Biology in the Arctic

Fire + Ice: Exploring for Volcanoes Beneath the Arctic
The Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Expedition
July 31 - October 3, 2001


A bathypelagic egg-carrying shrimp

As the biologist aboard the USCGC Healy (the only one among many geoscientists!), my primary interest was in collecting deep-sea benthic, or sea-floor, organisms and animals from hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Because sunlight does not reach extreme depths in the ocean, organisms at vents rely primarily on chemosynthesis, or chemical energy, instead of photosynthesis—a unique and interesting way for organisms to make a living! Scientists have known about these ecosystems only since 1977.

Many of the dredges by Healy contained biological samples from the benthos and water column above. Animals, mollusc shells, fossils, associated rocks, and other evidence of biological activity were collected. Organisms were preserved using multiple methods for planned studies of their morphology and genetic studies. A surprising number of dredges yielded sponges and shrimp.

Though the sampling was not biologically targeted, the recovered animals are uniquely valuable to science. Sessile species hold clues to the minimum age of recent lava flows and sulfide deposits. If the organisms are live near hydrothermal vents, their distributions will indicate or confirm active venting areas along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and could extend biogeographic inferences into another ocean basin.

The far-sightedness of the AMORE geologists in providing biologists with this singular opportunity sets a high standard for interdisciplinary research at vents. Complete taxonomic sorting of samples and species identifications will be conducted, new species will be fully described, and correlations between biological distributions and venting will be investigated.

Linda Kuhnz
I traveled on one of the German helicopters to a nearby ice floe to help collect algae, ice, and water samples
Sponges collected from Gakkel Ridge

Preliminary report of biological specimens recovered from geological sampling equipment during the AMORE 2001 cruise:
D= Dredge (Collected on USCGC Healy)         W = Wax Core (Collected on USCGC Healy)        
P = Pipe Dredge (Collected on Polarstern)         T = TV Grab (Collected on Polarstern)
Date Sample Type Specimens Depth Range (m)
7-Aug-01 W sponge spicules, chitonous material 4794
8-Aug-01 D sponges 4524-4680
8-Aug-01 D amphipod 3574-4038
9-Aug-01 D sponges 4113-4084
10-Aug-01 W forams, calcareous tubes 3480
10-Aug-01 D shrimp sp. A 3535-3700
11-Aug-01 D scyphozoa, sieved mud, calcareous tubes 3080-3420
12-Aug-01 D sponges, sieved mud, rocks with sponge attachment sites,sulfide mud,  limpet shells 3982-4102
12-Aug-01 D polychaete worm tube 2314-3077
13-Aug-01 W mud 3982
14-Aug-01 D sponges 3987-4004
14-Aug-01 D  > 5 spiral tubes on pillow basalt 2986-3028
14-Aug-01 D calcareous tubes recovered from basalt 3053-3249
15-Aug-01 D calcareous tubes recovered from basalt 3143-3206
15-Aug-01 W mud 3776
16-Aug-01 D chaetognath, sponges, calcareous tubes, shrimp spp. A&B 2324-2584
16-Aug-01 D sponges 3957-3860
17-Aug-01 D shrimp spp. A&B 3132-3281
19-Aug-01 D bivalve and gastropod shells 2891-3090
20-Aug-01 D sponges, basalt w/sponge attachment sites 4089-4249
20-Aug-01 D sponges 4033-4331
20-Aug-01 D sponges, mud 3858-4292
20-Aug-01 D sponges 4309-4526
21-Aug-01 D sponges 4058-4470
21-Aug-01 D bivalve shell 4305-4614
24-Aug-01 D shrimp sp. A 4365-4456
25-Aug-01 D ctenophore sp. A, scyphozoa 3819-4077
26-Aug-01 D sponge 3465-3738
26-Aug-01 D shrimp sp. A 3777-4329
27-Aug-01 D sponges, shrimp sp. A 3874-4300
28-Aug-01 D pelagic nemertean sp. A 3984-4051
28-Aug-01 D sponges 3940-4098
28-Aug-01 D sponges 4082-4171
29-Aug-01 D shrimp sp. A, scyphozoa 3383-3795
30-Aug-01 D ctenophore sp. B 3624-4020
31-Aug-01 D sponges 4131-4694
1-Sep-01 D sponges 4002-4345
1-Sep-01 D sponges, calcareous tubes 3085-3474
2-Sep-01 D anemone, calcareous tubes 2634-2939
2-Sep-01 D pelagic nemertean sp. B 2985-3220
3-Sep-01 D calcareous tubes 3488-3543
10-Sep-01 D shrimp sp. A 3800-4077
11-Sep-01 D shrimp sp. A, calcareous tubes 2659-3423
13-Sep-01 W bivalve shells 4126
13-Sep-01 D shrimp sp. A, mud 3872-4198
14-Sep-01 D sponges 3929-4328
14-Sep-01 D foram/sponge spicule mat, forams, octocorals, shrimp sp. C, asteroids, amphipod, copepod, bivalves, bivalve shells, gastropod, gastropod shells 631-1249
15-Sep-01 D anemone 3942-4132
15-Sep-01 D chaetognath 4163-4182
16-Sep-01 D sponges 4183-4182
17-Sep-01 D sponges 4460-4866
17-Sep-01 D sponges 4464-4954
18-Sep-01 D sponges 4900-4800
18-Sep-01 surface amphipod surface
19-Sep-01 D bivalve shell 3294-3518
20-Sep-01 D sponges 4496-4688
20-Sep-01 D shrimp sp. A, sponges 4774-4958
20-Sep-01 D sponges, large basalt with numerous sponge attachments 4734
21-Sep-01 D sponges 4275-4875
22-Sep-01 D sponges 4370-4425
23-Sep-01 D sponges 4137-4533
23-Sep-01 D rock with anemone attachment site 3666-4245
23-Sep-01 D sponges, forams, bivalves, anemones attached to sponges, large quantity unsorted sieved material 1791-2266
23-Sep-01 D sponges 4470-4767
23-Sep-01 D sponges 4326-4514
24-Sep-01 D sponges 4200
24-Sep-01 D shrimp sp. A 4515
15-Aug-01 P bivalve shell 2851-2967
19-Aug-01 P sponges 3486-4036
25-Aug-01 T sponges 4047
26-Aug-01 T sponge 4539
26-Aug-01 P sponges 4361-4978
28-Aug-01 T sponges 4376
28-Aug-01 T bivalve shell 4281
19-Sep-01 T sponges 4091

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