Blue Hole Research: Snap recorder in the field

Blue holes are large, deep, and often hard to study marine caverns or sinkholes. A team of researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Georgia Tech, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a three-year study to explore blue holes in the Gulf of Mexico using a maneuverable, autonomous, benthic lander. Initial findings suggest that the Amberjack Hole is anoxic with a sulfidic bottom and is devoid of life, while the Green Banana hole, located almost 50 miles offshore, exhibits signs of life. The team hopes to learn whether this blue hole is connected to the Floridan aquifer system (see this video for more project info).

Attached to the lander frame, Loggerhead's Snap recorder is capturing audio from the blue hole. These acoustic data will be analyzed to learn more about blue hole ecosystems and soundscapes and whether the water's chemical composition, including salinity, dissolved oxygen, or other compounds, may impact soniferous organisms. While water sampling is limited to daylight hours, the Snap will record sound even at night when the blue hole seems particularly active.