bibb to lay a telegraph cable from Key West
to Havana.
As we explore these various reefs and habitats, we will undoubtedly find new and interesting species, some of which we hope will be candidates for new drugs for the benefit of mankind. Spinoff studies on the newly discovered coral reefs will also provide data for the protection of these unique, fragile resources. Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology The Center of Excellence was created with $10 million in state funding in 2003. It is based at FAU and combines the expertise of Harbor Branch, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University, the Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce, and several private companies. The overall goal for the Center of Excellence is to promote the discovery, development, and commercialization in Florida of new medicines and other products. Center funding is intended as seed money to further expand Florida's emerging marine biotechnology industry over the next two years with the goal of attracting longer-term funding from federal and commercial sources. Besides funding one expedition per year, Center of Excellence money is being used to:
2) design and build a high-definition camera system that can be carried on an AUV to map new seafloor sites 3) to purchase equipment that will greatly enhance member institutions' ability to rapidly and accurately analyze the pharmaceutical potential of new chemical compounds.  |  |
| ||