Irish marine scientists may participate in an international Gulf Stream expedition which would research the extent of deep-sea coral from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe.
The expedition was proposed at a meeting in Galway on Friday, involving 30 leading experts from Ireland, the US, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and Britain. "International collaboration in deep-sea coral exploration is vital in order to develop our understanding of a resource we know relatively little about," Dr Stephen Browne of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said at the workshop, which was hosted jointly by NOAA and the Marine Institute here.
Coral systems may serve to indicate climate change and provide potential sources for new bio-compounds that can be used in the medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Some of Europe's finest examples can be found off this coastline, and the extent was investigated 18 months ago by a Franco-Irish expedition involving Dr Anthony Grehan of the Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute at NUI, Galway. The expedition yielded comprehensive information on carbonate mounds and coldwater coral formed over thousands of years off the Irish west coast.
The survey team used advance offshore technology to collect images and data on the Porcupine Sea Bight and Rockall Trough. No evidence of damage to reefs was reported during this survey, which revealed startling images of what scientists described as an "underwater wonder world of coral gardens teeming with life". However, a subsequent task force meeting agreed that special areas of conservation (SACs) involving coral reef should be designated outside the 12-mile limit.
Lophelia pertusa, the most common cold-water coral species, is formed by a colony of organisms known as polyps that produce a hard carbonate skeleton. It is normally found at sea depths of between 200 and 1,000 metres and grows at a rate of about a millimetre a year. Reef structures take centuries to form; for instance, the 35-metre Sula Ridge off the Norwegian coast is estimated to be about 8,500 years old.
The workshop in Furbo, Co Galway, focused on developing an international deep-sea coral "action plan", and a further 20 scientific projects across Europe were discussed.
The scientists agreed that no one country could undertake to research deep-sea corals in isolation, given that they span international waters, have similar ecological systems and face similar threats, such as pressures from deep-sea trawling, and oil and gas exploration.
"This collaboration speaks volumes for our shared sense of responsibility to urgently convince Governments of the need to protect these fragile coral habitats," said Dr Grehan.
It was particularly relevant in an Irish context, given that this coastline was home to some of the most outstanding examples of deep-water corals in Europe, he added.
Among the issues addressed at the workshop were mapping the distribution of deep-sea corals, the restoration of damaged coral reefs, and biodiversity.
