COBRA Webinar – January 2026

Deep-Sea Exploration and Research from AGU25

We feature the speakers below from our deep-sea sessions at the December 2025 American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting “Accelerating Exploration and Research of the Deep Sea to Inform Decision-Making (posters and orals)” to give the larger COBRA community a chance to learn about their science and tools.

• Jules Fillion, Harvard University. Habitat Complexity and Niche Differentiation Structure Deep-Sea Coral Assemblages Across the Blake Plateau.
• Annette Govindarajan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Combining multi-vehicle operations, autonomous sampling, and environmental ‘omics for surface to seafloor biodiversity assessments of the Geologists Seamounts.
• Hope Jerris, Middlebury College. Identifying Trace Metal Sources to the Australian-Antarctic Ridge Phytoplankton Bloom During a Suspected Hydrothermal Eruption.
• Kevin Konrad, Oregon State University. Tectonomagmatic Setting of Mid and Western Pacific Seamounts within the US Economic Exclusive Zone.
• Maven Mercado, Drexel University. Characterizing Deep-Seafloor Habitats and Communities off the U.S. West Coast.
• Gustavo Ramirez, California State University Los Angeles. Characterization of (Sub)Seafloor Microbial Communities at Octopus Nurseries Associated with Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Vents at La Pampa Submarina, Costa Rica.
• Jake Russell, Orpheus Ocean. The Orpheus AUV: An Ultra-Scalable Tool for Deep Ocean Exploration.
• Scott Wieman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Integrating Real Time Multibeam and In Situ Methane Measurements for Seep Hunting: A Case Study from the Chilean Margin.