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Metadata
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ID
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03039
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Also Known As
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03039
B-1-03-GM
B103GM
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Abstract
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United States Geological Survey, Woods Hole,
Massachusetts,National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration,Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary,University of Alabama,Texas A&M University,National
Marine Fisheries Service,University of Louisiana,Marine
Conservation Biology Institute,Oregon Institute of Marine
Biology,C&C Technologies, Inc.. Chief Scientists: John
Bratton, G.P. Schmahl, Will Schroeder, John McDonough.
Geological data (submersible, digitalcamera,
underwatertelevision, multibeam, echosounder, watersamples,
samples) of field activity 03039 (B-1-03-GM) in Flower Garden
Banks, Florida to Texas, United States, Gulf of Mexico, North
America, North Atlantic from 09/21/2003 to 10/02/2003
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Organization
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United States Geological Survey, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
University of Alabama
Texas A&M University
National Marine Fisheries Service
University of Louisiana
Marine Conservation Biology Institute
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
C&C Technologies, Inc.
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Project/Theme
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Shelf-edge Habitats
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Chief Scientist
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John Bratton
G.P. Schmahl
Will Schroeder
John McDonough
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Activity Type
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Geological
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Platform
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Ronald H. Brown
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Area of Operation
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Flower Garden Banks, Florida to Texas, United States, Gulf of Mexico, North America, North Atlantic
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Location map
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Bounding Coordinates
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30.00000
-95.00000 -85.00000
26.00000
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Ports
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leave Panama City, FL
arrive Gulfport, MS
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Dates
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09/21/2003 (JD 264) to 10/02/2003 (JD 275)
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Analog Materials
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No analog holdings.
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Index map
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Crew
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John Bratton
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Chief Scientist, USGS Woods Hole
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Will Schroeder
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Chief Scientist (not on board), Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Univ of Alabama
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G.P. Schmahl
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Chief Scientist, FGBNMS
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John McDonough
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Chief Scientist, NOAA OE
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Emma Hickerson
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Scientist, FGBNMS
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Doug Weaver
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Scientist, GBNMS
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Mary Wicksten
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Scientist, Texas A&M University
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Peter Etnoyer
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Scientist, Marine Conservation Biology Institute
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Susanne Fredericq
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Scientist, University of Louisiana, Lafayette
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Ron Hill
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Scientist, National Marine Fisheries Service, Galveston, TX
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Julie Olson
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Scientist, University of Alabama
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Sandra Brooke
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Scientist, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
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Brett Phaneuf
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Scientist, Texas A&M University
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Unspecified staff
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Navigation, C&C Technologies, Inc.
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Equipment Used
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submersible
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digitalcamera
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underwatertelevision
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multibeam
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echosounder
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watersamples
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samples
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Purpose
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Study of benthic habitats, biota, and geologic substrate at Flower
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Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico, using sampling equipment
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and ROV-Innovator; also investigation of deep-sea corals at deep sites in
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Mississippi Canyon and surrounding areas
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Information to be Derived
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Samples and Chemical Analysis; Bathymetric Maps; Bottom video, digital
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still photos, samples of benthos and substrate, multibeam bathymetry (all
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archived by NOAA and participating biologists except approximately 12 rock/coral
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samples and 2 bottom water samples retained by USGS);water samples will be
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analyzed for 14C.
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Summary
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Office of
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Exploration (OE) sponsored a recent cruise on the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown to
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explore deep-water-coral habitats (at depths ranging from about 200 to 2,000 ft)
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along the shelf edge and in canyons of the northern Gulf of Mexico, including
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sites previously mapped by USGS emeritus scientist Jim Gardner and others. Some
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topographic features in the Gulf of Mexico have been identified as crucial
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spawning sites for commercially important fishes and reef-building deep-water
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corals. Cruise participants sought to learn more about the deep-water-coral
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systems and their inhabitants, whose abundance, extent, and diversity in the
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gulf are poorly understood. A better understanding of these fragile and
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potentially valuable resources can assist management decisions in this region of
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extensive human activity.
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The USGS participated in this cruise as part of its ongoing commitment to
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provide geologic-science support to NOAA in its characterization and management
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of the resources of national marine sanctuaries and other important habitats.
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The cruise departed from Panama City, FL, on September 21 and ended in Gulfport,
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MS, on October 2, successfully navigating the difficult End-of-Fiscal-Year
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Passage. [Note to non-USGS readers: it is logistically complex to conduct field
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operations across the start of the Federal Government's new fiscal year, which
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begins on Oct. 1.] The primary device used for data collection was Sonsub's
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remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Innovator 12, a working-class ROV used primarily
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on offshore oil rigs and pipelines. Cruise personnel conducted 11 ROV dives at
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deep sites near Mississippi Canyon, Green Canyon, and Viosca Knoll and at
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shallower sites at Diaphus Bank and West Flower Garden Bank, as well as some
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multibeam bathymetric mapping. Samples of fish, deep-sea corals, echinoderms,
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crustaceans, algae, mollusks, sponges, rocks, tube worms, water, and sediment
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were collected by using the ROV. The dives were documented by about 50 hours of
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video footage and several hundred still photographs and samples.
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The science plan was designed by personnel from the Flower Garden Banks National
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Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) and the University of Alabama, Dauphin Island (DI).
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Chief scientists were G.P. Schmahl (FGBNMS) and Will Schroeder (DI, not on
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board); John McDonough (OE) served as cruise coordinator. John Bratton (USGS,
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Woods Hole, MA) provided input on geologic framework of habitats, hard-substrate
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lithology, sedimentology, and influence of sea-level change on the systems.
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Thirteen other scientists and science-support personnel participated, including
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Emma Hickerson (FGBNMS), Doug Weaver (FGBNMS), Mary Wicksten (Texas A&M
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University), Peter Etnoyer (Marine Conservation Biology Institute), Susanne
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Fredericq (University of Louisiana, Lafayette), Ron Hill (National Marine
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Fisheries Service, Galveston, TX), Julie Olson (University of Alabama), Sandra
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Brooke (Oregon Institute of Marine Biology), and Brett Phaneuf (Texas A&M
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University). Staff from C&C Technologies, Inc., were responsible for underwater
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navigation.
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Notes
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ROV Innovator 12 (SONSUB, INC.).
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Publications
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Got Help?
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For 03039, we would appreciate any information on -- analog materials, contract, days at sea, dive count, funding, information specialist, kms of navigation, national plan, NGDC Info, owner, project number, scanned materials, seismic description, station count, station description, submersible, tabulated info.
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