Wednesday, April 8, 2009
- A rugged underwater landscape along the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef has recently been discovered using deep-sea mapping technology by scientists from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, in collaboration with other government agencies.
- James Cook University Marine Geologist Dr Robin Beaman said a program of deep-sea mapping had been conducted using advanced echo-sounder technology over the past few years.
- Deep-sea mapping has uncovered some amazing landscapes which look similar to many of the ridges and gullies that drain the highlands of Queensland. More than one kilometre deep, huge undersea landslides have left scars and slump deposits on the abyssal seafloor which border the Great Barrier Reef shelf.
- Sediment cores recovered from the base of these canyons have revealed they are the conduits for shallow coral rubble to be transported into the deep basin.
- An area in the Coral Sea offshore from Cairns holds a cluster of huge blocks which have been colonised by cold water corals. These corals are very different to their shallow-water cousins as they not only exist in perpetual darkness, but also under incredible pressure.
- Dr Beaman also said that offshore from Townsville the continental slope becomes gentler in gradient and the canyons begin to disappear. The upper continental slope holds a veneer of live algae and extensive soft corals.
- It is hoped these exciting discoveries and the detailed 3-D maps will be used to target future research projects and be used by marine park managers to better understand the diversity of seascapes under the Great Barrier Reef.
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by Deepsea Water @ 12:00 AM
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