Steve W. Ross

University of North Carolina Wilmington | UNCW · Center for Marine Science

Deep-sea or cold-water corals form substantial habitat along many continental slopes, including the southeastern United States (SEUS). Despite increasing research on deep coral systems and growing appreciation of their importance to fishes, quantitative data on fish communities occupying these ecosystems are relatively lacking. Our overall goals we...

Twenty-seven species in four families (Eleotrididae, Gobiidae, Ptereleotridae, and Microdesmidae) of gobioid fishes occur in North Carolina waters. Fourteen species (52%) are mostly restricted to a variety of shallow estuarine habitats: Awaous banana (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1837), rare in tidal freshwater; Bathygobius soporator (V...

We examined the extent of movements of juvenile Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, and gulf kingfish, Menticirrhus littoralis, along an open ocean beach. Fishes were collected by seine at three sites along Masonboro Island and Carolina Beach, NC between 7 June and 7 July 1995. All specimens 40 mm standard length (SL) were tagged with coded wir...

de Froe, E., Yashayaev, I., Mohn, C., Vad, J., Mienis, F., Duineveld, G., Kenchington, E., Head, E., Ross, S. W., Blackbird, S., Wolff, G. A., Roberts, J. M., MacDonald, B., Tulloch, G., and van Oevelen, D.: Characterizing regional oceanography and bottom environmental conditions at two contrasting sponge grounds on the northern Labrador Shelf, Bio...

Deep-sea sponge grounds are distributed globally and are considered hotspots of biological diversity and biogeochemical cycling. To date, little is known about the environmental conditions that allow high sponge biomass to develop in the deep sea. Here, we characterize oceanographic conditions at two contrasting sites off the northern Labrador Shel...

Heterocarpus ensifer A. Milne—Edwards (1881) (Crustacea: Pandalidae), armed nylon shrimp, is widely distributed in the western and eastern North Atlantic Ocean. In the western Atlantic this shrimp occurs from off North Carolina to Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), western Bahamas, and Caribbean Sea at depths of 170—885 m. Despite its widespre...

Deep-sea sponge grounds are distributed globally and are considered hotspots of biological diversity and biogeochemical cycling. To date, little is known about the environmental constraints that control where deep-sea sponge grounds occur and what conditions allow high sponge biomass to develop in the deep sea. Here, we characterize oceanographic c...

This annex to the U.S. Southeast chapter in “The State of Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems in the United States” (Hourigan et al. 2017) provides a list of deep-sea coral taxa in the Phylum Cnidaria, Classes Anthozoa and Hydrozoa, known to occur in U.S. waters from Cape Hatteras to the Florida Keys. This list is an update of the peer-reviewed 20...

Deep-sea coral habitats, comprising mostly Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus 1758), are well developed on the upper and middle continental slope off the southeastern United States (SEUS). These habitats support a diverse and abundant invertebrate fauna, yet ecology and biology of most of these species are poorly known. Ten cruises conducted off the SEUS (...

In summer 2022 five marine expeditions were organised by OceanGate Expeditions, in partnership with OceanGate Foundation to study the Titanic wreck at approximately 3,800 m depth offshore Newfoundland, Canada. These expeditions constitute a unique collaboration example between academia (e.g., the iAtlantic research programme), industrial partners (...

Anthropogenic debris has been reported in all studied marine environments, including the deepest parts of the sea. Finding areas of accumulation and methods of transport for debris are important to determine potential impacts on marine life. This study analyzed both sediment cores and Remotely Operated Vehicle video to determine the density and dis...

Cold seeps support fragile deep-sea communities of high biodiversity and are often found in areas with high commercial interest. Protecting them from encroaching human impacts (bottom trawling, oil and gas exploitation, climate change) requires an advanced understanding of the drivers shaping their spatial distribution and biodiversity. Based on th...

Towards the assessment of North Atlantic deep sea ecosystems’ status: opportunities and challenges unraveled by the ATLAS project.

Fish often aggregate to spawn, feed, rest, or avoid predation. Direct observations of very high counts of large‐bodied grouper on deep shipwrecks, however, do not fit into typical descriptions of spawning‐, resource‐, or predation‐driven aggregations. To investigate whether these observations are rare or part of an underlying pattern, we synthesize...

Circulation patterns in the North Atlantic Ocean have changed and re-organized multiple times over millions of years, influencing the biodiversity, distribution, and connectivity patterns of deep-sea species and ecosystems. In this study, we review the effects of the water mass properties (temperature, salinity, food supply, carbonate chemistry, an...

The deep sea plays a critical role in global climate regulation through uptake and storage of heat and carbon dioxide. However, this regulating service causes warming, acidification and deoxygenation of deep waters, leading to decreased food availability at the seafloor. These changes and their projections are likely to affect productivity, biodive...

Submarine canyons are often morphologically complex features in the deep sea contributing to habitat heterogeneity. In addition, they act as major conduits of organic matter from the shallow productive shelf to the food deprived deep-sea, promoting gradients in food resources and areas of sediment resuspension and deposition. This study focuses on...

Chemosynthetic environments support distinct benthic communities capable of utilizing reduced chemical compounds for nutrition. Hundreds of methane seeps have been documented along the U.S. Atlantic margin (USAM), and detailed investigations at a few seeps have revealed distinct environments containing mussels, microbial mats, authigenic carbonates...

In August 2007, October 2008 and September–October 2010, 241 Tucker trawl and plankton net tows were conducted at the surface to depths of 1377 m at six locations in the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to document leptocephalus diversity and determine how assemblage structure, larval size, abundance and isotopic signatures differ across t...

Lesson learned in the ATLAS project regarding the challenges and opportunities in achieving “Good Environmental Status” in North Atlantic deep-seas.

Assessing environmental status in North Atlantic deep seas

This study characterizes a decadal assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in muscle tissues of mesopelagic fish species as indicators of the environmental health of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) deep-pelagic ecosystem. Mesopelagic fishes were collected prior to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill (2007), immediately post-spill (2010), a...

Cold-water corals provide critical habitats for a multitude of marine species, but are understudied relative to tropical corals. Primnoa pacifica is a cold-water coral prevalent throughout Alaskan waters, while another species in the genus, Primnoa resedaeformis, is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean. This study examined the V4-V5 region of t...

We mapped submarine canyon research using a scientometric approach to define and characterize its scientific landscape based on a comprehensive bibliographic dataset. The abundance of studies covering structural and functional aspects of submarine canyons allowed us to identify the existing knowledge clusters, historical trends, and emergent topics...

Progress in Assessing Good Environmental Status in Deep-sea Benthic Ecosystems: D1, D3, D6 and D10.

This annex to the U.S. Southeast chapter in “The State of Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems in the United States” provides a list of deep-sea coral taxa in the Phylum Cnidaria, Classes Anthozoa and Hydrozoa, known to occur in U.S. waters from Cape Hatteras to the Florida Keys. Deep-sea corals are defined as azooxanthellate, heterotrophic coral s...

Examination of food webs and trophic niches provide insights into organisms' functional ecology, yet few studies have examined trophodynamics within submarine canyons, where the interaction of canyon morphology and oceanography influences habitat provision and food deposition. Using stable isotope analysis and Bayesian ellipses, we documented deep-...

Submarine canyons are often hotspots of biomass due to enhanced productivity and funneling of organic matter of marine and terrestrial origin. However, most deep-sea canyons remain poorly studied in terms of their role as conduits of terrestrial and marine particles. A multi-tracer geochemical investigation of particles collected yearlong by a sedi...

Until recently, benthic habitats dominated by deep-sea corals (DSC) appeared to be less extensive on the slope of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) than in the northeast Atlantic Ocean or off the southeastern US. There are relatively few bioherms (i.e., coral-built mounds) in the northern GOM, and most DSCs are attached to existing hard substrata (e.g., aut...

Until recently, benthic habitats dominated by deep-sea corals (DSC) appeared to be less extensive on the slope of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) than in the northeast Atlantic Ocean or off the southeastern US. There are relatively few bioherms (i.e., coral-built mounds) in the northern GOM, and most DSCs are attached to existing hard substrata (e.g., aut...

Compared to tropical corals, much less is known about deep-sea coral biology and ecology. Although the microbial communities of some deep-sea corals have been described, this is the first study to characterize the bacterial community associated with the deep-sea octocoral, Paramuricea placomus. Samples from five colonies of P. placomus were collect...

The recent discovery of active methane venting along the US northern and mid-Atlantic margin represents a new source of global methane not previously accounted for in carbon budgets from this region. However, uncertainty remains as to the origin and history of methane seepage along this tectonically inactive passive margin. Here we present the firs...

A multi-disciplinary study of two major submarine canyons, Baltimore Canyon and Norfolk Canyon, off the US mid-Atlantic coast focused on the ecology and biology of canyon habitats, particularly those supporting deep-sea corals. Historical data on deep-sea corals from these canyons were sparse with less than 750 records for the mid-Atlantic region,...

Cold-water corals, similar to tropical corals, contain diverse and complex microbial assemblages. These bacteria provide essential biological functions within coral holobionts, facilitating increased nutrient utilization and production of antimicrobial compounds. To date, few cold-water octocoral species have been analyzed to explore the diversity...

Fish species of the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) continental shelf are well known; however, species occupying hard-bottom habitats, particularly on the outer shelf, are poorly documented. Reef-like habitats are relatively uncommon on the MAB shelf; therefore, shipwrecks may represent a significant habitat resource. During fall 2012 and spring 2013,...

Living colonies of the cold-water scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa and other typically deep-water organisms were discovered in unusually shallow depths (180-250 m) off northeastern Florida. Observations of L. pertusa on rocky substrata and coral-built mounds represent the shallowest records of large colonies of this coral in the western Atlanti...

The Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) is a well-studied region of the U.S. East coast continental margin, rich in submarine canyons. Baltimore and Norfolk canyons were studied during the multidisciplinary Atlantic Deepwater Canyons project through funding from BOEM, NOAA and USGS. Benthic infaunal community structure, standing stock, species richness and di...

Shelf-sourced submarine canyons are common features of continental margins and are fundamental to deep-sea sedimentary systems. Despite their geomorphic and geologic significance, relatively few passive margin shelf-breaching canyons worldwide have been mapped using modern geophysical methods. Between 2007 and 2012 a series of geophysical surveys w...

The structure-forming, cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa is widely distributed throughout the North Atlantic Ocean and also occurs in the South Atlantic, North Pacific and Indian oceans. This species has formed extensive reefs, chiefly in deep water, along the continental margins of Europe and the United States, particularly off the southeastern U....

The Cape Lookout cold-water coral area off the coast of North Carolina forms the shallowest and northernmost cold-water coral mound area on the Blake Plateau in the NW Atlantic. Cold-water coral habitats near Cape Lookout are occasionally bathed in the Gulf Stream, which is characterised by oligotrophic warm water and strong surface currents. Here,...

The Cape Lookout cold-water coral area off the coast of North Carolina forms the shallowest and northernmost cold-water coral mound area on the Blake Plateau in the NW Atlantic. Cold-water coral habitats near Cape Lookout are occasionally bathed in the Gulf Stream, which is characterised by oligotrophic warm water and strong surface currents. Here,...

The deep-sea goosefish Sladenia shaefersi Caruso and Bullis, now known from only six specimens in collections around the world, appears to be more common than once thought, as indicated by recent in-situ observations off the southeastern United States and in the northern Gulf of Mexico. These sightings have provided new information on geographic di...

Water temperature may be a primary exogenous determinant of deep-sea coral distributions. The upper thermal threshold for survival of the deep-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758) is generally accepted to be ~12–14 °C, based on field observations of coral distributions. However, hydrographic conditions over coral mounds are dynamic on vari...

On 11 February 2013, the joint ICES/NAFO WGDEC, chaired by Francis Neat (UK) and attended by ten members met at the Institute for Marine Research in Floedevi-gen, Norway to consider the terms of reference (ToR) listed in Section 2. WGDEC was requested to update all records of deep-water vulnerable marine eco-systems (VMEs) in the North Atlantic. Ne...

The δ(15)N values of organisms are commonly used across diverse ecosystems to estimate trophic position and infer trophic connectivity. We undertook a novel cross-basin comparison of trophic position in two ecologically well-characterized and different groups of dominant mid-water fish consumers using amino acid nitrogen isotope compositions. We fo...

Meta-analysis of region-specific published stomach content studies for lanternfish and dragonfish diet. Meta-analysis of region-specific published food items (at the taxonomic level of Order) for lanternfish (L) and dragonfish (D) species and trophic positions (mean ± S.E.) (as published and defined by the FISHBASE online database (Froese and Pauly...

Regional values of source and trophic amino acids in lanternfish and dragonfish. Comparison of isotopic compositions of the source amino acid phenylalanine (δ15Nphe) and the trophic amino acid glutamic acid (δ15Nglu) (mean ± S.D.) in lanternfishes and dragonfishes across all five oceanographic regions. Dragonfish values for Hawaii include specimens...

Relationship between fish length and bulk tissue nitrogen isotopic values in fishes. Bulk tissue δ15N values (‰) versus fish standard length (mm) in a) lanternfishes and b) dragonfishes from five regions (TAS = Tasman Sea, CA = California Current, GOM = Gulf of Mexico, HI = Hawaii, MAR = mid-Atlantic Ridge). (TIF)

Best available region-specific bulk stable nitrogen isotope data used to estimate fish trophic positions. Summary of best available bulk stable nitrogen isotopic baseline values used to calculate trophic positions of lanternfishes and dragonfishes (TPbulk). Isotopic data characterizing regional food web bases from the same seasons and years was not...

Intra-laboratory comparison of measured bulk tissue δ15N values. Comparison of bulk tissue δ15N (a) and δ13C (b) values measured at the University of Hawaii and two outside laboratories (University of North Carolina Wilmington (n = 3) and Ehime University (n = 6)). Neither the slope nor the intercept is different from 1 and 0, respectively at the 9...

Deep-sea corals provide important habitat for many organisms; however, the extent to which fishes and other invertebrates are affiliated with corals or other physical variables is uncertain. The Cape Fear coral mound off North Carolina, USA (366–463 m depth, 33° 34.4′N, 76° 27.8′W) was surveyed using multibeam sonar and the Johnson-Sea-Link submers...

Museum records can enhance distribution maps of deep-sea corals (DSC), but museum data usually acquired from online internet catalogues may be of uncertain quality. Also, many museum records are unavailable through online sources. Holdings of four structure-forming DSC species (Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata, Enallopsammia profunda, Enallopsam...

Near-bed hydrodynamic conditions were recorded for almost one year in the Viosca Knoll area (lease block 826), one of the most well-developed cold-water coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. Here, a reef-like cold-water coral ecosystem, dominated by the coral Lophelia pertusa, resembles coral habitats found off the southeastern US coast and the Nor...

During June 2011, a BOEMRE/NOAA/USGS -funded multibeam bathymetry survey mapped the upper reaches (<900-m depths) of the Norfolk, Washington, and Baltimore canyons. Combined with existing multibeam bathymetry of the continental slope and rise, the new data provide a detailed view of the sedimentary processes that shaped the mid-Atlantic margin. The...

Cold-water corals are common on the SE slope of the US (SEUS) from Florida to Cape Hatteras between depths of 400-600 m. Near Cape Hatteras cold-water corals have formed mound structures that are up to 60 m high, which are mainly covered by living colonies of the coral species Lophelia pertusa. Past explorations of major reef sites of N Carolina us...