Dataset: Rock macrofaunal community from Southern California seeps (July 2023)

Name: Rock macrofaunal community from samples collected at methane seeps off Southern California with the HOV Alvin from July 16-28, 2023 during R/V Atlantis cruise AT50-12
Published: 2024-12-11
Keywords: methane seep, macrofauna, rock, Southern California, oceans

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Spatial Extent: N:33.7995874 E:-117.408141 S:32.8136332 W:-118.6471809

Methane seeps off Southern California at depths ~300-1040 m

Temporal Extent: 2023-07-16 - 2023-07-28

Project:

Collaborative Research: Redefining the footprint of deep ocean methane seepage for benthic ecosystems (Methanosphere)

Principal Investigator:

Lisa A. Levin (University of California-San Diego Scripps, UCSD-SIO)

Student:

Olívia Soares Pereira (University of California-San Diego Scripps, UCSD-SIO)

BCO-DMO Data Manager:

Audrey Mickle (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI BCO-DMO)

Version:

Version Date:

2024-12-11

Restricted:

Yes

Release Date:

2025-07-01

Validated:

Current State:

Preliminary and in progress

Rock macrofaunal community from samples collected at methane seeps off Southern California with the HOV Alvin from July 16-28, 2023 during R/V Atlantis cruise AT50-12

Abstract:

Rocks were collected at methane seeps off Southern California with the HOV Alvin from July 16-28, 2023 during R/V Atlantis cruise AT50-12 for macrofaunal analyses. This dataset contains major taxa counts for fauna identified as well as collection and sample metadata.

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Methods & Sampling

Rock samples were collected with HOV Alvin using the manipulator. Rocks were placed into individual compartments in a biobox on the Alvin basket. Before preserving, rock samples were kept cold and animals were handpicked to sample tissue for stable isotope analyses (see related datasets for isotopic data). Rocks were then washed in cold, filtered seawater through a 300 mm mesh, separating the sample into two fractions (a fine fraction with the meiofauna, and a coarser fraction with the macrofauna), both were preserved in 95% ethanol.

Data Processing Description

In the laboratory, rock samples were washed in distilled water through a 300 mm sieve and sorted under the microscope. Animals in rock samples were primarily identified to major taxa, counted, and preserved in 95% ethanol.

More Information about this dataset

Funding Sources

Funding Source	Award Number
NSF Division of Ocean Sciences	OCE-2048720

Deployments

Deployment	Synonyms	Start Date	Platform	Investigator
AT50-12		2023-07-16	R/V Atlantis	Lisa A. Levin (Chief Scientist)	data info

Instruments

HOV Alvin

Supplied Description:

Puschore, rocks, biotubes, and slurp samples were collected with HOV Alvin using the manipulator.

Instrument Type

Generic Name: HOV Alvin

Generic Description:

Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin is part of the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF). Alvin enables in-situ data collection and observation by two scientists to depths reaching 6,500 meters, during dives lasting up to ten hours.

Commissioned in 1964 as one of the world’s first deep-ocean submersibles, Alvin has remained state-of-the-art as a result of numerous overhauls and upgrades made over its lifetime. The most recent upgrades, begun in 2011 and completed in 2021, saw the installation of a new, larger personnel sphere with a more ergonomic interior; improved visibility and overlapping fields of view; longer bottoms times; new lighting and high-definition imaging systems; improved sensors, data acquisition and download speed. It also doubled the science basket payload, and improved the command-and-control system allowing greater speed, range and maneuverability.

With seven reversible thrusters, it can hover in the water, maneuver over rugged topography, or rest on the sea floor. It can collect data throughout the water column, produce a variety of maps and perform photographic surveys. Alvin also has two robotic arms that can manipulate instruments, obtain samples, and its basket can be reconfigured daily based on the needs of the upcoming dive.

Alvin's depth rating of 6,500m gives researchers in-person access to 99% of the ocean floor. Alvin is a proven and reliable platform capable of diving for up to 30 days in a row before requiring a single scheduled maintenance day. Recent collaborations with autonomous vehicles such as Sentry have proven extremely beneficial, allowing PIs to visit promising sites to collect samples and data in person within hours of their being discovered, and UNOLs driven technological advances have improved the ability for scientific outreach and collaboration via telepresence

Alvin is named for Allyn Vine, a WHOI engineer and geophysicist who helped pioneer deep submergence research and technology.

(from https://www.whoi.edu/what-we-do/explore/underwater-vehicles/hov-alvin/, accessed 2022-09-09)

Microscope - Optical

Supplied Name: Wild Heerbrugg Stereomicroscope M5A

Supplied Description:

Wild Heerbrugg Stereomicroscope M5A

Instrument Type

Generic Name: Microscope - Optical

Community Identifier: http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/L05/current/LAB05/

Generic Description:

Instruments that generate enlarged images of samples using the phenomena of reflection and absorption of visible light. Includes conventional and inverted instruments. Also called a "light microscope".

Parameters

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Dataset: Rock macrofaunal community from Southern California seeps (July 2023)