Home > Explore Data & Reports > Cruise Report for Patterns in Deep-Sea Corals Expedition: NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada SH-15-03

Citation:

Caldow, C., P.J. Etnoyer, and L. Kracker. 2015. Cruise Report for Patterns in Deep-Sea Corals Expedition: NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada SH-15-03. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 200. Silver Spring, MD. 15 pp. doi:10.25923/krv2-ps85

Data/Report Type:

NOAA Technical Memorandum

Description

Less than 50% of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary seafloor has been mapped using multibeam echosounders to produce habitat characterizations at a map resolution suitable for resource management. This is important because deep-sea coral and sponge communities are known to occur within the Sanctuary. Mapping activities and benthic survey operations were conducted aboard NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada with Beagle ROV between March 13 and March 22, 2015 in order to address these data gaps. A total of 82 square miles were mapped using the ships ME70 multibeam system. A total of 36 water samples were collected to 545 meters depth for evaluation of carbonate chemistry. The research team completed 13 ROV dives between 50 and 300 meters depth. Samples of deep-water sea fan colonies and stony coral aggregations were collected and retrieved for species identification, age, and growth studies. An extensive coral garden consisting of large sea fans with many rockfish was discovered at 60-80 m depth on the north side of Santa Rosa Island, outside of existing no-take areas.

Note to readers with disabilities: Some scientific publications linked from this website may not conform to Section 508 accessibility standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing this electronic content, please contact the lead/corresponding author, Primary Contact, or nccos.webcontent@noaa.gov.

Explore Similar Data/Reports

About NCCOS

NCCOS delivers ecosystem science solutions for stewardship of the nation’s ocean and coastal resources to sustain thriving coastal communities and economies.

Stay Connected

Sign up for our quarterly newsletter or view our archives.

Follow us on Social

Listen to our Podcast

Check our our new podcast "Coastal Conversations"