Is the marine biology community ready for what seems like an
inevitable deluge of data on deep sea species?
A recent partnership between James Cameron’s DEEPSEA
CHALLENGE and Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution1, is set to increase the science communities ability to
gather data on deep sea species. Using advanced technology, developed by
Cameron’s team, marine biologists around the world are surely about to generate
a wealth of data.
The release of an Apple Store app by the World Register of
Deep Sea Species2 is perhaps
a further indication of what is to come. The 20,000 plus species currently described
may just be a drop in the ocean. Our own experience is that over half of
species from deep sea projects tend to be unknown, which is a commonly reported
phenomenon from surveys3
around the globe.
Considering it can take years before the taxonomic community
accepts a species description, are current data processes up to the task? Using
specialist software to store species records and link them to identification
aids, like photo and video, facilitates easy and stable storage of this
precious data. Please visit www.thomsonecologysoftware.com
for more information.
Links
Photo - NOAA, Ocean Explorer (Flickr Account)
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