Trotter Julie A.

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Trotter
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Julie A.
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  • Article
    First ROV exploration of the Perth Canyon: Canyon setting, faunal observations, and anthropogenic impacts.
    (Frontiers Media, 2019-04-12) Trotter, Julie A. ; Pattiaratchi, Charitha ; Montagna, Paolo ; Taviani, Marco ; Falter, James L. ; Thresher, Ronald E. ; Hosie, Andrew ; Haig, David ; Foglini, Federica ; Hua, Quan ; McCulloch, Malcolm
    This study represents the first ROV-based exploration of the Perth Canyon, a prominent submarine valley system in the southeast Indian Ocean offshore Fremantle (Perth), Western Australia. This multi-disciplinary study characterizes the canyon topography, hydrography, anthropogenic impacts, and provides a general overview of the fauna and habitats encountered during the cruise. ROV surveys and sample collections, with a specific focus on deep-sea corals, were conducted at six sites extending from the head to the mouth of the canyon. Multi-beam maps of the canyon topography show near vertical cliff walls, scarps, and broad terraces. Biostratigraphic analyses of the canyon lithologies indicate Late Paleocene to Late Oligocene depositional ages within upper bathyal depths (200–700 m). The video footage has revealed a quiescent ‘fossil canyon’ system with sporadic, localized concentrations of mega- and macro-benthos (∼680–1,800 m), which include corals, sponges, molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, brachiopods, and worms, as well as plankton and nekton (fish species). Solitary (Desmophyllum dianthus, Caryophyllia sp., Vaughanella sp., and Polymyces sp.) and colonial (Solenosmilia variabilis) scleractinians were sporadically distributed along the walls and under overhangs within the canyon valleys and along its rim. Gorgonian, bamboo, and proteinaceous corals were present, with live Corallium often hosting a diverse community of organisms. Extensive coral graveyards, discovered at two disparate sites between ∼690–720 m and 1,560–1,790 m, comprise colonial (S. variabilis) and solitary (D. dianthus) scleractinians that flourished during the last ice age (∼18 ka to 33 ka BP). ROV sampling (674–1,815 m) spanned intermediate (Antarctic Intermediate Water) and deep waters (Upper Circumpolar Deep Water) with temperatures from ∼2.5 to 6°C. Seawater CTD profiles of these waters show consistent physical and chemical conditions at equivalent depths between dive sites. Their carbonate chemistry indicate supersaturation (Ωcalcite ∼ 1.3–2.2) with respect to calcite, but mild saturation to undersaturation (Ωaragonite ∼ 0.8–1.4) of aragonite; notably some scleractinians were found living below the aragonite saturation horizon (∼1,000 m). Seawater δ13C and nuclear bomb produced Δ14C compositions decrease in the upper canyon waters by up to ∼0.8‰ (<800 m) and 95‰ (<500 m), respectively, relative to measurements taken nearby in 1978, reflecting the ingress of anthropogenic carbon into upper intermediate waters.
  • Article
    Unveiling deep-sea habitats of the Southern Ocean-facing submarine canyons of southwestern Australia
    (Elsevier, 2022-11-03) Trotter, Julie A. ; Taviani, Marco ; Foglini, Federica ; Sadekov, Aleksey ; Skrzypek, Grzegorz ; Mazzoli, Claudio ; Remia, Alessandro ; Santodomingo, Nadia ; Castellan, Giorgio ; McCulloch, Malcolm ; Pattiaratchi, Charitha ; Montagna, Paolo
    The first expedition to the depths of the Southern Ocean facing Bremer canyon systems. First ROV images of these unique deep-sea environments and inhabitants (180 to 3300 m) Discovery of spectacular ‘animal forests’ in the Bremer and Hood canyons. Scleractinian corals found well below the aragonite saturation horizon (>1000 m) Major fossil coral deposits occur at all three study areas, especially Mount Gabi.Here we present the outcomes of the first deep-sea remotely operated vehicle study of previously unexplored submarine canyon systems along the southwest Australian continental margin. This was conducted around: (1) the Bremer Marine Park; (2) the Mount Gabi seamount and nearby slope-shelf margin at the interface of the Southern and Indian oceans; with new information from (3) the Perth Canyon Marine Park located in the SE Indian Ocean. These canyons differ from many explored around the world in having no connectivity to continental river systems, thus little detrital input, with the Bremer systems and Mount Gabi facing the Southern Ocean which plays a key role in the global ocean circulation and climate systems. Such studies in the vast deep waters around the Australian continent are rare given the lack of local ROV capability available for research, thus little is known about these environments.Using the resources of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, we characterised the submarine topography from high-resolution bathymetric mapping, geology, physical and chemical oceanography, and provide an overview of these environments including the fauna observed and collected. We show that these Southern Ocean-influenced environments incorporate South Indian Central Water, Subantarctic Mode Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, and Upper and Lower Circumpolar Deep Water, with Antarctic Bottom Water present in deep water just south of the Bremer canyon systems. The richness in megabenthos, especially along the steep, rocky substrates of the canyon heads and walls around the Bremer canyon systems, contrasts to the comparatively depauperate fauna of the more northerly Perth Canyon. Various corals serve as important substrates for a range of other species and often exhibit particular faunal associations. Especially notable are distinct ecological zones including a bryozoan and sponge-dominated (animal) forest on the shelf edge, spectacular coral gardens along canyon margins, and the occurrence of solitary scleractinians well below the aragonite saturation horizon. Subfossil coral deposits were discovered across all three study areas, reflecting periodic waxing and waning of deep-water Scleractinia throughout this southwest region. Extensive pre-modern assemblages at Mount Gabi contrast markedly with the sparse populations of living species and suggest that it might have once been a major coral hotspot, or whether they reflect long-term coral aggregations is yet to be determined. Nevertheless, stark differences in both living and past coral distribution patterns across our study sites point to at least localised fluctuations in Southern Ocean-derived nutrient and/or oxygen supplies to these deep-sea communities.