Anegada Passage & the British Virgin Islands' Seamounts

Within the Caribbean region, numerous unexplored seamounts punctuate the seafloor holding records of geologic, biologic and oceanographic processes over different time-scales.  Seamounts are topographically and oceanographically complex with environmental characteristics that vary greatly and have often been suggested to be biodiversity hotspots, however, many of these hypotheses are only beginning to be explored in detail. Exploration of seamount environments in the Greater Antilles/Lesser Antilles transition zone will provide insight into their geological origin, the spatial distribution, ecology, and biodiversity of associated fauna.