Challenger 150

Challenger 150 is focused on deep-sea biological science, designed to deliver capacity and knowledge to help achieve the desired state of the deep ocean by the end of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Co-chairs:

  • Professor Kerry Howell, University of Plymouth, UK

  • Dr Ana Hilario, University of Aveiro, Portugal

 

Fundamentally a grass-roots initiative, it serves as a vehicle for coordination of deep-sea research globally towards a set of common objectives to:

  • build capacity for deep-sea research globally supporting the development of people, facilities, technology and public understanding;

  • expand deep-sea biological observations and sampling in all ocean basins, specifically focusing on underexplored regions;

  • build fundamental ecological understanding of deep-sea ecosystems including ecosystem services delivered by the deep seas, and flows of benefits to society;

  • increase use of deep-ocean knowledge through development of effective ‘knowledge to end-user’ pathways, including use of decision-support tools in modelling deep sea management scenarios.

Challenger 150 received formal recognition as an Ocean Decade programme after the co-developing groups collectively outlined their ideas for a deep-sea focused Ocean Decade programme in the sister publications, Nature Ecology and Evolution and Frontiers in Marine Science. The project is currently composed of 64 partners from 24 countries with new members joining as the Programme gains momentum.

A dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis) swims away.

NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico 2014.