| Description |
Studies focus on:1. High-resolution seabed mapping; 2. The role of geological processes in the origin of substrate types;3. Development of a geology-based substrate classification.Project goals are achieved through collaboration with federal agencies, particularly NOAA (Fisheries, Sanctuaries, Ocean Exploration, NURP), regional Fishery Management Councils, Geological Survey of Canada, and academic institutions in Florida, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, and New Brunswick, Canada. Cooperators include government geologists and biologists and academic biologists. Task Objectives, briefly summarized:Task 1. Substrate Mapping and Process Studies of New England Seabeds (Valentine).1. Develop high-resolution (1:25,000) interpretive maps showing surficial geology and sediment dynamics in Stellwagen Bank NMS off Boston, MA.2. Provide a framework for the validation of USGS regional sediment transport and erosion studies.3. Conduct topical studies to understand the role of geological processes in the origin of substrate types.4. Develop a geology-based methodology for recognizing and classifying substrates. Task 2. Geologic and Biologic Studies of Georges Bank and New England Shelf (Valentine):1. Compile geologically-based interpretive maps of this region in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada.2. Conduct topical studies to identify and map substrates that play a critical role in the survival of managed fishery species in collaboration with NMFS and academic scientists.Task 8. Southern Ocean: Geology of Cold-water Coral Habitats (Scanlon): Characterize seafloor and determine past and present extent of coral habitat using multibeam bathymetric mapping, bottom photography, and various sampling methods in cold-water coral habitats in the Drake Passage for paleoclimate and biogeography research in collaboration with scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and University of Maine. Field work funded by NSF.Task 9. Synthesis of Marine Biogeographic Studies (Scanlon): Synthesize existing data to provide a scientific basis for management decisions regarding living resources in U.S. and international waters, including maintenance and expansion of the USGS Cold-water Coral Geographic Database (in collaboration with NOAAs Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program).TASKS COMPLETED:FY2006 Task 3. Geology of Shelf-edge Habitats of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Scanlon).FY2004 Task 4. Shelf-edge Micropaleontological Framework-Gulf Coast (Poag).FY2009 Tasks 6, 7. Deep-water Coral Habitats of the Eastern and Southern U.S. (Scanlon):TASK TRANSFERRED:FY2010 Task 5. Bottom Stress Distribution and Variability (Butman). Transferred to Project: "Building an information portfolio for renewable energy". |
| Keywords |
geologic substrate, sea floor map, Gulf of Maine, New England Shelf, Stellwagen Bank, Georges Bank, German Bank, New Jersey Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, West Florida Shelf, deep-water coral habitat, Gulf of Maine geology, substrate classification, Flower Garden Banks, Madison Swanson Fishery Reserve, Steamboat Lumps Fishery Reserve, Oculina Bank, deep-water corals, cold-water corals, Antarctica, Drake Passage, seamounts, biogeography, climate change, vulnerable marine ecosystems |
