Essex scientist helps discover 100 new ocean species
Dr Jessica Gordon joined the 3 week voyage to New Zealand
A University of Essex scientist helped discover around 100 new and potentially new ocean species on an expedition to New Zealand.
The three-week voyage was the first flagship Southern Hemisphere expedition for Ocean Census, a global alliance to accelerate the discovery and protection of life in the ocean.
The team of scientists from New Zealand collaborated with experts from the UK and Australia to collect almost 1800 samples from as deep as 4800 metres underwater along the 800-kilometre-long Bounty Trough.
Dr Jessica Gordon, a Specialist Technician in Essex’s School of Life Sciences, was a key part of the three-week expedition.
Dr Gordon said: “We explored unmapped areas of the seafloor down to 5,000 meters and discovered over 100 new species of deep-sea organisms.
“Overall, the three weeklong expedition and subsequent taxonomy workshop was an amazing experience, and I look forward to collaborating with Ocean Census in the future.
“I was honoured to join this groundbreaking expedition to the Bounty Trough in New Zealand with Ocean Census in collaboration with Te Papa Tongarewa Museum and NIWA alongside taxonomy experts from around the world.”
Ocean Census Science Director Professor Alex Rogers, who co-led the expedition, says he’s been impressed with the sheer biodiversity of life they’ve discovered.
“It looks like we have a great haul of new, undiscovered species. By the time all our specimens are examined, we will be north of 100 new species. But what’s really surprised me here is the fact this extends to animals like fish – we think we’ve got three new species of fish.”
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