The potentially new species of coral was found living on the stalk of sea plant. Image: Screenshot//YouTube
A unique coral was discovered in the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean, and researchers believe it is likely a brand new species.
Corals are generally associated with tropical climates; warm, clear waters that teem with brightly colored fish darting to and fro among the reefs that corals create. But they’re far more diverse than that. They can survive in a multitude of different ecosystems, from the paradisiacal Pacific atolls to the darkest, deepest depths of the sea.
Scientists at the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census made the discovery of the new coral while they were researching the Arctic Ocean. They began their expedition from Tromsø in northern Norway on May 3 aboard a vessel named the RV Kronprins Haakon, but corals were vanishingly rare.
“We’ve seen very, very few corals since we’ve been here in the Arctic. On the dive today, we saw lots of these crinoids growing, and what we found on this crinoid is a coral living on the crinoid stalk. It’s almost certainly a new species,” Professor Alex Rogers, Principal Investigator at Ocean Census, explains in the video. “It really demonstrates coevolution in the deep sea but also how effective the remotely operated vehicle [ROV] is. We get the specimens in such good condition that those sorts of relationships are actually preserved.”
Ocean Census released a video using footage from the remotely operated vehicle its researchers rely on.
The area they were exploring is a fantastic one. It was mostly in the Arctic mid-ocean ridge system, a place that’s chock full of hydrothermal vents that attract life of all kinds. Since those vents pump out methane and sulphur and are relatively warm, different creatures take up residence in a place that would normally be almost devoid of life.
Finding life in areas like these is particularly important right now, as many scientists are concerned about the ramifications of what operations like deep-sea mining might have. The search for metals like lithium and cobalt — which can be used in electric vehicle batteries — can require the dredging of the ocean floor. That, of course, can demolish many of the unknown ecosystems that develop there.
“Understanding every aspect of our ecosystem holds immense significance. Today, we possess new tools, empowering us to uncover discoveries previously beyond our reach. Innovations such as eDNA analysis, advancements in taxonomy, and machine learning represent sophisticated means of gathering essential information,” said Jan-Gunnar Winther, in a statement. Winther is the pro-rector for Research and Development at The Arctic University of Norway and Specialist Director at the Norwegian Polar Institute located in Tromsø. “With our current capabilities to amass vast amounts of data and consolidate it effectively, there lies tremendous potential. If this data is made accessible and shared widely, not just by those who collected it, it could have a profound impact on scientific understanding.”
