Radiocarbon dating of deep-sea black corals collected off the southeastern United States

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Radiocarbon dating of deep-sea black corals collected off the southeastern United States
Abstract:
Results of radiocarbon dating of deep-sea (500 m to 700 m) black corals are presented. These corals were collected off the southeastern United States as part of the Southeastern United States Deep-Sea Corals (SEADESC) Initiative.
Supplemental_Information:
Samples were collected during two Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute research cruises and therefore no USGS field activity information exists.
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Prouty, Nancy G., Schiff, John, and Roark, E. Brendan, 20201102, Radiocarbon dating of deep-sea black corals collected off the southeastern United States: data release DOI:10.5066/P9PQ3Z5V, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -79.6622
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -77.6100
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 31.8459
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.5017
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 11-Jun-2004
    Ending_Date: 01-Nov-2005
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition at time data were collected.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: comma-delimited text
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (104)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.0001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.0001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is D_WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257224.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    A comma-delimited text file with the first line being a header line.
    Output from accelerator mass spectrometer lab analyses and results of radiocarbon dating (Stuiver and Polach, 1977). (Source: Producer defined.)
    Sample ID
    Unique sample ID based on site abbreviation (JACK=Jasksonville lithoherms; STET=Stetson; SAV=Savannah Banks) where samples were collected, name of the submersible (JSL) followed by the year collected (04=2004; 05=2005), sequential dive number, and sample designation (BC1=black coral 1, BC2=black coral 2). (Source: Producer defined.) List of unique sample IDs
    Date of collection
    Date [YYYY-MM-DD] (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2004-06-11
    Maximum:2005-11-01
    Latitude
    Latitude of sample location (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:30.5017
    Maximum:31.8459
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.0001
    Longitude
    Longitude of sample location (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-79.6622
    Maximum:-77.6100
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.0001
    Radius
    Radius of deep-sea coral specimen measured at basal attachment (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:6.0
    Maximum:44.9
    Units:centimeters
    Resolution:0.1
    Depth
    Water depth of deep-sea coral collection (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:516
    Maximum:686
    Units:meters
    Resolution:1
    Distance
    Distance from outer edge of deep-sea coral sample as viewed in cross section (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:44920
    Units:microns
    Resolution:1
    Fraction Modern
    Fraction modern is a measurement of the deviation of the delta-Carbon-14/delta-Carbon-12 ratio of a sample from modern carbon (Stuiver and Polach, 1977). (Source: defined in Stuiver and Polach (1977))
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.6769
    Maximum:1.1350
    Units:unitless
    Resolution:0.0001
    Fraction Modern (error)
    Fraction modern (error) is a measurement of the deviation of the delta-Carbon-14/delta-Carbon-12 ratio of a sample from modern carbon (Stuiver and Polach, 1977). Values of -9999 indicate the parameter was not measured. (Source: defined in Stuiver and Polach (1977))
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.0017
    Maximum:0.0048
    Units:unitless
    Resolution:0.0001
    Conventional Radiocarbon Age
    Conventional Radiocarbon Age calculated using the radiocarbon decay equation (Stuiver and Polach, 1977). >Modern indicates a fraction modern greater than 1 with Modern defined as 95% of the radiocarbon concentration in AD 1950 of National Bureau of Standards Oxalic Acid I. (Source: defined in Stuiver and Polach (1977))
    Range of values
    Minimum:180
    Maximum:3130
    Units:years
    Resolution:5
    Conventional Radiocarbon Age (error)
    Standard error for Conventional Radiocarbon Age. Values of -9999 indicate the parameter was not measured. (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:15
    Maximum:50
    Units:years
    Resolution:1
    delta-C-13
    delta-C-13 is a measure of the ratio of stable isotopes Carbon-13:Carbon-12, reported in parts per thousand (per mil). Values of -9999 indicate the parameter was not measured. (Source: standard reporting value in isotope chemistry)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-19.40
    Maximum:-14.82
    Units:parts per thousand (per mil)
    Resolution:0.01
    delta-C-14
    The relative difference between the absolute international standard (base year 1950) and sample activity corrected for age and delta-Carbon-13. (Source: defined in Stuiver and Polach (1977))
    Range of values
    Minimum:-327.64
    Maximum:127.34
    Units:parts per thousand (per mil)
    Resolution:0.01
    Lab ID
    Unique lab-specific ID from Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) facility (Source: Producer defined) List of lab IDs
    AMS Lab
    Name of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) facility; NOSAMS=National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, CAMS=Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Beta Analytic=Beta Analytic Testing Laboratory (Source: Producer defined.) List of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) facilities as defined in the Attribute_Definition tag.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview: The first line of the tab-delimited text file is a header line.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Nancy G. Prouty
    • John Schiff
    • E. Brendan Roark
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Nancy Prouty, Charles Holmes, and Ken Sulak (U.S. Geological Survey), John Schiff and E. Brendan Roark (Texas A&M)
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

These samples were collected as part of on-going research on the outer continental shelf in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to characterize hard-bottom communities, including deep-sea corals and chemosynthetic habitats, as the need for oil and gas exploration, and wind energy increases on the U.S. Atlantic shelf and slope. Information on life spans of deep-sea corals is essential for conservation and management and for assessing the vulnerability of these organisms to both natural and anthropogenic perturbations.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    radiocarbon1 (source 1 of 3)
    National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (NOSAMS) facility, 2020, Coral radiocarbon analysis.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Proteinaceous coral lab samples
    Source_Contribution:
    An accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) was used to measure organic radiocarbon (Vogel and others, 1997).
    radiocarbon2 (source 2 of 3)
    Analytic, Beta, 2007, Coral radiocarbon analysis.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Proteinaceous coral lab samples
    Source_Contribution:
    An accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) was used to measure organic radiocarbon (Vogel and others, 1997).
    dissolved inorganic radiocarbon (source 3 of 3)
    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)-Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, 2014, Coral radiocarbon analysis.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Proteinaceous coral lab samples
    Source_Contribution:
    An accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) was used to measure organic radiocarbon (Vogel and others, 1997).
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2005 (process 1 of 2)
    Samples were collected by Dr. Steve Ross, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, using the Johnson Sea-link (JSL) submersible during two Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute R/V Seward Johnson Life on the Edge research cruises in 2004 and 2005.
    Date: 2020 (process 2 of 2)
    Samples were analyzed by several external laboratories, and the results were combined into one spreadsheet. Data sources used in this process:
    • radiocarbon1
    • radiocarbon2
    • dissolved inorganic radiocarbon
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Stuiver, Minze, and Polach, Henry A., 1977, Discussion reporting of 14C data.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Stuiver, M., and Polach, H.A., 1977, Discussion reporting of 14C data: Radiocarbon, v. 19, pp. 355-363.
    Vogel, John S., Southon, John R., and Nelson, D. Erle, 1987, Catalyst and binder effects in the use of filamentous graphite for AMS.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Vogel, J.S., Southon, J.R., and Nelson, D.E., 1987, Catalyst and binder effects in the use of filamentous graphite for AMS: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, v. 29, pp. 50-56.

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    All geochemistry data were calibrated against known standards
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the data set has not been conducted. The horizontal accuracy was determined with the ship’s GPS navigation (Magnavox MX 200 Global Positioning System) with a stated accuracy of <5 m.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the vertical positional information in the data set has not been conducted. Depth was determined using a SeaBird SBE-4 CTD digiquartz pressure sensor with a stated accuracy of 0.015%.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the metadata for each part of this data release carefully for additional details. Values of -9999 indicate the parameter was not measured.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the originators of the dataset and in products derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? These data are available in a comma-delimited text file (SEUS_DSC_Radiocarbon.csv) which contains results from AMS measurements on deep-sea corals collected along the southeastern United States (SEUS).
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    These data can be viewed with any text editor software.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 02-Nov-2020
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA

831-427-4747 (voice)
pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/ScienceBase/DR_P9PQ3Z5V/SEUS_DSC_Radiocarbon_metadata.faq.html>
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