Personal submersibles offer novel ecological research access to Antarctic waters: an example, with observations of the rarely encountered scyphozoan Stygiomedusa gigantea

  • Daniel M. Moore Viking Expeditions, Hamilton, Bermuda
  • Anna Elina Flink Viking Expeditions, Hamilton, Bermuda
  • Eva Prendergast Viking Expeditions, Hamilton, Bermuda
  • Antony Gilbert Viking Expeditions, Hamilton, Bermuda
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v42.8873
Keywords: Submarine, polar, medusa, citizen science, jellyfish, tourism

Abstract

Underwater biological surveys have been conducted around the Antarctic continent for several decades, and our knowledge of the species present in the shallow waters (<50 m) is reasonably comprehensive. However, the waters below 50 m remain underexplored on the account of difficulty of access, financial barriers and relatively few operational platforms capable of deployment to such depths. Here, we demonstrate that personal submersibles, now increasingly deployed by the expedition cruise industry, can be vessels of opportunity for biological research in the polar regions. We describe direct observations of the rarely encountered scyphozoan Stygiomedusa gigantea at water depths of 80–280 m in Antarctic Peninsula coastal waters as an example of the potential that personal submersibles present for the scientific community, and we outline possible research avenues for utilizing these platforms in the future.

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Published
2023-01-30
How to Cite
Moore D. M., Flink A. E., Prendergast E., & Gilbert A. (2023). Personal submersibles offer novel ecological research access to Antarctic waters: an example, with observations of the rarely encountered scyphozoan <em>Stygiomedusa gigantea</em&gt;. Polar Research, 42. https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v42.8873
Issue
Vol. 42 (2023)
Section
Research Notes
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