Azores Deep-sea Research

This infrastructure of Okeanos — Institute of Marine Sciences specializes in deep-sea research, enabling the ex-situ study of deep-sea marine ecosystems, including the discovery of new species and an understanding of the unique challenges associated with these remote areas.

Deep-sea habitats are difficult to access

Understanding the fundamental biology of deep-sea organisms is crucial for identifying their roles in ecosystems and their sensitivity to human-induced pressures.

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However, this information is challenging, if not impossible, to gather in their natural habitat

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Study them ex-situ in specially designed aquaria with controlled environmental conditions

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

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

14 °C Environment

The aquaria systems are maintained in a temperature-controlled room at 14 °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

Continuous Coastal Water Supply

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.