Azores Deep-sea Research

Marina Carreiro-Silva

Principal Investigator

0000-0001-6446-6342

1B1D-0915-7F21

Marina_Carreiro-Silva

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Marina is currently working with us with the position of Principal Investigator in the team.

Autobiography

I am a marine ecologist specialized on coral ecosystems working as an senior scientist at OKEANOS, University of the Azores. I hold a PhD degree in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Sciences at the University of Maryland (USA). After studying tropical coral reefs in my early career, in 2007, I joined a multidisciplinary team at IMAR and OKEANOS engaged in the study of deep-sea ecosystems. To advance the team’s research competencies, I have conceived and installed a laboratory for the experimentation with cold-water corals, DeepSeaLab. I currently co-lead with Telmo Morato the Azores Deep-sea Ecology research group.

Research interest

My current research focuses on the study of the diversity, spatial distribution, and functioning of cold-water corals, linking those with their ecophysiological responses to climate change and human activities under ex-situ experimental conditions. I have also been dedicated in translating these research outputs into policy advice for the protection of deep-sea vulnerable marine ecosystems by working closely with the Regional Government of the Azores and through international deep-sea working groups, e.g. DOSI, DOOS, ICES WGDEC. I participated in several national and international research projects (H2020, FCT, PO Açores) on cold-water coral ecosystems as a PI or team member.

Publications

Ecosystems and People

Fishers’ Local Ecological Knowledge of vulnerable marine ecosystems indicator species on the Portuguese continental shelf and upper slope

Oct, 2025

0 team member involved

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Democratizing deep-sea research for biodiversity conservation

Oct, 2025

4 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2025 Cruise Report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores on board the MT Physeter

Sep, 2025

4 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2025 Cruise Report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores on board the RV Arquipélago

Sep, 2025

4 team members involved

Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography

A cost-effective, open-source laboratory system for 3D photogrammetric analysis of corals

Aug, 2025

1 citations

0 team member involved

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Physiological responses of the cold-water octocoral Dentomuricea aff. meteor to sublethal effects of Cu exposure: A risk assessment to deep-sea mining activities

Jun, 2025

0 team member involved

Invertebrate Biology

Adverse effects of ocean acidification on embryonic survival of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum pertusum

Jun, 2025

1 citations

0 team member involved

Marine Biodiversity

From physics to fish: 50 Years of research at Great Meteor Seamount, NE Atlantic

Jan, 2025

1 citations

2 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2024 cruise report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores on board the RV Arquipélago

Oct, 2024

6 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2024 cruise report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores on board the MT Physeter

Oct, 2024

6 team members involved

Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers

Cold-water octocoral interactions with microplastics under laboratory conditions

Sep, 2024

3 citations

0 team member involved

Marine Biology

First insights into the embryo and larval biology of the antipatharian coral Antipathella wollastoni

Mar, 2024

1 citations

0 team member involved

PeerJ

Towards a scientific community consensus on designating Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems from imagery

Oct, 2023

16 citations Rising

1 team member involved

Zenodo

OceanX 2023 cruise report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores on board the RV OceanXplorer

Oct, 2023

2 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2023 cruise report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores on board the RV Arquipélago

Oct, 2023

4 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2023 cruise report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores on board the MT Physeter

Oct, 2023

5 team members involved

The Science of The Total Environment

Predicting the distribution and abundance of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in the deep sea of the Azores (North Atlantic)

Aug, 2023

18 citations Rising

4 team members involved

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

FUN Azores: a FUNctional trait database for the meio-, macro-, and megafauna from the Azores Marine Park (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

Jul, 2023

8 citations

1 team member involved

Marine Pollution Bulletin

A modelling framework to assess multiple metals impacts on marine food webs: Relevance for assessing the ecological implications of deep-sea mining based on a systematic review

Apr, 2023

12 citations

0 team member involved

Progress In Oceanography

Tidal to decadal scale hydrodynamics at two contrasting cold-water coral sites in the Northeast Atlantic

Apr, 2023

8 citations

1 team member involved

Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers

Spatial distributions, environmental drivers and co-existence patterns of key cold-water corals in the deep sea of the Azores (NE Atlantic)

Mar, 2023

19 citations Rising

3 team members involved

Communications Earth & Environment

A blueprint for integrating scientific approaches and international communities to assess basin-wide ocean ecosystem status

Jan, 2023

16 citations

1 team member involved

Zenodo

iMAR 2022: Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region - Cruise Report.

Dec, 2022

3 team members involved

Zenodo

iMAR 2022: Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region - Cruise Report.

Dec, 2022

3 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2021 Cruise Report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores, summer 2021

Dec, 2022

4 team members involved

ICES Journal of Marine Science

Co-designing a multidisciplinary deep-ocean observing programme at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region: a blueprint for synergy in deep ocean research and conservation

Nov, 2022

3 citations

1 team member involved

Scientific Reports

Local-scale feedbacks influencing cold-water coral growth and subsequent reef formation

Nov, 2022

22 citations

0 team member involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Mechanical and toxicological effects of deep-sea mining sediment plumes on a habitat-forming cold-water octocoral

Oct, 2022

27 citations

2 team members involved

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Beyond deep-sea mining sublethal effects: Delayed mortality from acute Cu exposure of the cold-water octocoral Viminella flagellum

Sep, 2022

9 citations

0 team member involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2022 Cruise Report: Exploration and mapping of deep-sea biodiversity in the Azores, summer 2022

Sep, 2022

2 team members involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Modelling the Dispersion of Seafloor Massive Sulphide Mining Plumes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge Around the Azores

Jul, 2022

21 citations

1 team member involved

Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers

Variability of deep-sea megabenthic assemblages along the western pathway of the Mediterranean outflow water

May, 2022

16 citations Rising

1 team member involved

Science

Protecting global marine animal forests

May, 2022

28 citations Hot

0 team member involved

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Benthic O2 uptake by coral gardens at the Condor seamount (Azores)

Feb, 2022

6 citations

1 team member involved

SEANOE

Multibeam Raw Data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

4 team members involved

SEANOE

Nutrient data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

4 team members involved

SEANOE

ADCP data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

3 team members involved

SEANOE

List of stations with data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

2 team members involved

SEANOE

SVP data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

4 team members involved

SEANOE

CTD data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

3 team members involved

SEANOE

List of deep-sea benthic video stations collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

3 team members involved

Ecology and Evolution

Dense cold‐water coral garden of Paragorgia johnsoni suggests the importance of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge for deep‐sea biodiversity

Nov, 2021

19 citations Rising

4 team members involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Where Is More Important Than How in Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Restoration

Oct, 2021

59 citations

1 team member involved

Zenodo

DeepWalls: Report on summer 2020 survey with submersible LULA1000

Sep, 2021

2 team members involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Active Ecological Restoration of Cold-Water Corals: Techniques, Challenges, Costs and Future Directions

Sep, 2021

24 citations Rising

1 team member involved

Zenodo

iMAR: Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region

Aug, 2021

1 citations

2 team members involved

PeerJ

Embryo and larval biology of the deep-sea octocoral Dentomuricea aff. meteor under different temperature regimes

Aug, 2021

14 citations

0 team member involved

Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers

Reproductive biology of two deep-sea octocorals in the Azores Archipelago

Jun, 2021

8 citations

0 team member involved

Scientific Reports

Contrasting metabolic strategies of two co-occurring deep-sea octocorals

May, 2021

19 citations

0 team member involved

Zenodo

Blue Azores Program Expedition 2018, Station 57, Dive 15: annotation of Paragorgia johnsoni Gray, 1862

Apr, 2021

1 citations

4 team members involved

Zenodo

Blue Azores Program Expedition 2018, Station 57, Dive 15: annotation of Paragorgia johnsoni Gray, 1862

Apr, 2021

1 citations

4 team members involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

North Atlantic Basin-Scale Multi-Criteria Assessment Database to Inform Effective Management and Protection of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems

Mar, 2021

12 citations

4 team members involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2020 Cruise Report: Exploration of Azores deep-sea habitats, summer 2020

Dec, 2020

4 team members involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Multidisciplinary Scientific Cruise to the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Azores Archipelago

Nov, 2020

13 citations

0 team member involved

Zenodo

North Atlantic basin-scale multi-criteria assessment database to inform management recommendations to protect Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems

Nov, 2020

4 team members involved

Ecological Indicators

Assessing the environmental status of selected North Atlantic deep-sea ecosystems

Sep, 2020

36 citations

1 team member involved

The Science of The Total Environment

Ervilia castanea (Mollusca, Bivalvia) populations adversely affected at CO2 seeps in the North Atlantic

Aug, 2020

11 citations

0 team member involved

Coral Reefs

Feeding biology of a habitat-forming antipatharian in the Azores Archipelago

Aug, 2020

14 citations

0 team member involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Habitat Features and Their Influence on the Restoration Potential of Marine Habitats in Europe

Apr, 2020

43 citations

1 team member involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Influence of Water Masses on the Biodiversity and Biogeography of Deep-Sea Benthic Ecosystems in the North Atlantic

Apr, 2020

80 citations

1 team member involved

Zenodo

MapGES 2019: Summer 2019 cruise on board of N/I Arquipélago

Mar, 2020

1 citations

4 team members involved

Global Change Biology

Climate‐induced changes in the suitable habitat of cold‐water corals and commercially important deep‐sea fishes in the North Atlantic

Feb, 2020

207 citations

2 team members involved

PANGAEA

Compilation of records of vulnerable marine ecosystem indicator taxa in the North Atlantic

Jan, 2020

3 team members involved

PANGAEA

ATLAS work on Good Environmental Status across 9 study areas in the northeast Atlantic

Jan, 2020

2 team members involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Ocean Circulation Over North Atlantic Underwater Features in the Path of the Mediterranean Outflow Water: The Ormonde and Formigas Seamounts, and the Gazul Mud Volcano

Dec, 2019

12 citations

1 team member involved

PLoS ONE

A framework for the development of a global standardised marine taxon reference image database (SMarTaR-ID) to support image-based analyses

Dec, 2019

63 citations

2 team members involved

Marine Policy

The deep sea: The new frontier for ecological restoration

Aug, 2019

81 citations

1 team member involved

Zenodo

Cruise report - Dives with LULA1000 in Baixo de São Mateus, Azores

Aug, 2019

2 team members involved

ZooKeys

Natural history collections as a basis for sound biodiversity assessments: Plexauridae (Octocorallia, Holaxonia) of the Naturalis CANCAP and Tyro Mauritania II expeditions

Aug, 2019

11 citations

0 team member involved

Zenodo

Greenpeace Pole-to-Pole expedition – Azores 2019

Jun, 2019

1 citations

2 team members involved

Marine Policy

Habitat mapping in the European Seas - is it fit for purpose in the marine restoration agenda?

May, 2019

38 citations

1 team member involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Characterization and Mapping of a Deep-Sea Sponge Ground on the Tropic Seamount (Northeast Tropical Atlantic): Implications for Spatial Management in the High Seas

May, 2019

60 citations Rising

0 team member involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Global Observing Needs in the Deep Ocean

May, 2019

293 citations

1 team member involved

PANGAEA

Climate-induced changes in the suitable habitat of cold-water corals and commercially important deep-sea fishes in the North Atlantic

Jan, 2019

2 citations

3 team members involved

Zenodo

Cruise Report - BLUE AZORES PROGRAM EXPEDITION 2018 ON BOARD THE NRP GAGO COUTINHO

Jan, 2019

4 team members involved

Zenodo

Cruise Report - MapGES / ATLAS Project: August 2018 Cruise on board of R/V Arquipélago

Jan, 2019

4 team members involved

Zootaxa

Census of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) of the Azores (NE Atlantic) with a nomenclature update

Jan, 2019

18 citations

1 team member involved

Coral Reefs

First description of polyp bailout in cold-water octocorals under aquaria maintenance

Jan, 2019

16 citations

0 team member involved

Marine Policy

Human activities and resultant pressures on key European marine habitats: An analysis of mapped resources

Sep, 2018

58 citations

1 team member involved

Environmental Pollution

Assessment of Cu sub-lethal toxicity (LC50) in the cold-water gorgonian Dentomuricea meteor under a deep-sea mining activity scenario

May, 2018

19 citations

0 team member involved

African Journal of Marine Science

Terrestrial discharge influences microbioerosion and microbioeroder community structure in coral reefs

Jan, 2018

2 citations

0 team member involved

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Limited Carbonate Dissolution by Boring Microflora at Two Volcanically Acidified Temperate Sites: Ischia (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) and Faial (Azores, NE Atlantic Ocean)

Dec, 2017

4 citations

0 team member involved

ICES Journal of Marine Science

Viewpoints in bioerosion research—are we really disagreeing? A reply to the comment by Silbiger and DeCarlo (2017)

Aug, 2017

1 citations

0 team member involved

Frontiers in Marine Science

Zoantharians (Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) Associated with Cold-Water Corals in the Azores Region: New Species and Associations in the Deep Sea

Apr, 2017

39 citations

1 team member involved

ICES Journal of Marine Science

Bioerosion: the other ocean acidification problem

Mar, 2017

188 citations

0 team member involved

Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography

Reproductive biology of the black coral Antipathella wollastoni (Cnidaria: Antipatharia) in the Azores (NE Atlantic)

May, 2016

19 citations

0 team member involved

Zenodo

Cruise report BIOMETORE 2015 to the Great Meteor Complex seamounts (Atlantis and Irving) onboard the NRP Almirante Gago Coutinho

Oct, 2015

1 citations

1 team member involved

Marine Biodiversity

An Eguchipsammia (Dendrophylliidae) topping on the cone

Apr, 2014

8 citations

1 team member involved

Coral Reefs

Molecular mechanisms underlying the physiological responses of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus to ocean acidification

Feb, 2014

59 citations

1 team member involved

Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography

Element concentrations in cold-water gorgonians and black coral from Azores region

Jan, 2013

19 citations

1 team member involved

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Variability in growth rates of long-lived black coral Leiopathes sp. from the Azores

Oct, 2012

50 citations

1 team member involved

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Macrobioerosion of dead branching Porites, 4 and 6 years after coral mass mortality

Mar, 2012

48 citations

0 team member involved

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Phosphorus and nitrogen effects on microbial euendolithic communities and their bioerosion rates

Jan, 2012

26 citations

0 team member involved

Marine Biodiversity

Carrying behavior in the deep-sea crab Paromola cuvieri (Northeast Atlantic)

Apr, 2011

27 citations

1 team member involved

Zenodo

Relatório de Cruzeiro CORALFISH Condor, Voador e Banco Açores 2010 a bordo do NRP Almirante Gago Coutinho

Jan, 2011

2 team members involved

ICES Journal of Marine Science

Isozoanthus primnoidus, a new species of zoanthid (Cnidaria: Zoantharia) associated with the gorgonian Callogorgia verticillata (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea)

Jun, 2010

26 citations

1 team member involved

ICES Journal of Marine Science

The association between a deep-sea gastropod Pedicularia sicula (Caenogastropoda: Pediculariidae) and its coral host Errina dabneyi (Hydrozoa: Stylasteridae) in the Azores

Jun, 2010

30 citations

1 team member involved

Projects

DEEP

ON-GOING PROJECT

DEEP: Deep-sea Ecosystem Evaluation for Policy solutions

Funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P.

2025.00366.AZO

Marine Beacon

ON-GOING PROJECT

Monitoring and elimination of bycatch of endangered and conserved species in th...

Funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe

101135237

BioProtect

ON-GOING PROJECT

Advancing area-based management tools to accelerate the protection and restorati...

Funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe

101157341

REDRESS

ON-GOING PROJECT

Restoration of deep-sea habitats to rebuild European Seas

Funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe

101135492

MapGES2

ON-GOING PROJECT

Characterization of deep-sea habitats, for its mapping up to the outer limit of...

Funded by Regional Government of the Azores, EU, ACORES-14-62G4-FEDER-000001, PO Açores 2020, REACT-EU, ERDF

18/DRPM/2022, ACORES-14-62G4-FEDER-000001

Coral HotSpot

ON-GOING PROJECT

The Azores: a coral biodiversity hotspot and a coldspot of genomic information

Funded by FAM Foundation (Fundação Ana Mendonça)

FAM/GRANTS-2024_2025/05

MarinePlan

PROJECT

Improved transdisciplinary science for effective ecosystem-based maritime spatia...

Funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe

101059407 (MarinePlan)

ROLEX - Azor drift-cam project

PROJECT

ROLEX - Azor drift-cam project

Funded by ROLEX

ROLEX

CORHOLOA

PROJECT

The role of the microbiome in sustaining deep-sea coral holobiont’s health and r...

Funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P.

EXPL/CTA-AMB/1294/2021

iAtlantic

PROJECT

Integrated Assessment of Atlantic Marine Ecosystems in Space and Time

Funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020

818123 (iAtlantic)

DeepWalls

PROJECT

Exploring pristine deep-sea walls to establish baselines for Good Environmental...

Funded by Regional Government of the Azores, PO Açores 2020, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF / FEDER)

ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000124

iMAR

PROJECT

Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along t...

Funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020

824077 (EUROFLEETS+)

Blue Azores

PROJECT

Blue Paper Cooperation protocol

Funded by Fundação Oceano Azul

ATLAS

PROJECT

A transatlantic assessment and deep-water ecosystem-based spatial management pla...

Funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020

678760 (ATLAS)

MapGES

PROJECT

Mapping deep-sea biodiversity and “Good Environmental Status” in the Azores: ass...

Funded by Regional Government of the Azores, PO Açores 2020, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF / FEDER)

ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-00056

DeepData

PROJECT

Data Science in the Azores Deep Sea

Funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P.

MIDAS

PROJECT

Managing Impacts of Deep-seA reSource exploitation

Funded by European Union’s FP7

603418

Cruises

L’Atalante 2018

Luso Hydrothermal Vent-field 2018

Total of 2 crew members and 7 collaborators

MapGES 2018

Mapping deep-sea biodiversity and “Good Environmental Status” in the Azores

Total of 2 crew members and 2 collaborators