Acoustic Current Meter data from SEEPC moorings collected on the R/V Oceanus (OC471-02) and R/V Atlantis (AT26-15) from 2011-2014 (SEEPC project)

Website: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/561439
Version: 2015-05-01

Project
» Connectivity in western Atlantic seep populations: Oceanographic and life-history processes underlying genetic structure (SEEPC)
ContributorsAffiliationRole
Van Dover, CindyDuke UniversityPrincipal Investigator
Eggleston, David B.North Carolina State University - Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (NCSU MEAS)Co-Principal Investigator
McVeigh, DoreenNorth Carolina State University - Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (NCSU MEAS)Contact
Copley, NancyWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO)BCO-DMO Data Manager


Methods & Sampling

Measurements were taken over varying time intervals in order to conserve battery for longer ACM missions.  The data are time/date stamped accordingly.  ACM's are manufactured by Falmouth Scientific, Inc. and are 2-Dimensional ACMs.  The models are identical, and the firmware is the same except for one of the Gulf of Mexico deployment ACMs, which featured newer Firmware.


Data Processing Description

The data has been minimally processed.


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Data Files

File
SEEPC_ACM.csv
(Comma Separated Values (.csv), 4.24 MB)
MD5:2a282f9f32463fc95c7b29d7f4d78679
Primary data file for dataset ID 561439

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Parameters

ParameterDescriptionUnits
cruise_id

cruise identification

unitless
deploy_num

deployment number

unitless
mooring

mooring identification

unitless
lat

latitude; north is positive

decimal degrees
lon

longitude; east is positive

decimal degrees
depth

depth

meters
time_start

start time

HH:MM:SS
date_start

start date

mm-dd-yyyy
serial_num

serial number of instrument

unitless
AVN

northward (- is Southward) component of current velocity averaged over the averaging interval (defined in the config screenshots)

cm/s
AVE

eastward (- is Westward) component of current velocity averaged over the averaging interval (defined in the config screenshots)

cm/s
ASPD

average speed

cm/s
AVDIR

average direction

degrees from North
TIME

UTC time

HH:MM:SS
DATE

UTC date

mm-dd-yyyy
ISO_DateTime_UTC

date and time; ISO 8601:2004(E) formatted

YYYY-mm-ddTHH:MM:SS[.xx]Z (UTC time)
yrday_utc

UTC day and decimal time; eg. 326.5 = the 326th day of the year or November 22 at 1200 hours (noon)

unitless
VN

northward (- is Southward) instantaneous velocity

cm/s
VE

eastward (- is Westward) instantaneous velocity

cm/s


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Instruments

Dataset-specific Instrument Name
ACM
Generic Instrument Name
Deep-Sea Current Meter and Larval Trap Mooring
Generic Instrument Description
The Deep-Sea Current Meter and Larval Trap Mooring is a seafloor anchored mooring equipped to collect sediment/invertebrate larva, and record deep-sea ocean current and acoustical data. Instruments on the mooring have included sediment traps and a Falmouth Scientific Inc. Acoustic Current Meter with vector-averaged current speed and direction.


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Deployments

OC471-02

Website
Platform
R/V Oceanus
Report
Start Date
2011-05-17
End Date
2011-05-20
Description
cruise for SEEPC project. Cruise information and original data are available from the NSF R2R data catalog. Science Objectives (from Cruise Planning Synopsis): Preliminary science activities at 3 Barbados seep sites (El Pilar, Orenoque A, Orenoque B) on the accretionary wedge for return visit to sites with DSRV Alvin in May-June 2012.  Part of the Seep Connectivity Project funded by NSF to investigate historical and contemporary linkages among Barbados, Gulf OF MExico, and Blake Ridge seep species. Science Activities At each site: 1) Sub-bottom profiling to locate seep areas 2) MOCNESS tow for larval sampling 3) Deep-water (35 m HOB) mooring deployment (current meter, 2 sediment/larval traps per mooring) 4) Bone/wood package deployment

AT26-15

Website
Platform
R/V Atlantis
Start Date
2014-05-21
End Date
2014-06-14
Description
Start: Depart Gulfport, MS 05/21/2014 End:  Arrive St. Petersburg, FL 06/14/2014 The AT26-15 cruise was conducted as part of the project "Connectivity in western Atlantic seep populations: Oceanographic and life-history processes underlying genetic structure" (SeepC) funded by NSF OCE-1031050. The cruise included coordinated deployments of DSV Alvin and AUV Sentry. Science objectives (from the WHOI Cruise Planning Synopsis): The primary objective of the SeepC Project is to advance our general knowledge of connectivity in the deep sea using taxa found at seeps as model systems. The focus is on species and processes occurring in the Intra-American Sea (including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and eastern seaboard of the US), with attention to oceanographic circulation, life histories, and genetics. Our efforts include improving the oceanographic model for the IAS near the seabed using current data from moorings at several depths and locations and coupling this model to a Lagrangian larval transport model. We stress the importance of iterative interactions among the science teams to advance our understanding of connectivity in the deep sea through descriptive and hypothesis-driven research. We will develop effective and best methods for hypothesis testing under the constraints of working in a relatively inaccessible environment and will build capacity in understanding connectivity in deep-sea systems.


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Project Information

Connectivity in western Atlantic seep populations: Oceanographic and life-history processes underlying genetic structure (SEEPC)

Coverage: Western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Intra-American Sea


This project will evaluate connectivity on spatial scales that match those at which vent systems are being studied (3500 km), with a set of nested seeps (within the Barbados system) within which connectivity can be explored at more local spatial scales (30 to 130 km), and with species that span depth (600 m to 3600 m) and geographic ranges (30 km to 3500 km) and that have diverse life-history characteristics.  Five deep-sea seep systems in the Intra- American Sea (IAS) are targeted: Blake Ridge, Florida Escarpment, Alaminos Canyon, Brine Pool, Barbados (El Pilar, Orenoque A, Orenoque B). The primary objective is to advance our general knowledge of connectivity in the deep sea. The focus is on species and processes occurring in the IAS, with attention to oceanographic circulation, life histories, and genetics. Questions that apply in shallow-water systems motivate this study:

1. What phylogeographic breaks occur in the system? It is important to distinguish between phylogeographic history and connectivity. A phylogeographic break with no shared alleles between populations implies a long history of isolation or possibly cryptic speciation.

2. Are populations connected by ongoing migration? This is the fundamental question about connectivity and the scale of genetic variation in marine species with planktonic larvae.

3. What biophysical processes underlie observed connectivities? Biological processes (e.g., larval distributions in the water column, timing of reproduction, and planktonic larval duration) and physical processes of transport and dispersion interact to determine connectivity.

The oceanographic model for the IAS will be improved and coupled to a Lagrangian larval transport model. The field program includes time-series sampling of larvae at seeps with records of current velocities, water column sampling to determine larval distribution potential, shipboard studies of larval biology and behavior, and sampling of benthic target species. Phylogenetic and population genetic tools will be used to explore historical and contemporary gene flow. Iterative interactions among the science teams will advance our understanding of connectivity in the deep sea and to develop effective and best methods for hypothesis testing under the constraints of working in a relatively inaccessible environment. Since their discovery, deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems have been novel systems within which to test the generality of paradigms developed for shallow-water species. This study will explore scale-dependent biodiversity and recruitment dynamics in deep-sea seep communities, and will identify key factors underlying population persistence and maintenance of biodiversity in these patchy systems.

Google Earth map showing positions of stations, CTD, XBT, multibeam locations (KMZ file dlownload)



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Funding

Funding SourceAward
NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE)

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