Creation of ultra-high resolution multibeam sonar images targeting deep sea coral habitats in Hudson Canyon
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| A Proposal to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program in response to
FY 2010 Internal Funding Opportunity for Deep Sea Coral Activities September 22, 2009
(click eagle ray icon closest to New York on map) Project Category: Completing Data Analysis from previous cruises Project Manager Contact Information: Vincent G. Guida, PhD., Research Fisheries Biologist U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center, J.J. Howard Laboratory 74 Magruder Road, Highlands, New Jersey 07732 email: vincent.guida@noaa.gov phone: (732) 872-3042, FAX: (732) 872-3088 Project Description: 1. FY10 Project Summary Abstract: This proposal seeks funding to complete the post-processing of multibeam sonar data from Hudson Canyon, in the mid-Atlantic segment of the northeast region, in order to target and confirm the existence of structural deep water corals and sponges in the canyon. Ultra-high resolution multibeam sonar data have been collected on cruises with the use of the National Institute of Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST) AUV Eagle Ray in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and will again be taken in 2010. Limitations of expertise and funding have allowed only the 2009 data, representing about one tenth of the area of the canyon’s shelf segment, to be post-processed into the high quality bathymetric, backscatter, slope, and rugosity images needed to locate likely deep water coral habitats. Indeed, despite their small coverage, the 2009 images have already revealed hard-topped deepwater mounds that resemble deep water hard coral habitats found elsewhere, steep, hard substrate slopes like those that support soft coral and sponge habitats in New England canyons, and multiple craters suggesting methane release, often associated with deep water corals and chemosynthetic communities. In addition, elevated levels of dissolved methane have been detected in bottom water taken nearby. If these findings are confirmed visually, this would be the first report of deepwater structural corals from a northeastern mid-Atlantic canyon, as well as the first report of a methane seep from anywhere in the northeast. Only promising preliminary multibeam images exist for the other five tenths of the canyon already surveyed by Eagle Ray, and no data of this quality exists for the remaining four tenths. With the aid of CRCP funding, all existing plus new (2010) Eagle Ray multibeam data can be post-processed into high quality images suitable for directing deep water coral visual investigations scheduled to begin aboard the 2010 cruise. As NEFSC lacks the expertise for this task, the work will be performed by Hudson Canyon team members from the University of Mississippi and Rutgers University. Completion of this project will benefit the northeast by providing evidence of heretofore unknown deep sea coral distributions in mid-Atlantic canyons, bearing on pending HAPC deliberations. On a broader scale, it will provide a demonstration of the efficacy of employment of AUV mapping for locating deep sea coral habitats within very deep water features like canyons, and may provide additional evidence for a relationship between deepwater corals and methane-based chemosynthesis. 2. General description of the threats to the deep-sea corals in the area addressed: Threats are twofold and stem from the fact that deep sea coral habitats have not previously been identified in Hudson Canyon. First is a potential threat from deepwater fisheries: a pot fishery for deep sea red crab (Chaceon quinquedens) and a trawl fisheries for monkfish (=goosefish, Lophius americanus) and witch flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus). While all three species are caught in Hudson Canyon and are known to occur at depths (~350 m) where putative coral mounds have been detected (Steimle et al. 2001, Steimle et al. 1999, Cargnelli et al. 1999), surrounded by fairly flat (i.e. fishable) topography, the degree of threat is difficult to assess. As yet only a small fraction of the canyon has been surveyed at a resolution that can reveal mounds, and VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) transmitters are not required aboard mid-Atlantic fishing vessels. Thus tracking fishing activity depends on labor-intensive investigation of vessel logbooks, whose data is not always accurate. This author has not attempted that task. However, the author will coordinate efforts with the newly-funded research in the Northeast regarding the overlap of fisheries and coral distribution. The other current threat is hydrocarbon fuel exploration and extraction. Oil was struck in a test well in Hudson Canyon block 598, on the shelf about 5 nmi. southwest of the canyon, in 1979 (TAMU 2009). While the 1981 OCS moratorium prevented exploration thereafter, the moratorium was lifted in 2008, again raising the issue. There has not yet been a rush to explore further or develop oil extraction in the area, due largely to economic reasons, but the future of oil development there remains uncertain (EIA 2009). Gas extraction is also an issue. Most immediately, the nearby Baltimore Trough is suspected to hold a large gaseous methane reserve (Epstein & Clark 2008), and icy gas hydrate deposits are known to run underneath the slope segment of Hudson Canyon (Shedd & Hutchinson 2006). With the moratorium lifted and new evidence of possible methane blowout craters in the canyon from our August 2009 cruise, the exploitation of the canyon for gas may be approaching. 3. Need for the proposed project. How activities contribute directly to the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program and its legislative requirements? This work certainly addresses the NOAA Deep-sea Coral and Sponge Strategic Plan’s Exploration and Research goal to: “Locate and characterize deep-sea coral and sponge habitats.” and begins to address the goal to “Understand the biology and ecology of deep-sea corals and sponges.” (NOAA DSCWG 2008) by way of characterizing the kind of habitat wherein deepwater corals and sponges are found, including such factors as depth, substrate, temperature regime, current, and the proximity of possible chemosynthetic energy sources (methane seeps). This is based on the legislative requirement “to locate and map locations of deep-sea corals and submit such information to the Councils” and “to prioritize program activities in areas where deep-sea corals are known to occur, and in areas where scientific modeling or other methods predict deep-sea corals are likely to be present.” (Magnuson-Stevens Act, Section 408). How the activities will fill a key information gap that will help target FY10 activities in the South Atlantic or West Coast (Pacific) Regions; This proposal does not directly address identified key information gaps for targeted FY10 activities in the South Atlantic or West Coast and Pacific. However, it does bear on questions that are relevant to deep sea corals and sponges in at least some portions of the SE. In particular, the presence of mounds in the vicinity of probably methane seeps points to the possibility of chemosynthetically-based primary productivity contributing to coral production and growth. While not true in all cases, deepwater corals are often been associated with methane seeps, strongly suggesting a trophic relationship between deepwater corals and chemosynthetic microbiota (Hovland et al. 1998, Hovland & Risk 2003, Sumida et al. 2004). The same has been suggested for deepwater sponges (Jensen et al. 2008). As these faunas also occur in the absence of methane seeps, this hypothesis begs the question, what role do methane seeps play in deepwater coral reef habitats, growth and longevity of deepwater corals and sponges? This may be of particular interest in the Southeast, especially the Gulf of Mexico, where methane seeps are well known. The results of this proposal may bear on that question by providing yet another evidence of such an association. How the activities support NOAA’s efforts in marine spatial planning; This proposal contributes to NOAA spatial planning efforts by contributing to its technical requirements, i.e. by providing data in support of “Spatially Explicit Ecosystem Information – syntheses of existing data on important habitats, species and ecological processes at scales relevant to ocean planning,” (NOAA EGT & NOAA CTGT 2009). Either directly or through modeling of acoustic data, this project’s results will provide the basis for locating deepwater corals and sponges in Hudson Canyon and similar features, so as to provide rational decision-making tools to resolve seabed use questions. If the project will take place in the South Atlantic Region, is the project a priority need identified by the South Atlantic Research Priorities Workshop. Not Applicable. 6. Project Approach/Methods Previous work: Thus far, three cruises (Table 1) have been conducted in which multibeam sonar data was collected in and around Hudson Canyon utilizing the NIUST autonomous underwater vehicle Eagle Ray (Fig. 1), equipped with a Simrad EM2000 200 kHz multibeam sonar system. An additional cruise is planned for 2010 (Table 1). For this purpose, Eagle Ray has been programmed to “fly” over the bottom at an altitude of 50 m, thus delivering horizontal bottom resolution in the 2 m to 3 m range, even at its maximum operating depth of 2,200 m. This far exceeds the resolution possible from surface vessels. The latter is approximated by the International Hydrographic Office (IHO) Order 1 minimum standard for surface vessel multibeam data horizontal resolution: five percent of depth value. That standard has also been adopted by the NOAA Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping program (NOAA IOCMSMSW 2006). While adequate for navigational safety, this standard is not adequate for revealing fine detail of biological relevance at substantial depths. Thus, the use of AUV-mounted multibeam sonar is highly desirable for mapping subtle deepwater features like small mounds and associated topographic structures (e.g. gas release craters). The downside of its employment is smaller coverage; Eagle Ray has an endurance of 18-20 hours and then requires 15 hours to recharge batteries at the surface. Also, mapping line spacing must be commensurate with its 50 m altitude, rather than with the total depth of water as with surface vessel-mounted sonars. Table 1. Eagle Ray mapping cruises in Hudson Canyon. 
The blocks mapped during the three cruises thus far conducted and that planned for the 2010 cruise are illustrated in Fig. 2. Fully post-processed images, including bathymetric (Fig. 3), slope and backscatter images (Fig. 3) are available only for the 2009 cruise. These were created during the cruise by means of a process that included patch test and sound speed adjustments, and a painstaking manual cleaning and adjustment of the raw data using Caris HIPS & SIPS® software to remove the numerous artifacts visible in the initial images. Backscatter analysis was done according to methods recently developed at UNH-CCOM to screen out the effects of depth and surface slope (Armstrong et al. 2008). The post-processed images from the 2009 block revealed numerous round, crater-like depressions (Fig. 3) suggesting methane release, isolated steep slopes with high backscatter values (Figs. 3 & 4), suggesting steep, rocky outcrops, and linear strings of high backscatter patches (Fig. 4), suggesting biogenic mounds. Some craters exhibit high backscatter values in their floors. All these features strongly suggest the presence of deepwater coral and/or sponge habitats in Hudson Canyon. The author feels that deep sea coral habitats have not been found in Hudson Canyon to date because the disperse nature of these features within an otherwise largely low backscatter (muddy) canyon has not favored the success of low-density random sampling efforts with various collecting gear (Theroux & Wigley 1998) or drop cameras (Hecker et al. 1980). By contrast, the ultra-high resolution multibeam sonar data produced by Eagle Ray will provide the basis for a directed visual search with a high probability of success. None of these features had been recognized from surface vessel-generated imagery of Hudson Canyon due to the inferior horizontal resolution, nor from the preliminary bathymetric images made from previous Eagle Ray mapping cruises due to their artifacts and lack of backscatter processing. Approximately 96 km2 of existing high-resolution data for blocks mapped during the 2007 and 2008 cruise are highly likely to contain more acoustic evidence of gas release craters, steep, rocky outcrops, and biogenic mounds. Post-processing of the kind done with the 2009 data will be necessary to discover the location and extent of such features in those areas. Water samples were taken at a range of depths during all cruises with a rosette sampler by Dr. Mary Scranton of SUNY Stony Brook for analysis for dissolved methane ashore via GC/FID following each cruise. Elevated methane was found in bottom water from a 2008 in the vicinity of a crater. More samples were taken in 2009, but have yet to be analyzed. Attempts to photograph bottom features using the NIUST Seabed AUV (Mola mola) in 2009 were unsuccessful; software problems prevented that AUV from being deployed at all. Additional water sampling for methane and Mola mola photographic missions in the vicinities of the craters and mounds is planned for the 2010 cruise. Proposed Work: It is proposed that the 2007 and 2008 data be post-processed by the same methods used to generate the 2009 images, and that these be combined seamlessly with the 2009 data in order to produce high quality bathymetric, backscatter, and derived images (slope, rugosity) for all of the Hudson Canyon mapping data gathered thus far by Eagle Ray. This will provide a means to target all possible deepwater coral and sponge habitats within that portion of Hudson Canyon already mapped. Limited support is also sought for the 2010 cruise in which most of the remaining shelf segment of Hudson Canyon will be mapped and aboard which another AUV equipped with camera and lights will be deployed in order to confirm the presence and nature of corals and sponges in acoustically-identified deepwater habitats. Sonar data from Eagle Ray taken aboard this cruise will also be post-processed and resulting images will also be added to the larger Hudson Canyon image database. All data will be made available to NGDC. Plans for the 12-day cruise in 2010 will resemble those for the 2009 cruise. Ship time is already available aboard Henry B. Bigelow, which has already hosted Eagle Ray and NIUST on two cruises. Dr. Peter Rona (Rutgers University) and I will again jointly plan and oversee cruise operations to include deployments of Eagle Ray and Mola mola by their NIUST operating team, collection of CTD data, and collection of rosette water samples for methane analysis by Dr. Scranton. Mapping with Eagle Ray’s Simrad EM2000 will be in the area indicated in Fig. 2. Mola mola and rosette operations will concentrate on areas identified as possibly supporting deepwater corals (high backscatter mounds and gas release craters), and CTDs will be performed along with the rosette sampling and in the new mapping area for determining sound velocities. Geographic Area: Fisheries Management Councils: two FMCs have purview over Hudson Canyon (depending on the fishery): New England Fisheries Management Council (tilefish) Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (most other fisheries) 2. Hudson Canyon is not presently designated as a Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) or Sanctuary. However, HAPC status has been under consideration for this and other New England and mid-Atlantic canyons since 2007 (NOAA NERO 2007). Lack of specific, reliable data on distribution of deep sea corals, sponges, and other structure-forming organisms has been an impediment to implementation. The results of this project may therefore be important in regard to future decisions with respect to HAPC designation. Further, five mid-Atlantic state governors pledged as their first priority to “Coordinate protection of important habitat and sensitive and unique offshore areas on a regional scale” last June (Patterson et al. 2009). The intent is to include areas under federal jurisdiction outside state waters, i.e. the 10 major mid-Atlantic submarine canyons. Accomplishments: The major products of this work will include post-processed imagery of nearly all of the shelf segment of Hudson Canyon (Fig. 2), including bathymetry to 3 m horizontal resolution, backscatter intensity compensated for depth and slope, slope, and rugosity. In addition, preliminary underwater photography obtained on the 2010 cruise, as directed by the mapping and post-processing effort, will be available for interpretation of mapping and associated hydrographic data with respect to the presence of deep sea corals. Benefits beyond the particular region of this study will include a demonstration of the efficacy of multibeam sonar mapping with an AUV for detecting potential deep sea coral habitats, and possible additional evidence of the role of chemosynthetic production in maintenance of deep sea corals and sponges. Data will be provided to NOAA following completion of the project. In particular, bathymetry data and associated metadata will be submitted to the National Geophysical Data Center, and data, metadata, and this and the post-processed imagery and photos will be made available to the coordinators of the National Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program for use in communicating with management partners (Sanctuaries, Fishery Management Councils, etc.). REFERENCES Armstrong, A. A., Calder, B. R., Fonseca, L. , Gardner, J. V., Mayer, L. A. 2008. US UNCLOS multibeam data: the processing of multibeam bathymetry and backscatter". Hydro International 8(9): 14 - 17. Cargnelli, L.M., S.S. Greisbach, D.B. Packer, P.L. Berrien, W.W. Morse and D. L. Johnson. 1999. Witch flounder, Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, life history and habitat characteristics. Essential Fish Habitat source document. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-139. Woods Hole, MA, 38 pp. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2009. Impact of Limitations on Access to Oil and Natural Gas Resources in the Federal Outer Continental Shelf . Issues in Focus Analysis Paper AEO2009. U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/otheranalysis/aeo_2009analysispapers/aongr.html Epstein, S.A. and D. Clark. 2008. Baltimore Canyon untested gas potential. http://www.conjugatemargins.com/downloads/publications/Epstein%20&%20Clark.pdf Hecker B., Blechschmidt G., and Gibson P. 1980. Canyon Assessment Study in the Mid- and North Atlantic Areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Final Report. U.S. Dept Interior, Bureau Land Management, Washington, D.C. Contract No. BLM-AA551-CT8-49. Hovland, M., Risk, M., 2003. Do Norwegian deepwater coral reefs rely on seeping fluids? Marine Geology 198, 83–96. Hovland, M., Mortensen, P.B., Brattegard, T., Strass, P., Rokoengen, K., 1998. Ahermatypic coral banks off Mid-Norway: evidence for a link with seepage of light hydrocarbons. Palaios 13, 189–200. Jensen, S., Neufeld, J.D., Birkeland, N.-K., Hovland, M., and Murrell, J.C. 2008. Insight into the microbial community structure of a Norwegian deep-water coral reef environment. Deep-Sea Research I 55: 1554–1563. NOAA Deep Sea Corals Working Group (NOAA DSCWG). 2008. NOAA Deep Sea Coral and Sponge Strategic Plan. March 2008 Draft. 45 pp. Silver Spring, MD. NOAA Ecosystem Goal Team (NOAA EGT) and NOAA Commerce and Transportation Goal Team (NOAA CTGT). 2009. NOAA’s Role in Marine Spatial Planning. White Paper, 2 pp., Silver Spring, MD. NOAA Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping Seafloor Mapping Standards Workgroup (NOAA IOCMSMSW). 2006. NOAA Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping Seafloor Mapping Standards Workshop. April 18 – 19, 2006, University of New Hampshire, Final Report, 9 pp. Durham, NH. NOAA Northeast Regional Office (NERO) 2007. Section 4.3.2 Alternative 3 – Deep Sea Canyons. pp. 818-836 in: EFH Omnibus Draft Environmental Impact Statement, March 2007. Gloucester, MA. Paterson, D.A., Corzine, J.S., Markell, J., O’Malley, M.J., and Kaine, T.M. 2009. Mid Atlantic governors’ agreement on ocean conservation. Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean. http://www.midatlanticocean.org/agreement.pdf Shedd, W.W. and D.R. Hutchinson. 2006. Gas hydrate potential of the mid-Atlantic outer continental shelf. Fire in the Ice Methane Hydrate Newsletter, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, National Technology Laboratory. Fall 2006:8-9. http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/Hydrates/Newsletter/HMNewsFall06.pdf Steimle, F. W., W. W. Morse and D. L. Johnson. 1999. Goosefish, Lophius americanus, life history and habitat characteristics. Essential Fish Habitat source document. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-27. Woods Hole, MA, 40 pp. Steimle, F. W., C. A. Zetlin and S. Chang. 2001. Red deepsea crab, Chaceon quinquedens, life history and habitat characteristics. Essential Fish Habitat source document. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-163. Woods Hole, MA, 27 pp. Sumida, P.Y.G., Yoshinaga, M.Y., Madureira, L.A.S., and Hovland, M. 2004. Seabed pockmarks associated with deepwater corals off SE Brazilian continental slope, Santos Basin. Mar. Geol. 207: 159-167. Texas A&M University (TAMU). 2009. Hudson Canyon study. http://gerg.tamu.edu/research/current-research/520?new=article Theroux R.B., and Wigley R.L. 1998. Quantitative composition and distribution of the macrobenthic invertebrate fauna of the continental shelf ecosystems of the northeastern United States. U.S. Dept Comm., NOAA Tech Rep NMFS 140. Fig. 1 Eagle Ray AUV on its Launch and Recovery System (LARS) with its six operating team aboard NOAA ship Ronald Brown during the first Hudson Canyon cruise (2007). Leftmost two people are not members of the operating team. 
Directory: pub -> dropoff -> vguida -> HudsonCanyon pub -> Forthcoming meetings and conferences pub -> Asilomar Conference on Circuits, Systems & Computers, Pacific Grove, ca, November 1978, pp. 55 58 pub -> Forthcoming meetings and conferences pub -> Harmonised compatibility and sharing conditions for video pmse in the 7 9 ghz frequency band, taking into account radar use HudsonCanyon -> Cruise results HudsonCanyon -> Cruise results HudsonCanyon -> Cruise results vguida -> Tanner’s sea star Sclerasterias tanneri Download 1.59 Mb. Share with your friends:
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