Life at the Romanche Fracture Zone | 4K ROV Highlights

During the #SamplingGap expedition, an international science team collected the first visual observations of the Romanche Fracture Zone — a 950-km transform fault zone along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The area serves as a vital corridor between the eastern and western Atlantic basins, allowing deep-water currents to move between them. Led by Dr. Jose Angel A. Perez of the University of the Itajaí Valley, Brazil, and Prof. Kerry Howell of Plymouth Marine Laboratory, U.K., the international team is looking for ecological patterns in deep-sea benthic species and communities in this dynamic environment. Data collected here will advance the potential to classify specific areas of this high seas region as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute