D551 Transect PB08 Mosaic sediment with mud and carbonate bedrock with several epifauna species including soft corals and xenophyophores. Priority. Features: Ridge, Wall. Water depth: -2150 m. TL: 2.1 km SOL: 15° 11.813' W 52° 44.142' N
Soft sediment over much of the dive with areas of complex burrows and barnacle hash. Echinouthuridae spp. and Phormosoma placenta urchins are numerous at the beginning of the dive. Sea pens and xenophyophores throughout the dive, the latter become more numerous as the ROV ascended upslope. Rock outcrops have encrusting and glass sponges. Towards the end of the dive a variety of corals are seen including Acanella sp., Bathypathes sp., Paramuricea sp. and Leiopathes sp..
START VIDEO [00:00:00]/00:30. [1] Muddy sediment on flat/gentle slope with occasional boulders. Sparse epifauna. [00:00:00]-[00:10:00] ROV stops for sampling two pushcores. [00:10:00] ROV leaves the seafloor. [00:12:00] [2] Mud/pebbles/cobbles/boulders with Geodia cf. barretti living on boulders. [00:13:00] [3] Now muddy sediment with frequent Echinoidea sp.5 (Echinothuroidea) and Hygrosoma sp. [00:17:00] Carbonate boulder with inlets. [00:32:00] ROV stops for imagery of pteropod hash (?). [00:41:00] vision obscured/mud cloud. [00:51:00] ROV stops for imagery of Syringammina fragilissima OTU261. [01:09:00] ROV stops for imagery of muddy sediment and sponge. [01:14:00] ROV stops for imagery of Actinopterygiisp. [01:20:00] [4] here cobbles/broken carbonate/mud with sparse epifauna, including Leiopathes sp. OTU305 and Telopathes sp.2 OTU1181. [01:23:00] ROV goes up hill. [5] Here predominantly carbonate mound/carbonate bedrock with sparse epifauna, including antipathes. [01:25:00] [6] boulders/mud down slope hosts sparse epifauna including Acanella arbuscula and Syringammina fragilissima. [01:26:00] Blue water for a few seconds. [01:29:00] Fields of S. fragilissima. [01:31:00] Mud cloud. [01:40:00] Mud cloud. [01:48:00] [7] Here Mud slope. Acanella arbuscula dominates. [01:50:00] mud cloud. [01:51:00] Vision clear again. END VIDEO [01:59:00]/00:29.
