Impressions from the SponGES dives
Impressions from the SponGES dives
Extensive deep-sea sponge fields of Pheronema carpenteri were discovered by the LULA1000 crew, south of the Island of Pico.
Those communities have been studied during a series of dives carried out during summer 2018, within the European SponGES project, in collaboration with the IMAR Institute of the University of the Azores.
During the missions with the LULA1000 manned submersible, video-documentation as well as sampling of sponges and associated fauna has been done.
SponGES (Deep-sea Sponge Grounds Ecosystems of the North Atlantic) is an international research and innovation project funded under the H2020 Blue Growth BG1 call. Its overarching goal is to develop an integrated ecosystem-based approach to preserve and sustainably use deep-sea sponge ecosystems of the North Atlantic.
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