Research reveals nutrient ‘seafloor superhighways’

A month long exploration of hidden canyons beneath the ocean has helped scientists unlock secrets of how waterways work.

Transcript

00:00A ship living up to its name, the RV investigator has spent a month at sea researching the mysteries

00:07of the deep.

00:08We saw a stingray down at almost 3,000 metres.

00:13We saw all sorts of wildlife down in the depths that we weren't expecting.

00:18While surveying previously unseen underwater submarine canyons which lie off the East Australian

00:24coastline.

00:25As deep cliffs and ravines descend down the continental shelf to the seabed four kilometres

00:30below.

00:31And scientists believe it's crucial to how coastal ecosystems work.

00:35The waters around Australia are actually pretty low in nutrients, however the deep waters

00:40are actually a reservoir of nutrients and the key to the game is to get those deep nutrients

00:46up.

00:47Using a combination of radar and camera technology, the team was able to reveal what they're now

00:51calling seafloor superhighways.

00:54It was amazing looking at the towed camera and the fish life down at the bottom of those

00:59canyons 3,000 metres deep and the landforms.

01:03Indigenous rangers now have a better understanding of the marine life in their care.

01:07Knowing what the seafloor looks like is just highly important to us, knowing what species

01:13to look after.

01:15We do have a responsibility to look after what we call as kin.

01:19The mission for the crew of the Investigator is now complete but these scientists won't

01:24be back on the open water any time soon.

01:26They now have years of data to sift through.

01:29This voyage makes an impact, that we start to think about submarine landforms more.

01:34And who knows what other mysteries are still lying beneath the surface.