| Contributors | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Van Dover, Cindy | Duke University | Principal Investigator |
| Eggleston, David B. | North Carolina State University - Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (NCSU MEAS) | Co-Principal Investigator |
| McVeigh, Doreen | North Carolina State University - Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (NCSU MEAS) | Contact |
| Copley, Nancy | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO) | BCO-DMO Data Manager |
Measurements were taken over varying time intervals in order to conserve battery for longer ACM missions. The data are time/date stamped accordingly. ACM's are manufactured by Falmouth Scientific, Inc. and are 2-Dimensional ACMs. The models are identical, and the firmware is the same except for one of the Gulf of Mexico deployment ACMs, which featured newer Firmware.
The data has been minimally processed.
| File |
|---|
SEEPC_ACM.csv (Comma Separated Values (.csv), 4.24 MB) MD5:2a282f9f32463fc95c7b29d7f4d78679 Primary data file for dataset ID 561439 |
| Parameter | Description | Units |
| cruise_id | cruise identification | unitless |
| deploy_num | deployment number | unitless |
| mooring | mooring identification | unitless |
| lat | latitude; north is positive | decimal degrees |
| lon | longitude; east is positive | decimal degrees |
| depth | depth | meters |
| time_start | start time | HH:MM:SS |
| date_start | start date | mm-dd-yyyy |
| serial_num | serial number of instrument | unitless |
| AVN | northward (- is Southward) component of current velocity averaged over the averaging interval (defined in the config screenshots) | cm/s |
| AVE | eastward (- is Westward) component of current velocity averaged over the averaging interval (defined in the config screenshots) | cm/s |
| ASPD | average speed | cm/s |
| AVDIR | average direction | degrees from North |
| TIME | UTC time | HH:MM:SS |
| DATE | UTC date | mm-dd-yyyy |
| ISO_DateTime_UTC | date and time; ISO 8601:2004(E) formatted | YYYY-mm-ddTHH:MM:SS[.xx]Z (UTC time) |
| yrday_utc | UTC day and decimal time; eg. 326.5 = the 326th day of the year or November 22 at 1200 hours (noon) | unitless |
| VN | northward (- is Southward) instantaneous velocity | cm/s |
| VE | eastward (- is Westward) instantaneous velocity | cm/s |
| Dataset-specific Instrument Name | ACM |
| Generic Instrument Name | Deep-Sea Current Meter and Larval Trap Mooring |
| Generic Instrument Description | The Deep-Sea Current Meter and Larval Trap Mooring is a seafloor anchored mooring equipped to collect sediment/invertebrate larva, and record deep-sea ocean current and acoustical data.
Instruments on the mooring have included sediment traps and a Falmouth Scientific Inc. Acoustic Current Meter with vector-averaged current speed and direction. |
| Website | |
| Platform | R/V Oceanus |
| Report | |
| Start Date | 2011-05-17 |
| End Date | 2011-05-20 |
| Description | cruise for SEEPC project.
Cruise information and original data are available from the NSF R2R data catalog.
Science Objectives (from Cruise Planning Synopsis):
Preliminary science activities at 3 Barbados seep sites (El Pilar, Orenoque A, Orenoque B) on the accretionary wedge for return visit to sites with DSRV Alvin in May-June 2012. Part of the Seep Connectivity Project funded by NSF to investigate historical and contemporary linkages among Barbados, Gulf OF MExico, and Blake Ridge seep species.
Science Activities
At each site:
1) Sub-bottom profiling to locate seep areas
2) MOCNESS tow for larval sampling
3) Deep-water (35 m HOB) mooring deployment (current meter, 2 sediment/larval traps per mooring)
4) Bone/wood package deployment |
| Website | |
| Platform | R/V Atlantis |
| Start Date | 2014-05-21 |
| End Date | 2014-06-14 |
| Description | Start: Depart Gulfport, MS 05/21/2014
End: Arrive St. Petersburg, FL 06/14/2014
The AT26-15 cruise was conducted as part of the project "Connectivity in western Atlantic seep populations: Oceanographic and life-history processes underlying genetic structure" (SeepC) funded by NSF OCE-1031050. The cruise included coordinated deployments of DSV Alvin and AUV Sentry.
Science objectives (from the WHOI Cruise Planning Synopsis):
The primary objective of the SeepC Project is to advance our general knowledge of connectivity in the deep sea using taxa found at seeps as model systems. The focus is on species and processes occurring in the Intra-American Sea (including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and eastern seaboard of the US), with attention to oceanographic circulation, life histories, and genetics.
Our efforts include improving the oceanographic model for the IAS near the seabed using current data from moorings at several depths and locations and coupling this model to a Lagrangian larval transport model. We stress the importance of iterative interactions among the science teams to advance our understanding of connectivity in the deep sea through descriptive and hypothesis-driven research. We will develop effective and best methods for hypothesis testing under the constraints of working in a relatively inaccessible environment and will build capacity in understanding connectivity in deep-sea systems. |
This project will evaluate connectivity on spatial scales that match those at which vent systems are being studied (3500 km), with a set of nested seeps (within the Barbados system) within which connectivity can be explored at more local spatial scales (30 to 130 km), and with species that span depth (600 m to 3600 m) and geographic ranges (30 km to 3500 km) and that have diverse life-history characteristics. Five deep-sea seep systems in the Intra- American Sea (IAS) are targeted: Blake Ridge, Florida Escarpment, Alaminos Canyon, Brine Pool, Barbados (El Pilar, Orenoque A, Orenoque B). The primary objective is to advance our general knowledge of connectivity in the deep sea. The focus is on species and processes occurring in the IAS, with attention to oceanographic circulation, life histories, and genetics. Questions that apply in shallow-water systems motivate this study:
1. What phylogeographic breaks occur in the system? It is important to distinguish between phylogeographic history and connectivity. A phylogeographic break with no shared alleles between populations implies a long history of isolation or possibly cryptic speciation.
2. Are populations connected by ongoing migration? This is the fundamental question about connectivity and the scale of genetic variation in marine species with planktonic larvae.
3. What biophysical processes underlie observed connectivities? Biological processes (e.g., larval distributions in the water column, timing of reproduction, and planktonic larval duration) and physical processes of transport and dispersion interact to determine connectivity.
The oceanographic model for the IAS will be improved and coupled to a Lagrangian larval transport model. The field program includes time-series sampling of larvae at seeps with records of current velocities, water column sampling to determine larval distribution potential, shipboard studies of larval biology and behavior, and sampling of benthic target species. Phylogenetic and population genetic tools will be used to explore historical and contemporary gene flow. Iterative interactions among the science teams will advance our understanding of connectivity in the deep sea and to develop effective and best methods for hypothesis testing under the constraints of working in a relatively inaccessible environment. Since their discovery, deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems have been novel systems within which to test the generality of paradigms developed for shallow-water species. This study will explore scale-dependent biodiversity and recruitment dynamics in deep-sea seep communities, and will identify key factors underlying population persistence and maintenance of biodiversity in these patchy systems.
Google Earth map showing positions of stations, CTD, XBT, multibeam locations (KMZ file dlownload)
| Funding Source | Award |
|---|---|
| NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) |