Log for dives by ROV Global Explorer (Wood Fall project)

Website: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/714212
Data Type: Cruise Results
Version: 1
Version Date: 2017-08-31

Project
» The energetic assembly of biological communities: a test with deep-sea woodfalls (Wood Fall)
ContributorsAffiliationRole
McClain, CraigLouisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON)Lead Principal Investigator
Newsome, Seth D.University of New Mexico (UNM)Co-Principal Investigator
Nunnally, Clifton C.Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON)Contact
Switzer, MeganWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO)BCO-DMO Data Manager

Abstract
Log for dives by ROV Global Explorer (Wood Fall project)


Coverage

Spatial Extent: N:28.8133 E:-87.8099 S:27.1345 W:-89.927
Temporal Extent: 2017-05-26 - 2017-06-02

Dataset Description

Provides information for all dives with the remotely operated vehicle.


Data Processing Description

Changed spaces in parameter names to underscores.
Changed to ISO date YYYY-MM-DD.
Changed times to hh:mm.
Formatted decimal degrees to 5 decimal places.

All missing data denoted with nd.  NA refers to a data field that is not applicable.


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Data Files

File
rov_dive_log.csv
(Comma Separated Values (.csv), 2.26 KB)
MD5:61a5a090b26e6767176042f848d8c2c0
Primary data file for dataset ID 714212

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Parameters

ParameterDescriptionUnits
rov_diveNumber and letter designation of ROV and dive number for deployment.  GE refers to Oceaneering's Global Explorer.   unitless
dateDate of ROV dive in the format YYYY-MM-DD. unitless
siteGiven name for each deployment site.  WF stands for wood fall. DWH refers to the Deep-Water Horizon Site with the number indicating 500m North or 2000m South. unitless
cruise_dive_dayNumber day of the cruise of the ROV dive unitless
start_latitudeStarting bottom latitude of the ROV dive decimal degrees
start_longitudeStarting bottom longitude of the ROV dive decimal degrees
start_depthStarting bottom depth of the ROV dive in meters meters
start_dive_timeTime ROV was off the vessel’s deck hh:mm
start_bottom_timeTime ROV landed on bottom hh:mm
end_latitudeEnding bottom latitude of the ROV dive decimal degrees
end_longitudeEnding bottom longitude of the ROV dive decimal degrees
end_depthEnding bottom depth of the ROV dive in meters meters
end_bottom_timeTime ROV left the bottom hh_mm
coresRefers to sediment cores taken during dive.  Groupings refers to the number of clusters the cores were taken, e.g. 2 groupings refers to cores being taken in two different clusters with several meters or more between them unitless
core_noNumber designations of core tubes separated by commas.  “|” separator denotes separate groupings. unitless
video_transectsVideo transects taken with ROV during dive unitless
megafauna_collectionsMegafauna collections made by the ROV with the suctions sampler, manipulator arm, etc. unitless
elevatorIndicates whether a benthic elevator was used during the ROV dive yes/no
notesField for indicating extra information about the ROV dive unitless
transponder_deployedWhether a transponder is deployed at site yes/no
transponder_latitudeLatitude of the deployed transponder decimal degrees
transponder_longitudeLongitude of the deployed transponder decimal degrees
transponder_addressunique tracking link for transponders deployed at individual sites unitless


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Instruments

Dataset-specific Instrument Name
Generic Instrument Name
ROV Global Explorer


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Deployments

PE17-22

Website
Platform
R/V Pelican
Start Date
2017-05-23
End Date
2017-06-04


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Project Information

The energetic assembly of biological communities: a test with deep-sea woodfalls (Wood Fall)

Coverage: Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope


Changes in both terrestrial and marine carbon production under climate change necessitate an understanding of how ecological communities are structured by carbon availability, which has long been recognized as a predictor of biodiversity. Recent research indicates global marine phytoplankton production may have declined at a rate of ~1% of the global median per year. Regional-scale changes have been more heterogeneous; with the equatorial Pacific Ocean experiencing overall declines of over 50% the last decade and Polar Regions experiencing increases of comparable magnitude. Clearly, there is a strong need for a more complete understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and carbon availability to better predict the consequences of current and forthcoming climate change on marine ecosystems. One challenge is that determinants of available carbon in natural systems are diverse and often unidentifiable. Wood-fall communities in the deep sea are an ideal experimental system for testing many theories about carbon availability and biodiversity. First, the amount of carbon available to the community can be precisely manipulated in the form of wood mass. Second, flows of carbon from wood through the community can be easily tracked because animals supported by wood have distinct chemical signatures that can be traced with stable isotope analysis. Finally, the entire community associated with a wood fall can be sampled, allowing for accurate estimates of biodiversity, biomass, and energy flow. For these reasons, study of deep-sea wood falls provides accurate and simultaneous quantification of standing stock, diversity, and trophic structure as a function of energy availability. Through the use of ROV/submersible-deployed wood falls, the project will test how changes in carbon availability impact marine biodiversity. The results of this project will be beneficial to science in several ways. First, the project contributes significantly to climate change and biodiversity research and specifically to knowledge of the underexplored deep oceans. The project also creates abundant opportunities for public outreach. The multifaceted approach includes: employing web podcasts and blogs; sharing results through photographic exhibitions; and actively recruiting from minority-serving institutions while also providing visiting lectureships. Further, the project will recruit and train young scientists in underrepresented groups, and impact multiple audiences from primary education students, science instructors, and the general public.

The goal of this project is to identify the interactions in energetic processes that regulate community structure, using ROV/submersible-deployed wood falls. Wood will be deployed in varying sizes to control the amount of chemical energy added to the community, and of different wood densities to examine assembly rules while examining total quantity and concentration of resources. This approach will allow the investigators to examining energetic tradeoffs is that multiple impacts, hypotheses, and theories of varying carbon availability on biodiversity can be evaluated simultaneously. The amount of carbon in the community can be precisely manipulated, an improvement over prior studies. The impact of the rate of carbon uptake on ecological processes will also be examined here, but has been rarely evaluated. This research will also reveal much about wood-fall biomes in the deep sea, one of the least studied systems in the ocean. For example, the project will reveal the relative importance different carbon pathways in exporting wood energy and controlling biodiversity.



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Funding

Funding SourceAward
NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE)

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