Following the Nazca Ridge Expedition: The Chile Species Discovery Workshop
Nazca Ridge Expedition
In July 2024 the Ocean Census joined the Schmidt Ocean Institute on its ‘High Seas and Seamounts of the Nazca Ridge’ expedition. Scientists from the Ocean Census Science Network collaborated with the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) team to identify 20 potentially new marine species sampled from the expedition.
This expedition focused on an underwater mountain range located 900 miles off the coast of Chile and was the third expedition this year to explore the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges for SOI. Earlier SOI expeditions in January and February 2024 revealed over 150 species previously unknown to science, along with many instances of fauna being observed in new areas. The new species will be registered to the Ocean Census, aiding with the discovery and documentation of new marine life.
The Chile workshop was hosted by Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) and aimed to accelerate species discovery from the material collected as part of the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridge expeditions.
Five taxonomists from the Ocean Census Science Network participated in the species discovery workshop. Take a look below at our brilliant team of participant scientists who delved into the samples taken from these exciting expeditions:
Chris Mah
Asteroidea (Starfish)
Smithsonian
Kirill Menin
Echinoidea (Sea Urchin)
P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology
Enrique Macpherson
Galatheoidae (Squat Lobster)
CSIC
Peter Stahlschmidt
Gastropoda (Sea Snail)
University of Kaiserslautern-Landau
Tim O’Hara
Ophiuroidea (Brittle Stars)
Museums Victoria
Workshop Objectives
Primary Objectives
New species discovery and identification of specimens across a range of taxa that are, or are likely to be, species new to science.
To produce a catalogue of new species and potential new species to include high-resolution images and collection data.
Secondary Objectives
To create an accessible collection of specimens, to be curated and held by the National Museum Chile.
Keep up to date with the workshop
Keep up to date with all of our further findings from the Chile workshop, by following The Ocean Census on our socials.
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