03.08.21 Las Cruces.Team members of NUTME conducted the first measurements to understand how oceanographic dynamics relate to mesophotic reef ecosystems.

Researchers used a CTD Sonde to determine water temperature, salinity, oxygen levels and fluorescence from clorophyll.

These variables influence animals inhabiting mesophotic environments and change in the different seasons during the year. Researchers seek to understand how these variables relate to mesophotic ecosystems and biodiversity.

Other research efforts were made during the day such as remote videos using BRUVS, collection of water samples for later eDNA analysis (using Niskin bottles) and drift kelp counting. Scientists suggest that drifting brown algae can be potentially a food source for organisms living in mesophotic reefs.

Step by step NUTME will unveil the secrets of deep reefs in the central coast of Chile.