International research team discovers more than 50 new marine species

An international scientific team led by Ariadna Mecho, a researcher from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion (BSC-CNS), observed 160 species off the coast of Chile and announced that more than 50 of these species are new.

The Schmidt Ocean Institute's latest underwater expedition to the Salas Gomez Ridge, an unexplored region stretching from offshore Chile to Rapa Nui, resulted in the identification of deep-sea corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, cuttlefish, fish, mollusks, crabs, sea stars, dwarf lobsters and other species that have probably never been observed by scientists before.

The expedition, which took place from February 24 to April 4, involved an international team of 25 scientists from 14 organizations in five countries (Chile, United States, Italy, Spain, Netherlands).

The Rapa Nui Marine Council or Koro Nui o te Vaikava supported the expedition by providing the main permit to work in the area and collaborated by providing a Koro Nui observer and a local sailing expert to bring their perspectives as members of the Rapa Nui community to the expedition.

The information collected during this research expedition will provide the scientific basis to inform the management of existing marine protected areas and potentially expand them, particularly around the island of Rapa Nui.

Source: Newsroom