This document describes the CARCACE project which aims to study ecosystems created by large organic falls in the deep Atlantic Ocean. The project involves deploying cow carcasses at 1000m depth in the Setubal Canyon and Azores to study community succession over time. New platform designs were developed to deploy and monitor the carcasses, including a floating platform and reinforced concrete platform anchored to the seafloor. The concrete platform was deployed in March 2011 to begin the first experiment of the CARCACE project.

1. 1 THE CARCACE PROJECT
1.1 General scientific background
Most deep-sea communities are limited by low
food availability (Gage & Tyler 1991). Even in
highly productive surface waters, deep-sea ani-
mals are generally adapted to a relatively low sup-
ply of carbon. Some deep-sea animals, however,
can alter their metabolism, growth rate, feeding
behaviour, and reproduction to exploit episodic
pulses of organic enrichment, such as animal car-
casses, plant debris, and wood (Gage & Tyler
1991, Levin 2002). Decomposing whale carcasses,
for example, deliver large pulses of organic mate-
rial to the seafloor and serve as habitat islands for
unique assemblages of deep-sea macrofauna
(Smith & Baco 2003). Varying in time and space,
these discrete resource patches are thought to con-
tribute to habitat complexity and increase biodi-
versity in the deep-sea environments (Baco &
Smith 2003, Dahlgren et al. 2004, Braby et al.
2007).
In situ studies on whale carcasses showed at
least three successional stages following the arri-
val of a fresh whale carcass at the deep-sea floor.
After soft tissues removal by necrophages and
scavengers, opportunistic species take advantage
of the organic enrichment of the sediments and
exposed bones. This is followed by a sulphophilic
stage where chemoautotrophy is sustained by sul-
phide coming from the anaerobic breakdown of
bone lipids (Smith & Baco 2003). Depending on
the size of the whale, its bones can contain enough
oil to support chemosynthetic species for as long
as 80 years. Because whale falls share a number of
taxa with other chemosynthetic habitats, such as
cold seeps or hydrothermal vents, they have been
hypothesized to act as steppingstones in the evolu-
tion and distribution of chemoautotrophic com-
munities (Smith et al. 1989, Distel at al. 2000).
During both the opportunistic and the sulphophilic
stages, whale falls also harbour a number of po-
tentially endemic species (Smith & Baco 2003),
the most outstanding being perhaps the recently
described bone-eating worm Osedax (Rouse et al.
2004).
The ecology, biogeography and evolution of
deep-sea whale fall communities have in the last
10 years become topics of broader interest to the
oceanographic and marine biological communi-
ties, setting the stage for more detailed ecological
and phylogenetic studies. Surprisingly, all long-
term studies of whale carcasses and other large or-
ganic falls on the deep-sea have been restricted to
the Pacific (Smith & Baco 2003, Milessi et al.
2005, Braby et al., 2007, Fujiwara et al. 2007) and
the role of these habitats in the Atlantic Ocean has
been overlooked. In the Atlantic, the only observa-
tions of mammal carcasses were either on shallow
waters (Glover et al. 2005) or short-term observa-
tions (Kemp et al. 2006), which being of utmost
importance to understand these habitats, are not
sufficient to evaluate the deep-sea community re-
sponse to intense pulses of organic falls nor their
The CARCACE project deepwater platforms – Modular designs for in
situ experiments
D. Ribeiro & A. Hilário
CESAM and Biology Department, University of Aveiro, Portugal
ABSTRACT: The CARCACE project aims to study ecosystems created by large organic falls in the deep-sea
and it required the deployment of cow carcasses at 1000m depth in the Setubal Canyon. The carcasses were
attached to a platform designed to enable the deployment of a variety of instruments and experiments. A total
of 5 survey dives will take place every six months using ROV’s or research submersibles. Various prototypes
of instruments and innovative systems can be tested during theses dives. Sediment traps, current meters, hy-
drophones, cameras and miniaturized automated labs, are some examples of the instruments that can be at-
tached to the platforms. It will also be possible to conduct long-term studies of materials resistance, which
will be subjected to 100 atmospheres for up to two years. Cooperation with various entities that can provide
technologies for the project, through “Barter Agreements” has been initiated and some examples are pre-
sented.

2. importance as sulphide-rich habitat islands at the
Atlantic Ocean deep-sea floor.
Present and past population connectivity be-
tween cold seeps in both side of the Atlantic and
hydrothermal vents in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
(MAR) is currently under debate (Cordes et al.
2007) but the importance of large organic falls has
not been discussed yet. A first insight into the role
that organic decomposition play in providing habi-
tat for chemoautotrophic invertebrate symbioses in
the deep Atlantic was given by the discovery of
vestimentiferan tubeworms, at the site of a ship-
wreck 30 miles of the coast of Spain at 1160 m
depth (Dando et al. 1992). Vestimentiferans are
predominant constituents of Pacific vent and both
Pacific and Atlantic seep habitats but their absence
from hydrothermal vents in the Mid Atlantic
Ridge (MAR) and cold seeps in the Northeast At-
lantic remains one of the most intriguing questions
for scientists studying deep-sea chemosynthetic
environments.
Only a strategic selection of new study sites has
the potential to resolve a global map of deep-sea
chemosynthetic environments biogeography and
define biogeographic boundaries. The deep Portu-
guese margin and the Azores area are not due to
receive large organic inputs from land but encom-
pass an important area of the distribution of ceta-
ceans in the Northeast Atlantic both resident (e.g.
Hyperoodon ampullatus) and migrating (e.g.
Balaenoptera physalus) (Harwood & Wilson
2001, Silva et al. 2003) and therefore are excep-
tional places to study the impact that marine
mammal carcasses might have in the deep Atlantic
Ocean.
During the CARCACE (Colonization of mam-
mal carcasses in the deep Atlantic Ocean), mam-
mal carcasses will be deployed at a 1000 m depth,
one in the S. Jorge channel (Azores) and another
in the Setubal canyon. These two in situ experi-
ments will allow a comparison between the colo-
nization dynamics and species composition be-
tween areas with different geological and
hydrological settings and address questions related
to species distribution, dispersal strategies and
phylogeography.
Table 1. Cruise planning for the experimental site in the
Setubal Canyon.
Mission Date Vessel
Deployment 5th
March 2011 NRP Alm. Gago Coutinho
Sampling November 2011 To be determined (TBD)
Sampling March 2012 TBD
Sampling November 2012 TBD
Sampling March 2013 TBD
Figure 1. Deployment of five cow carcasses in the Setubal
Canyon in March of 2011.
1.2 Objectives and working plan
Studies of any new environment generally fall
into three consecutive phases: composition, struc-
ture and dynamics. During the CARCACE project
these three phases will be followed to address a
wide range of questions in the biology of habitats
provided by large organic falls. The objectives for
this study are 1) describe deep-water mammal car-
cass’ fauna in the Atlantic, 2) investigate func-
tional anatomy of organic-fall specialists, includ-
ing potential bacterial endosymbioses, 3)
determine phylogenetic relationships of organic-
fall specialists and their closest relatives to evalu-
ate evolutionary hypotheses 4) analyse the trophic
structure of colonizing metazoan assemblages 5)
elucidate the importance of large organic falls as a
stepping-stone habitat for vent and seep species in
the Atlantic.
To achieve these objectives it was initially
planned to deploy two carcasses of stranded ma-
rine mammals in two places where marine mam-
mals occur naturally and possibly died. However,
because of logistic constraints it was decided to
use cow carcasses (Fig. 1) as an alternative simu-
lator of a large organic fall. Cow bones have been
used in other areas of the world’s oceans (e.g.
Monterey Canyon) and have been colonized by the
same groups of animals that colonize whale falls
(Jones et al 2008). The Setubal Canyon and the S.
Jorge Channel, both at approximately 1000 m
depth, were chosen as study sites. These sites have
been selected to maximize integration with a vari-
ety of geological and biological data obtained in
other projects, and also because of their proximity
to shore and the laboratories involved in the pro-
ject, which will allow an efficient use of ship-time
and virtually undisturbed retrieval of bones with
live fauna for laboratory experiments and observa-
tion. Each experimental site will be visited every
six months during a period of two years (Table 1),
video surveyed and sampled using a Remotely

3. Operated Vehicle (ROV). This approach will al-
low the identification of succession patterns, a
subject of broad ecological interest because suc-
cession provides insight into deep-sea community
response to extreme point-source enrichment, both
natural (e.g. from whale falls) and anthropogenic.
The timescales over which large quantities of or-
ganic material might become assimilated into the
seafloor community, and the recovery time of the
local community after dissipation of enrichment
are issues of relevance to deep-sea carbon flux and
to predicting the effects of analogous anthropo-
genic organic enrichment in the deep-sea floor
(e.g. relocation of sewage sludge, fishery discards,
and disposal of animal waste).
2 NEW DESIGNS FOR PLATFORMS
2.1 Specific challenges of CARCACE project
Data collection at deep-sea organic falls re-
quires an access to advanced manned or un-
manned submersibles, reducing the possibilities
for a rigorous sample design. On the other hand,
recurrent sampling is essential because of the
dramatically different faunal communities at dif-
ferent stages while the community develops, and
sampling at different spatial scales are important
to address questions related to species distribution,
dispersal strategies, phylogeography, population
genetics and population dynamics. On top of these
constraints, the study of artificially sunken organic
matter, as in the CARACE project, requires the
deployment and the sinking of a large quantity of
organic matter to the seafloor, which is usually
done by means of a concrete weight or railway
bars. Also, the risk that relatively large predators
feeding on the carcasses that would end up scatter-
ing the bones over a wide area on the seafloor
should be avoided.
To optimize the deployment activities we pro-
pose to design a platform that allows to maximize
the amount of organic material deployed and at the
same time fitting positioning and environmental
monitoring equipment. We developed an initial
customized deployment strategy that was intended
to allow the assembly of a particularly large lan-
der, and the subsequent attachment of at least two
tons of organic matter, without having to use large
oceanographic ships.
2.2 Innovative designs
A special platform was designed as a digital
prototype using Autodesk Inventor. This floating
platform uses the JETFLOAT commercial system,
together with a proprietary new support infrastruc-
ture design from BAROMETRICS (a company
that is currently being set up). This system allows
the platform to be towed at higher speed than it
would otherwise be possible. Four ramps are used
to transport and deploy large bovines. In the center
of the platform there is a moon-pool and a special
A-Frame structure that will allow the descent of a
special partially-assembled lander. At a depth of
15 meters, a team of divers completes the assem-
bly of the large lander. The lander has some mov-
ing parts, and it follows a design philosophy rela-
tively similar to the project “intelliSTRUCT”
being researched at SINTEF from Norway that
apply the principles of Tensegrity (Tensional In-
tegrity Structuring), that are also known as float-
ing compression. Muscles and bones allow vari-
ous complex movements of the human body using
these mechanical phenomena.
We are also exploring other possible overlap
areas between naval engineering and biology, us-
ing the concepts from Biomimicry research. Both
the initial and final designs of the first platform
have features to allow easy interfacing with possi-
ble future advanced underwater robotic systems
designed along the lines of the studies of root sys-
tems for ground anchoring developed by the
biomimetics group of the Advanced Concepts
Team from the European Space Agency (Dario et
al 2008).
Uncertainties with the time needed to fully test
this new design, together with the additional time
that would be required to obtain the necessary sea
worthiness certification, led to the postponement
of the construction and deployment of this new
floating platform for the first mission. Instead,
during a design review meeting, a more simple de-
sign was chosen and built, focusing on the main
task that need to be preformed by the platform,
which is, above all, to be able to anchor in a reli-
able manner for three years, all the organic mate-
rial that will give rise to the chemosynthetic eco-
system.
Since the intensity of the currents at 1000 m in
the Setubal Underwater Canyon is unknown, dur-
ing a design review meeting it was decided that it
would be desirable to have a concrete block (Fig.
2) weighing two tons to serve as a reliable anchor-
ing system able to cope with the possible exis-
tence of occasional strong currents.

4. Figure 2. General view of the instrument platform, with the
central quadripod, a passive sonar reflector, and 16 mooring
attachments that were used to attach the 5 cows.
2.3 Innovative organizational options
One innovation of the first underwater platform
from the CARCACE project consists of the use
of “barter agreements” at national level in a way
that enabled a faster pace of the final design,
construction, and deployment. Barter agree-
ments are frequently used as tools for interna-
tional cooperation. These arrangements allow
for no-cost exchanges of ship-time and major
marine equipment, and promote a more efficient
and cost-effective use of each country's re-
sources by giving the scientific communities ac-
cess to a wider range of marine facilities and
geographical areas in a given year than would
otherwise be possible. At the national level, and
among private companies and universities,
however, these tools are not used as frequently
as they could be. The authors believe that it is
possible to deepen and broaden the use of this
“enabling tool” at the national level. Besides the
barter agreements, there is also the possibility to
increase the impact on the market of each mis-
sion or research dive. This is based on the
maximization of a new parameter based on the
“stakeholder” concept (R. Edward Freeman,
1984): “stakeholder density per mission”. In
space projects, due to the very high cost of or-
bital launches this value is usually very high. In
oceanographic projects, oftentimes, it tends to
be relatively lower. For example, there are some
cases where research dives take place using
tools and infrastructures that could easily ac-
commodate additional biological experiments
and materials resistance tests. Likewise, differ-
ent universities occasionally miss out on possi-
ble cooperation efforts. Coordination among re-
search groups with very different interests may
be difficult but it is possible to bypass this po-
tential difficulty by establishing joint efforts at
the private level. New cooperation strategies are
being explored through the application of new
organizational paradigms developed from stud-
ies of the evolutionary importance of altruism at
the biological level (Nowak & Highfield 2011).
This also has the additional advantage to open
up new possibilities for private research to take
place alongside usual academic research. Some
of the new trends in aerospace design, towards
faster, cheaper, better missions, as described in
the book “The Logic of Microspace” (Fleeter,
2000) were incorporated on our design and will
continue to guide our approach to new oceano-
graphic instrumentation design.
3 FIRST MISSION
3.1 Construction of the concrete platform
The reinforced concrete platform weights 2000
Kg and has embedded structures to hold scientific
instruments and/or experiments (Fig. 3). These
are: four suction conduits; four cylindrical wells
around the central area; ten smaller experiment
holders near the edges; one larger experiment
holder tube. Along the edges, there are eight
groups of markers designed to provide a visual re-
ference to ROV operators.
3.2 Deployment of the first platform
On the 5th
of March, 2011 the first platform
was deployed at 38º16.85’N; 09º06.68’W at 1004
m depth using the Portuguese research vessel NRP
Almirante Gago Coutinho (Fig. 4). Before deploy-
ing the platform we surveyed the site seafloor with
the vessel’s multibeam echosounder.
The deployment was made on a flat area of the
Setubal Underwater Canyon, located near the Es-
pichel Cape.
3.3 Initial Barter Agreements
Although many exploratory contacts have been es-
tablished with a wide variety of stakeholders, only
three barter agreements have been established up
to now. The possibility to develop and suggest a
new standardized legal mechanism to support
these particular efforts is being studied, possibly
with the adoption of intellectual property man-
agement solutions using some of the “Creative
Commons” (Aliprandi, 2010) principles.

5. Figure 3. The reinforced concrete platform has four longer
suction conduits on the corners. In spite of the 19 embedded
structures, there was still space available for more instru-
mentation to be housed inside.
Figure 4. NRP Gago Coutinho from Instituto Hidrográfico
was chosen due to the ability to use Dynamic Positioning.
An acoustic transponder was used to release the concrete
platform with several embedded experiments.
3.4 Support from National Veterinary
Authorities
The need to find a way to attach the cows to the
platform, so that, on one hand they would not be-
come detached by predators, but that would be
flexible enough to mimic the bone layout of a
whale fall, led to the cooperation with Professor
Saraiva Lima, a veterinarian from “Faculdade de
Medicina Veterinária”. A metal cable was intro-
duced through the oesophagus of the five cows in
order to anchor them permanently to the platform.
Industrial straps were also used.
The national veterinary authorities (Direcção
Geral de Veterinária - DGV) were instrumental in
allowing access to the carcasses of cows that died
of natural causes, and provided key clarifications
about the legal framework required to enable the
use of bovines for scientific purposes. The car-
casses were collected at the farms where they died
and taken to a factory (ITS - Industria Transfor-
madora de Subprodutos, S.A.) where the bowels
were removed and the carcasses washed and sown.
Several cetaceans that die and wash up on the
shores create complex disposal problems to the
coastal sanitary authorities due to their large size.
There is a possible future role for marine biolo-
gists to help with this problem by suggesting suit-
able locations where the whale carcasses can be
sunk with great benefit for this research project.
3.5 Sponsorship from SECIL
In order to seize the opportunity to evaluate the
behaviour of concrete at a depth of 1000 meters,
SECIL developed a special kind of cement. After
2013, there is the possibility to recover the plat-
form, thus allowing an unprecedented occasion to
study the behaviour of concrete structures at
greater depths than usual. SECIL also used this
opportunity to test six different types of concretes
that were placed inside mesh bags attached to the
platform (Fig 5). These samples will be retrieved
during the sampling dives of the CARACE pro-
ject.
Figure 5. Besides providing a special type of cement that
was developed for this experiment, there are six different
samples attached to the platform inside bags that will allow
their retrieval by ROV’s. There is also an additional sample
of a cement rod encased in PVC.
3.6 Cooperation with Marsensing Company
Marsensing is a spin-off from the Underwater
Acoustic Signal Processing Laboratory of the
University of the Algarve. The goal of this col-
laboration is to test the possibility to document the
evolution of the deep chemosynthetic ecosystem
with new advanced bioacoustic tools. The plat-
form was designed to allow the future placement

6. of batteries that will be able to power the hydro-
phones for six months (Fig. 6).
Figure 6. Hydrophone casing being placed on one of the cen-
tral cylindrical slots, for watertight testing.
3.7 Cooperation with Adobe Engenharia S.A.
The fast fabrication of the platform was enabled
by the initiative of a private company that is cur-
rently developing prototypes for underwater in-
struments and innovative support structures (Fig.
7). The company has the technical capability to
contribute to the study of new anchoring systems,
through soil deformation analysis.
Figure 7. Adobe Engenharia has the capability to build a
very wide variety of support infrastructures quickly. This
quadripod lifted the full weight of the concrete platform
flawlessly.
4 NEXT MISSIONS
The recent acquisition of a deep-sea ROV by
the Portuguese Task Group for the Extension of
the Continental Shelf (EMEPC) provides an op-
portunity to the Portuguese scientific community
to develop research on the deep-sea, especially on
in situ observation and experimentation.
As an example, the concrete platform that is cur-
rently deployed at a depth of 1000 meters has four
embedded green tubes that have a diameter delib-
erately compatible with the suction sampler from
the “Luso” ROV. This feature will allow sampling
under the platform in an area that otherwise would
be inaccessible. Several other aspects have been
designed in order to maximize accessibility and
interoperability to various underwater systems.
4.1 Four Survey Dives
Several different commercial ROV’s are being
evaluated as potential tools. The location of the
instrumentation platform, being relatively near the
shore, allows a wider selection of support vessels
that will be able to make a short detour from their
main mission and therefore provide flexible op-
portunities to conduct the survey dives. Each sur-
vey dive must bring back six pushcores of sedi-
ments, as well as a variety of underwater
organisms that will be collected in order to study
the evolution of the chemosynthetic ecosystem.
In order to document the gradual emergence of
new life forms on the experiment site, the dives
are scheduled to take place every six months.
4.2 Experiments that can be deployed
A special emphasis is to be given to materials re-
search, in part because of the relatively rare oppor-
tunity of monitoring over time the various changes
that will occur. The variety and quantity of ex-
periments currently envisaged is relatively similar
to the ones that were deployed on the Long Dura-
tion Exposure Facility - LDEF payload that or-
bited the earth for five years from 1984 to 1990
(Clark et al 1984).
4.3 Instruments that can be deployed
Similarly to what is happening with coastal
aquatic environments there is a vast array of in-
struments that can be used to monitoring deep-sea
ecosystems (Miller et al 2005). Sediment traps,
current meters, acoustic beacons, hydrophones, or
even cameras and miniaturized automated labs,
are some of the examples of the instruments that
can be attached to the deepwater platforms.

7. 4.3.1 Mounted on the concrete platform
Currently there are several empty slots on the
concrete platform. Along the sides, there are 10
cylindrical support structures of 50 mm diameter
for sediment traps or other apparatus that may be
available. Three rectangular empty slots can be
used to place various boxes. There are 12 attach-
ment points on the legs of the quadripod. Four up-
per attachment points can also be used. Three in-
ner cylindrical cavities under the quadripod legs
are still available (the fourth is occupied by the
Marsensing Hydrophone watertight test).
4.3.2 Mounted on the ROV Cage
Oftentimes ROV cages are used with several
empty areas that could easily carry various sensors
and experiments. In some cases, waterproofing
tests of small subsystems can be performed. The
experiment from Marsensing that is currently un-
derwater, for instance, only needed this kind of
“experimental dive opportunity”.
4.3.3 Piggyback payloads on ROV’s and subs
In order to increase “stakeholder density” per dive,
a number of different ways to attach secondary in-
strument experiments is being designed. In some
cases, customized booms will allow a consider-
able increase to the scientific yield of each dive.
Lightweight hydrodynamic fairings will be added
if necessary, to avoid any serious disruption of
performance.
4.3.4 Deployed by additional mini-landers
By using PVC tubes filled with concrete, con-
nected by cables, it will be possible to build
smaller support structures. This will allow the
placement of additional payloads around the initial
instrument platform.
5 FUTURE PROJECTS
The systems currently being developed can
gradually become national standards. There is a
possibility to cultivate self-sufficiency in some ar-
eas of oceanographic instrumentation. Some com-
ponents could be built under license from well es-
tablished subsea technology companies. A
Portuguese system similar to the Spanish OBSEA
project (Carreras et al 2009) or the American
Monterey Accelerated Research System cabled
seafloor observatory, is currently being envisaged
for the Luis Saldanha Marine Park area. The loca-
tion of the first concrete platform that was de-
ployed on the 5th
of March 2011 could become the
terminal node of a future network of “near shore”
cabled underwater observatories, linking the sea-
floor around the Sesimbra region. Another system
could be located in the Nazaré underwater canyon,
allowing for a wide variety of oceanographic pa-
rameters.
Scientists from CESAM and other institutions
will be invited to provide various instrumentation
and scientific support to the initial nodes of a pro-
totype version of a cabled underwater observatory.
All the systems and infrastructures developed and
tested during the CARCACE project can be used
to support theses developments. Scientists to-
gether with partners in the telecom industry can
contribute to the efforts currently underway for the
harmonization of Ocean Observing Systems (Del
Rio & Delory 2010).
Some of the foreseeable large data output from
all theses instruments and experiments can be ana-
lyzed with the involvement of the general public
under “Citizen Science” projects relatively similar
to the “Stardust@home” supported by NASA, the
University of California in Berkeley and the
Planetary Society.
6 CONCLUSIONS
The scientific goals of the CARCACE project are
demanding and require the systematic develop-
ment and continued deployment of advanced
deepwater platforms. Several new designs are be-
ing developed. The existing barter agreements, to-
gether with additional cooperative ventures, using
new organizational paradigms, may help over-
come several obstacles that limit the scope and the
depth of joint efforts among different stakeholders
at the national level. The capabilities currently be-
ing developed may enable the launch of a new
project to create an innovative underwater cabled
observatory network that can allow the creation of
new products and services.
7 AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The CARCACE project is financed by the Euro-
pean Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
through the COMPETE programme and by na-
tional funds through FCT (project ref:
PTDC/MAR/099656/2008). AH is financed by the
FCT grant SFRH/ BPD/22383/2005
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