RAPID: Seamount research with Eye-in-the-Sea

最近，PI与西尔维亚·厄尔、里克·斯塔尔、布鲁斯·罗宾逊和豪尔赫·科尔特斯（来自哥斯达黎加）一起被邀请参加国家地理赞助的研究巡航，探索哥斯达黎加科科斯群岛以南30英里（太平洋一侧）一个大部分未被研究的海山地区。目的是收集科学数据，以支持哥斯达黎加保护团体提出的将该地区建成海洋保护区的建议。PI希望利用这个特殊的机会，使用一种新的低成本版本的海上之眼（EITS）。许多深海潜水器就像这次探险中使用的一样，没有足够的有效载荷来容纳完整的EITS系统，这限制了它的一般效用。最近，在澳大利亚研究委员会的资助下，工程师们能够设计出新的低成本、着陆器版本的“海中之眼”。为了利用这一独特的机会，PI已经申请了RAPID奖，以建造这些低成本的“海之眼”着陆器版本之一。由于海底山拥有数量惊人的特有物种，因此它们代表了发现新物种的令人兴奋的前沿。从来没有人用像“海中之眼”这样不起眼的天文台探索过海底山。这是一次难得的新发现的机会，同时也提高了公众对保护这些珍贵而脆弱的生物多样性热点的认识。更广泛的影响这次考察的主要目标是获得科学数据和图像，以支持在科科斯以南30英里的海底山区建立一个1900平方公里海洋保护区的提议。为了利用哥斯达黎加保护社区的努力，将收集生活在海底山上的鱼类和无脊椎动物的丰富程度的数据，这些鱼类和无脊椎动物受到捕鱼的威胁，特别强调鱼类的聚集。PI将在船上用英语和西班牙语写博客，就像其他国家地理探险一样。此外，哥斯达黎加电视台也计划拍摄一部纪录片，希望也能在国家地理国际频道播出。此外，这次探险的三位资深科学家西尔维娅·厄尔博士（国家地理探险家驻场）、布鲁斯·罗宾逊博士（MBARI高级科学家）和威德博士广泛参与公众宣传，热情地谈论海洋管理的必要性，并被要求进行多次公开演讲，毫无疑问，这次探险的结果将被展示出来。

The PI was recently been invited, along with Sylvia Earle, Rick Starr, Bruce Robison, and Jorge Cortes (from Costa Rica) to participate in a National Geographic sponsored research cruise to explore a largely unstudied seamount area 30 miles south of the Cocos Islands, Costa Rica (Pacific side). The goal is to collect scientific data in support of a proposal by the conservation community in Costa Rica to make this area into a marine reserve. The PI would like to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to use a new low-cost version of the Eye-in-the-Sea (EITS).Many deep sea submersibles like the one being used on this expedition do not have adequate payloads to accommodate the full EITS system, this has limited its general utility. Recently, with funding from Australian Research Council the engineers were able to design new low-cost, lander-version of the Eye-in-the-Sea. The PI has requested a RAPID award to construct one of these low-cost, lander-versions of the Eye-in-the-Sea to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Because seamounts harbor exceptional numbers of endemic species they represent an exciting frontier for the discovery of new species. No one has ever explored a seamount with an unobtrusive observatory like the Eye-in-the-Sea. This is an exceptional chance for new discovery as well as raising public awareness of the need to protect these precious and fragile biodiversity hotspots. Broader ImpactsThe primary goal of the expedition is to obtain scientific data and images to support a proposal to create a 1,900 km2 marine reserve on a seamount area 30 miles south of Cocos. To leverage the efforts of the conservation community in Costa Rica, will collect data on the abundance of fishes and invertebrates - that are threatened by fishing - living on the seamounts, with particular emphasis on fish aggregations. The PI will be blogging (in English and Spanish) from the ship as has been done for other National Geographic expeditions. In addition, a documentary for Costa Rican TV and hopefully also for National Geographic international channels is being planned. Further the three senior scientists on this expedition, Dr. Sylvia Earle (National Geographic Explorer in Residence), Dr. Bruce Robison (MBARI Senior Scientist) and Dr. Widder have been extensively involved in public outreach, speak passionately on the need for ocean stewardship, and are called upon for numerous public speaking engagements where results from this expedition will undoubtedly be presented.