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GLASS SPONGE RESEARCH
My M.Sc. research examined the ecology of glass sponge reef habitat off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Glass sponge reefs are unique to Canada's Pacific coast. These reefs function in deep-sea nutrient recycling and form complex habitat structures on the seafloor that increase deep-sea biodiversity. Evidence of trawl damage has been observed in the reefs. To mitigate these threats, Canada declared the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound reefs a marine protected area (MPA) in February 2017. I used multi-scale mapping to study the distribution of live and dead sponge cover in the reefs. I also inventoried reef-associated fauna and helped describe a new sponge species in the genus Desmacella. My findings informed policy-makers about the health conditions of the reefs to improve long-term MPA monitoring and conservation strategies.
A decorator crab (Chlorilia longipes) decorating its body with glass sponge.
Retrieving our remotely operated vehicle ROPOS from the Hecate Strait.
Night shift from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am, collecting real-time data of our evening sponge dive.
Building structures for the Aquadopp Profilers. These instruments measure the direction and speed of deep-sea currents.
Underwater footage of ROPOS and its robotic arms collecting excurrent waterflow out of a sponge using a SIP suction sampler.
Seastars and nudibranchs collected for foodweb studies.
Preparing the greenish-yellow fluoroscein dye. A dye used to detect if a sponge is alive and pumping water.
Practicing a safety drill with marine survival immersion suits. A tricky thing to get into!
Beautiful sunset out on the water returning home from our research cruise.
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