
In the frigid depths of the Labrador Sea, these scientists are studying coral in novel ways
CBC
Two heads are better than one at solving a problem, as the old saying goes.
Well, imagine the strides in ocean science when 36 researchers come together on a month-long deep-sea mission.
That's exactly what happened this past summer on board the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen, as part of its annual science program.
The trip eyed the deep-water corals of the northern Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay, seeking to reveal answers to mysteries about how ecosystems far, far below the surface actually operate.
Maxime Geoffroy, a fish specialist with the Marine Institute in St. John's and chief scientist for the mission, describes the 28-day journey as a holistic approach to science. He says having such a wide variety of scientists on board one vessel — from geologists to people analyzing water nutrients — can bring researchers a new understanding of the complexity of the ocean.
"If I'm looking at fish and I don't really look at the habitat where they could spawn near the bottom, then I lose a whole perspective of their lifecycle," he said.
"But if I can sit at lunch with a specialist of the bottom habitat, and have a discussion about why these fish are there ... then it brings a whole new perspective about what we could expect in the future, in terms of reaction to the environment."