Drs. Sylvia Earle and Wes Tunnell to explore the mysteries of Pulley Ridge

Two scientists from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies will take part in a 10-day expedition beginning Wednesday, June 22 to chart the recently-discovered Pulley Ridge coral reef off the southwest coast of Florida.

Dr. Sylvia Earle, Advisory Council chair for the Harte Research Institute (HRI) for the Gulf of Mexico Studies at A&M-Corpus Christi and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, will serve as co-chief scientist for the four-vessel expedition. Earle, who holds several deep-sea diving records, will be aboard the lead ship “R/V Sun Coaster,” as the lead scientist for the expedition’s Deep Worker submersible diving operations when it departs the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) docks in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Dr. Wes Tunnell, associate director of HRI, is a marine biologist specializing in coral reef ecology. He’ll join the expedition aboard the “R/V Bellows,” several days later.

The uniqueness of Pulley Ridge is its depth. While other coral reefs lie no more than 150 feet below the surface, the exceptionally clear water of Florida’s southwestern coast allows sunlight to penetrate to 250 feet below the surface where photosynthesis takes place to create a symbiotic relationship between algae and coral. The expedition has three objectives, mapping, photographing and collecting specimens of the reef which exists on an ancient, submerged barrier island that stretches for approximately 125 miles along south Florida.

“The fact that Pulley Ridge, which is the deepest coral reef in the continental United States, wasn’t discovered until the late 1990s shows just how much we still don’t know about the Gulf of Mexico,” said Tunnell. “Pulley Ridge is one of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world… this is exploration at its finest.”

Coral reefs are an important habitat and provide shelter for thousands of species of marine life that are harvested by humans. The skeletons of corals and other animals and plants provide sediment for beaches and provide protection from strong waves during storms. Research on reef organisms has provided insight into human reproductive cycles and potential cures for cancer as well as the large-scale cycling of carbon which may control climate change.

The project is a collaborative effort between the Harte Research Institute, the State of Florida, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), the U.S. Geological Survey, Mote Marine Laboratory and the University of South Florida. Both the HRI and the State of Florida (Department of Environmental Protection) provided $50,000 for the expedition, and FKNMS donated funding, equipment and manpower costing an additional $50,000. 

The knowledge gained from the expedition will be one of the topics of discussion when the Harte Research Institute hosts the 2005 State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit from Monday, Nov. 7 through Wednesday, Nov. 9. The summit will bring together the top leaders of government, industry, education, science, and conservation to focus attention on the state of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, located on the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus, was founded in 2002 with a $46 million grant from Mr. Ed Harte. Its mission is to support and advance the long-term sustainable use and conservation of the Gulf of Mexico.