Standard Presentation 2024 Australian Marine Sciences Association Annual Meeting combined with NZMSS

Understanding the Deepest Parts of Australia's Marine Parks (#425)

Dylan White-Kiely 1 , Todd Bond 1
  1. Minderoo-UWA Deep Sea Resarch Centre, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

Australia has the third largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, of which over 70% is deep ocean exceeding 1000m. Within this EEZ, 56% of Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) are deeper than the abyssal boundary (>3000m) and over 30% of AMPs are deeper than 5000m. Despite the immense extent of Australia’s deep sea, there has been no long-term monitoring in this environment previously. Historically, research in the deep-sea presented an array of challenges, but ongoing improvements in technology and reductions in the cost of equipment have helped advance deep-sea research and monitoring.  In 2023, we built and deployed long-term monitoring observatories in the Perth Canyon and the Gascoyne Marine Parks which sit in 4300m and 5100m, respectively. Custom designed frames, battery systems, and rigging solutions have enabled us to surface and service these observatories at 6-month intervals with no requirement to be tethered to shore via sub-sea cables or surface moorings. These deep-sea observatories collect imagery of benthic abyssal habitats and fauna, assisting in unveiling life on the seabed in previously unmonitored locations, improving our understanding of deep-sea habitats. In addition, the observatories collect oceanographic data and falling organic matter to assist in understanding the parameters that drive deep-sea environments.