Application of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) to deep-sea benthic surveys in the Northeast Pacific : lessons from field tests in 2015 (original) (raw)

Benthic Habitat Characterization Offshore the Pacific Northwest Volume 1: Evaluation of Continental Shelf Geology

The wave and wind climates along the west coast of North America provide some of the best prospects for offshore renewable energy development, yet initial assessments of the seafloor have been patchy. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) requires knowledge of the seafloor environment and of seafloor-associated (benthic) organisms that may be affected by renewable energy activities. This program of research on benthic habitats and organisms of the Outer Continental Shelf off Washington, Oregon and northern California was designed to provide baseline knowledge of seafloor geology and marine invertebrate distributions at a regional scale by undertaking new mapping, synthesizing existing mapping data, conducting biological assessments and developing new predictive models. By focusing on the physical properties of the seafloor and species-habitat associations throughout the region, this study has delivered tools and information directly useful for assessing renewable energy devel...

Utilizing Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) and Ocean Exploration Mapping Data for Standardized Marine Ecological Classification of the U.S. Atlantic Margin

2020

Author contribution to the paper: Sowers conceptualized the case study chapter in collaboration with J. Dijkstra and K. Mello. Sowers wrote the overall paper, and prepared all figures except for Figure 2.7 which was prepared by J. Dijkstra. Bathymetric data analysis, geoform classification, GIS analysis, and harmonization of classification terminology with the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) were completed by Sowers. Substrate and biological annotations from remotely operated vehicle (ROV) video were completed by K. Mello. Statistical analysis and interpretation of biological assemblages were completed by J. Dijkstra. G. Masetti developed the BRESS software used for the geomorphic analysis and provided technical guidance on application of the tool. The chapter v content is reproduced in this dissertation document with written permission of the copyright holder Elsevier Ltd.

The Unknown and the Unexplored: Insights Into the Pacific Deep-Sea Following NOAA CAPSTONE Expeditions

Frontiers in Marine Science

Over a 3-year period, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) organized and implemented a Pacific-wide field campaign entitled CAPSTONE: Campaign to Address Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean NEeds. Under the auspices of CAPSTONE, NOAA mapped 597,230 km 2 of the Pacific seafloor (with ∼61% of mapped area located within US waters), including 323 seamounts, conducted 187 ROV dives totaling 189 h of ROV benthic imaging time, and documented >347,000 individual organisms. This comprehensive effort yielded dramatic insight into differences in biodiversity across depths, regions, and features, at multiple taxonomic scales. For all deep sea taxonomic groups large enough to be visualized with the ROV, we found that fewer than 20% of the species were able to be identified. The most abundant and highest diversity taxa across the dataset were from three phyla (Cnidaria, Porifera, and Echinodermata). We further examined these phyla for taxonomic assemblage patterns by depth, geographic region, and geologic feature. Within each taxa, there were multiple genera with specific distribution and abundance by depth, region, and feature. Additionally, we observed multiple genera with broad abundance and distribution, which may focus future ecological research efforts. Novel taxa, records, and behaviors were observed, suggestive of many new types of species interactions, drivers of community composition, and overall diversity patterns. To date, only 13.8% of the Pacific has been mapped using modern methods. Despite the incredible

Delineating the boundary and structure of higher trophic level assemblages in the western North Pacific Ocean

Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 2017

Understanding the community structure of oceanic higher trophic level (HTL) organisms (e.g., sharks, tunas, salmons, and squids) is fundamental to management of marine resources in a way that ensures their sustainable use and maintains marine ecosystem functionality and biodiversity. We analyzed the spatial structure of HTL assemblages in the western North Pacific Ocean using driftnet survey data collected at latitudes of 35-46°N along transect lines at 144°E, 155°E, and 175.5°E longitude in July and August 2011. We proposed a new dissimilarity metric segmentation procedure (Dissimilarity Segmentation) based on the differences of mean Bray-Curtis dissimilarity indices between two individual driftnet hauls within the same subarea or among different subareas. Dissimilarity Segmentation allowed us to divide the western North Pacific Ocean into three subareas: a northern subarea (> 41°N including 41°N on the 175.5°E transect), a transition subarea (37-41°N), and a southern subarea (< 37°N). The HTL biomass in the northern subarea was high, and the species diversity was low; dominant and common species accounted for most of the biomass. The HTL assemblage in the southern subarea was composed of many species that were uncommon or rare; the biomass was lower, and the species diversity was higher than in the northern subarea. In the transition subarea, neon flying squid accounted for most of the biomass, and although the biomass was intermediate, species diversity was highest among the three subareas. Canonical correspondence analysis with oceanic environmental variables, principally chlorophyll a, sea surface salinity, and sea surface height, as the explanatory variables accounted for 43.6% of the variance of the HTL pelagic species composition. This result suggests that the HTL pelagic community in the western North Pacific is influenced largely by productivity and oceanic physical structure. These results suggest that an analytical approach based on Dissimilarity Segmentation combined with medium-to long-term survey datasets could facilitate the investigation of spatial-temporal variations in the spatial structure of HTL pelagic communities and the environmental causes thereof.

A comparison of seafloor habitats and associated benthic fauna in areas open and closed to bottom trawling along the central California Continental Shelf

2009

Executive Summary: A number of studies have shown that mobile, bottom-contact fishing gear (such as otter trawls) can alter seafloor habitats and associated biota. Considerably less is known about the recovery of these resources following such disturbances, though this information is critical for successful management. In part, this paucity of information can be attributed to the lack of access to adequate control sites – areas of the seafloor that are closed to fishing activity. Recent closures along the coast of central California provide an excellent opportunity to track the recovery of historically trawled areas and to compare recovery rates to adjacent areas that continue to be trawled. In June 2006 we initiated a multi-year study of the recovery of seafloor microhabitats and associated benthic fauna inside and outside two new Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) closures within the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries. Study sites inside the EFH closure ...

Applying the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) to Nearshore Habitats in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

2018

Many countries have classification standards for their environmental resources including criteria for classifying coastal and marine ecosystems. Until 2012, the United States just had a nationwide protocol for classifying terrestrial and aquatic habitats with no national standard for marine and most coastal habitats. In 2012 the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) was implemented to address this need. In the past, coastal and marine classifications were developed at the regional or local level. Since its inception, the CMECS has not been applied in many geographic areas. My study was one of the first to apply the CMECS to the benthic habitats in the nearshore Northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Sidescan sonar mapping and dive surveys were completed at 33 sites at depths 10–23 m. Hardbottom and sand habitats characterized the study area, and the underwater surveys revealed hard corals, sponges, and macroalgae as the dominant taxa on the hardbottom. The CMECS was ap...

Application of the coastal and marine ecological classification standard to Gosnold Seamount, North Atlantic Ocean

2020

The expansive and dynamic nature of the ocean's water column may limit the feasibility of the frequent in situ sampling that would be necessary to monitor these habitats and produce region-wide map products with any regularity. Alternatives to in situ sampling such as remote sensing and classification offer a means of routinely characterizing the environmental forcing functions that shape and determine habitat suitability and distribution. Four products derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-aqua satellite (chlorophyll concentration, salinity, sea-surface temperature, and euphotic depth) and a hydrodynamic modeled product for bottom to surface temperature differences (Dt) were evaluated to assess the utility of these products as proxies for in situ measurements. MODIS images covering the northern Gulf of Mexico were obtained for a 5-year time period (January 2005 e December 2009; 300 total images) and processed through Automated Processing System. The products were used to classify surface waters in three regions of the northern Gulf of Mexico using subcomponents and modifiers from the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) Water Column Component (WC) to determine if CMECS categories could be affectively used to categorize the products into meaningful management units. Products were assessed for each month over the five year period. Sea-surface temperature and salinity were classified into CMECS WC temperature and salinity subcomponent categories, respectively. Three modifiers from the WC were also used for the pelagic classification: water column stability, productivity, and turbidity. Dt was used to assign classification for water column stability; surface chlorophyll was used to determine phytoplankton productivity; and euphotic depth was used to indicate the level of turbidity. Statistical analyses of the products compared to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission's Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program in situ data indicated that the MODIS and hydrodynamic modeling products were consistently different from the in situ data; however, we believe the potential is strong for use of these standard products to enhance water column information. Use of the CMECS WC with appropriate modifiers captures all the significant pelagic environmental parameters which influence habitat and species distributions. Of the parameters evaluated, the sea-surface salinity and temperature, as expected, were most useful for making comparisons. Further research incorporating different types of data is necessary to explore the full potential of this approach. Specifically, resource managers would like to see the incorporation of sediment and bathymetry data. We believe addition of these data layers would result in more robust habitat maps and provide an innovative tool for resource managers.

Assessment of the benthic biota of a deep coastal ecosystem by remote and in situ sampling techniques

Marine and Freshwater Research, 2010

Deep coastal ecosystems (435 m) occur on the continental shelf of many regions and are poorly understood relative to shallow-water ecosystems. These ecosystems frequently support commercially important benthic-associated species, such as the western rock lobster -the most valuable single-species fishery in Australia. We used remote (towed video) and in situ (diver collection) sampling techniques to investigate the benthic biota of deep coastal ecosystems along the temperate west coast of Australia. We tested the hypotheses that (1) there is no difference in benthic assemblage structure between shallow and deep coastal ecosystems, (2) there is no difference in benthic assemblage structure between locations, and (3) both sampling techniques provide comparable descriptions of benthic assemblages. Deep coastal ecosystems were found to have significant algal and sponge assemblages, suggesting that a reduction in irradiance with depth is not constraining algal distribution. Differences in sponge, algal and macroinvertebrate community composition were detected at a regional scale between study locations. Both sampling techniques identified differences in the composition of benthic assemblages according to location, and yielded similar outcomes with respect to sponge and algal assemblages, suggesting that a single method of habitat classification can be used in future studies to determine broad scale patterns in benthic assemblage composition.