Azores Deep-sea Research

This infrastructure of Okeanos — Institute of Marine Sciences specializes in the maintenance and experimentation with deep-sea organisms, enabling the understanding their fundamental biology and how deep-sea species respond to environmental and anthropogenic stressors.

Challenges

Conducting experimental research in deep-sea in situ conditions is impractical and presents numerous challenges.

The extreme depths, high pressures, and lack of accessibility make observing and manipulating species directly in their natural environment difficult.

Additionally, the technical limitations of underwater equipment and the vastness of deep-sea ecosystems create significant challenges for long-term, controlled studies.

These factors limit the scope of in situ experiments and increase the risks and costs associated with deep-sea research.

Why use Aquaria

Study of different aspects of cold-water coral biology, including their embryo and larvae development, and basic biological processes of reproduction, feeding and growth rates

Testing their sensitivities and recovery capacity to climate change (ocean warming, acidification and reduced food availability), and direct human pressures (fishing and potential deep-sea mining) using both the larvae and adult stages

Developing methodologies and techniques for the restoration of degraded cold-water coral communities

Aquaria facilities pave the way for experimental research. They are vital to advancing our understanding, as they enable the development of ex-situ experiments that simulate the natural conditions of the deep sea. These facilities provide a controlled environment to study how species respond ecophysiologically to global changes, such as climate change and mining, among other stressors. By recreating these conditions, we can better understand the impacts of environmental stressors on deep-sea organisms and gain insights into how they might adapt or cope with future challenges.

Environment simulation

The aquaria facilities are designed to provide a controlled environment for the study of deep-sea organisms, utilizing advanced technology to simulate natural conditions and support innovative research.

Temperature Control

12 °C Environment

The aquaria systems are maintained in a temperature-controlled room at 12 °C, ensuring optimal conditions for deep-sea organisms.

Independent Systems

Five Independent Aquaria

Composed of one semi-closed water system for maintenance and four open-water systems for experimentation.

Water Supply

Open Water Systems

Water is continuously pumped from coastal waters (5 m depth, salinity: 36) to maintain natural conditions.

Filtration System

Advanced Filtration

Water is filtered through a 50 µm felt filter bag and a 5 µm felt filter bag, followed by UV sterilization to ensure purity.

Cooling and Distribution

Efficient Cooling System

Water is cooled in sumps before being distributed to individual experimental aquaria, maintaining constant conditions.

Environmental Manipulation

Independent Manipulation of Conditions

Each system can independently adjust temperature, pH (via CO2 bubbling/removal), and oxygen levels to simulate climate change effects.

Feeding and Experimentation

Stock Tanks and Dosing Pumps

Equipped with 100 L stock tanks and dosing pumps for delivering sediments or food particles in various concentrations for experiments.