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Serpent Project Mutineer 1 - Subsea Field Development

Created 23/06/2025

Updated 23/06/2025

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SERPENT - Scientific and Environmental remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Partnership using Existing iNdustrial Technology. A highly successful mission resulted after 8 days of ROV operations. Four 40 m video transects were completed, for megafaunal abundance, diversity and distribution in the area. Transects were conducted at 210°, 180°, 160° and 140° from the blow-out converter (BOP). Videos will be analysed for megafaunal diversity and habitat mapping. This is a soft bottom environment in 150m water depth. On this mission large aggregations of sea urchins were discovered, along with anemones and encrusting sponges on the existing sub-sea structures, consistent with soft bottom communities. Nutrient selection behaviour of the sea urchin Diadema sp. was monitored, and urchins showed a clear preference for high-protein food blocks (squid-based). In caged experiments, a shift in preference from protein to kelp and seagrass was apparent. This suggests that Diadema sp. were protein deprived and were seeking to redress a nutrient imbalance by increasing their intake of protein. Having redressed this nutrient imbalance they returned to a high-carbohydrate, algae and plant-based diet. Analysis of video footage of urchin interaction indicates one urchin feeding will prevent others from mounting the feeding plates within reach of other urchins' spines. Feeding marks on the agar blocks once brought to the surface indicated which arrays were being eaten. Sea urchins were also evident adjacent to the BOP. They were obviously not deterred by drill spoil. We hope to return to Mutineer-Exeter in 2007 for repeated sampling.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Serpent Project Mutineer 1 - Subsea Field Development
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/092ad0f6-e844-4d36-a5a8-614c5825adba
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
murray.thomson@sydney.edu.au
Reference Period 20/08/2006 - 27/08/2006
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    116.5615,
    -19.31
  ],
  "type": "Point"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Serpent Project Mutineer 1 - Subsea Field Development". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/serpent-project-mutineer-1-subsea-field-development