COBRA

COBRA – the Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator – is a NSF-funded network-of-networks led by Director Dr. Beth Orcutt (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences) and Associate Director Dr. Julie Huber (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). The mission of COBRA is to accelerate research on the structure, function, resilience, and ecosystem services of the crustal ocean biosphere – the rocky parts of the deep sea like seamounts, hydrothermal vents, and below the seafloor. The goal is to generate new knowledge and inform decision-making relating to emergent industrial uses of the deep ocean, such as deep-sea mining and subseafloor carbon sequestration, and to decrease the likelihood of serious harm to the deep sea while maintaining the broad benefits that society currently enjoys.