ENVIRONMENT
Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
PHOTO : EMMA NEAVE-WEBB / IMOGEN SAWYER
The rescue of an Orcadian orca
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A warning from the deep
A five-year study of the deep Atlantic has revealed 12 species new to science , in addition to signs of environmental change . The Atlas Project involved researchers from 13 nations around the Atlantic and was led by Professor Murray Roberts of
Cold-water corals and sea stars . the University of Edinburgh and involved a series of expeditions that revealed some “ special places ” in the deep ocean . The sea mosses , molluscs and corals had eluded discovery because the abyssal plain of the Atlantic is so unexplored . “ We found whole communities formed
PHOTO : IFREMER / ATLAS PROJECT by sponges or deep ocean corals that form the cities of the deep sea ,” Prof Roberts explained . “ They support life . So really important fish use these places as spawning grounds . If those cities are damaged by destructive human uses , those fish have nowhere to spawn and the function of those whole ecosystems is lost for future generations .” “ It ’ s like understanding that the rainforest is an important place for biodiversity on the land ; the same is true of the deep sea - there are important places that need to be protected and , crucially , they are all connected .” Studying ocean currents and depositions of fossils on the seabed revealed that the major currents in the North Atlantic have slowed dramatically in response to climate change . “ The implications of that are complicated , but potentially the connections between ecosystems are being reduced ,” Prof Roberts said .