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Dr. Rachel Lauer, PhD, is embarking on her next deep-sea expedition, exploring the Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean for the first time.

, an associate professor in the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment with the , and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Rob Perrin, BSc, MSc, PhD, have set sail with the from June 27 to July 30.

“This whole region has tons of oil and gas exploration,” Lauer said in an interview before she departed. “But no one has been to the deep to see what’s going on.”

The notes that 99 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago’s marine jurisdiction is below recreational scuba depths. It makes the mesophotic ocean layer — the zone between 30 and 150 metres — and the deep ocean the nation’s largest ecosystems.

The institute adds that the geological setting of the two islands is an ideal environment to discover methane seeps, mud volcanoes and coral reefs.

Lauer, who’s a hydrogeologist, and join , PhD, and a team of mostly Trini scientists who will explore the area. They will use a variety of tools to conduct a baseline study of the two ecosystems near , an island country of the southeastern West Indies.

It’s Lauer’s 14th deep-ocean research cruise.

She was on the same ship with Amon and a team of international scientists who  at a low-temperature hydrothermal vent offshore of Costa Rica in June 2023.

Lauer also joined the , a Canadian expedition near Haida Gwaii off the B.C. coast in 2024 and 2025 to explore and monitor the deep-sea ecosystems in and around existing, planned and potential marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean.

Her research includes , to investigate the hydrogeology and flow patterns within the ocean crust. Her previous work has focused on flow between seamounts, which are basically extinct volcanoes on the sea floor that host communities that thrive in warm fluid emanating from the crust. 

During the Trinidad and Tobago expedition, she will focus on regional faults and mud volcanoes that represent fluid pathways for deeper, warmer water to reach the seafloor.

Lauer’s research is important as countries increasingly consider deep-sea mining. There’s a push to protect the seamounts, which host a lot of biodiversity.

“This whole area is really complicated geologically,” she explained.

“We’re all very excited about the opportunity to explore a new part of the deep ocean with an incredible team of mostly women. It’s an honour to be included.”

The expedition includes daytime dives and nighttime (the measurement of water depth in oceans, rivers or lakes mapping). 

It can be throughout the month.