Exploration of Caribbean Seamounts within the Greater and Lesser Antilles Transition Zone: Characterization of the Benthic Ecology and Geology
Within the Caribbean region, numerous unexplored seamounts punctuate the seafloor holding records of geologic, biologic and oceanographic processes over different time-scales. Seamounts are topographically and oceanographically complex with environmental characteristics that vary greatly within and among seamounts. Differences in environmental characteristics may influence community structure among seamounts, yet to our knowledge no studies to date have examined these factors across multiple spatial scales of a seamount chain. Seamounts have often been suggested to be oases, biodiversity hotspots, islands, and centers for endemism in the deep sea; however, many of these hypotheses are only beginning to be explored in detail. Exploration of seamount environments in the Greater Antilles/Lesser Antilles transition zone including enhanced mapping efforts, ROV surveys, discrete collections, and ecological studies will provide insight into their geological origin, the spatial distribution, ecology, and biodiversity of associated fauna, and placement of this region in a global biogeographic context.
Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | non-public |
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "Dr. Amanda Demopoulos",
"@type": "vcard:Contact",
"hasEmail": "mailto:ademopoulos@usgs.gov"
}
|
| describedByType | application/octet-steam |
| description | Within the Caribbean region, numerous unexplored seamounts punctuate the seafloor holding records of geologic, biologic and oceanographic processes over different time-scales. Seamounts are topographically and oceanographically complex with environmental characteristics that vary greatly within and among seamounts. Differences in environmental characteristics may influence community structure among seamounts, yet to our knowledge no studies to date have examined these factors across multiple spatial scales of a seamount chain. Seamounts have often been suggested to be oases, biodiversity hotspots, islands, and centers for endemism in the deep sea; however, many of these hypotheses are only beginning to be explored in detail. Exploration of seamount environments in the Greater Antilles/Lesser Antilles transition zone including enhanced mapping efforts, ROV surveys, discrete collections, and ecological studies will provide insight into their geological origin, the spatial distribution, ecology, and biodiversity of associated fauna, and placement of this region in a global biogeographic context. |
| distribution |
[]
|
| identifier | gov.noaa.ncei:GALA2014 |
| keyword |
[
"seamounts benthic ecology benthic geology Greater Antilles/Lesser Antilles transition zone Ocean Exploration Trust USGS US Geological Survey coral age analysis sediment faunal community analysis food-web analysis transition zone",
"Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles Dog Seamount Noroit Seamount Conrad Seamount Shark Seamount Southeast Seamount Swordfish Seamount Exocet Seamount Saba Bank Virgin Islands Caribbean Basin Anegada Passage Puerto Rico Trench"
]
|
| language |
[]
|
| license | https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ |
| modified | 2023-10-30T16:42:54.000+00:00 |
| publisher |
{
"name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
"@type": "org:Organization"
}
|
| rights | otherRestrictions |
| spatial | -63.0,17.0,-65.0,19.0 |
| temporal | 2014-09-03T00:00:00+00:00/2014-09-14T00:00:00+00:00 |
| title | Exploration of Caribbean Seamounts within the Greater and Lesser Antilles Transition Zone: Characterization of the Benthic Ecology and Geology |
