PAH and PCB body-burdens in epibenthic deep-sea invertebrates from the northern Gulf of Mexico.

There is a paucity of information on the levels of PAHs and PCBs in the deep-sea (≥200 m). In this study, the body-burdens of 16 PAHs and 29 PCBs were measured in: Actinaria (sea anemones), Holothuroidea (sea cucumber), Pennatulacea (sea pens), and Crinoidea (sea lilies) in the deep Gulf of Mexico. All epibenthic species were collected at depths of approximately 2000 m.

Microbial Community Diversity Within Sediments from Two Geographically Separated Hadal Trenches.

Hadal ocean sediments, found at sites deeper than 6,000 m water depth, are thought to contain microbial communities distinct from those at shallower depths due to high hydrostatic pressures and higher abundances of organic matter. These communities may also differ from one other as a result of geographical isolation. Here we compare microbial community composition in surficial sediments of two hadal environments-the Mariana and Kermadec trenches-to evaluate microbial biogeography at hadal depths.

Anthropogenic "Litter" and macrophyte detritus in the deep Northern Gulf of Mexico.

A deep-sea trawl survey of the Northern Gulf of Mexico has documented the abundance and diversity of human-generated litter and natural detrital plant material, from the outer margin of the continental shelf out to the Sigsbee abyssal plain. Plastics were the most frequently encountered type of material. Litter and debris were encountered more frequently in the eastern than in the western GoM.