Cold-Water Coral Habitat Mapping: Trends and Developments in Acquisition and Processing Methods

Feeding of the deep-water fish Helicolenus dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809) in different habitats: from muddy bottoms to cold-water coral habitats

Seismic stratigraphy and marine magnetics in the case histories of the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex, Phlegrean Fields offshore and Ischia and Procida islands offshore (Naples Bay, Southern Tyrrhenian sea) are here discussed. Detailed geo-volcanologic setting of these areas is presented to give a better framework of the presented data. Seismo-stratigraphic techniques and methodologies are discussed, focussing, in particular, on the Naples area, where the Quaternary volcanic activity prevented the application of classical stratigraphic concepts, due to the occurrence of interlayered sedimentary sequences and intervening volcanic bodies (volcanites and volcaniclastites). The onset of new technologies in marine data acquisition, processing and interpretation is also discussed taking into account some historical aspects.

As the largest archipelagic nation with thousands of islands, the establishment of infrastructure for marine and coastal spatial data is indispensable. Six technical working groups have been formed as a component of spatial data information management in the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Project (MCRMP). The groups’ responsibilities are to determine the standard of spatial database, the data clearinghouse and custodianship among stakeholders and improvement of human resource. After the discussion with stakeholders, some standards have been established and some agreements have been reached to be implemented in the further stage of national spatial data infrastructure.

Marine data acquisition and processing has generated new concepts in velocity analysis, amplitude analysis, and frequency analysis. This has been possible because of consistent surface conditions on marine data, development of direct detection of hydrocarbon concepts, and improved computing power. Exploitation of the correlation of time, amplitude, velocity, and frequency relations has been largely confined to time, amplitude, and velocity. Such basic seismic theories as dispersion, fluidity, and multiple energy indicate a strong relation between frequency and velocity. Experiments on synthetic data illustrates an additional interdependence between apparent velocity and frequency. Both the theoretical assumptions and the synthetic exercises are reenforced by experiments on seismic data. Overlays of continuous velocity analysis and continuous frequency analysis show a substantial correlation. Frequency analysis in a seismic section dimensionally compatible contour allows the correlation with velocity on large volumes of data. An example on Gulf Coast data indicates good potential for this type of analysis. INTRODUCTION The advent of marine seismic recording in conjunction with increased energy needs resulted in a very large volume of seismic data. It was also marine data which generated improved methods of rock velocity estimation. Direct detection of hydrocarbons motivated attention toward such neglected seismic observations as phase and frequency anomalies. Time relations continue to be the basis of interpretation of structure but stratigraphic exploration and direct detection of hydrocarbons brought amplitude to the fore as a meaningful and interpretable measure. Amplitude, while difficult on land data, is reasonably consistent on marine data due to the relatively steady surface conditions at sea. Analysis of both velocity and frequency began to receive more attention for the same reason. Interpretation techniques on seismic data broadened to include frequency and velocity considerations. Time, amplitude, velocity, and frequency are all directly related to the earth response. Anomalies in the seismic data usually will create anomalies in some of these basic parameters so that they are at least indirectly related to each other. Some formulas relating these measures are well known and much utilized. The best known such equation is perhaps the "moveout" equation directly relating time and velocity: (Available In Full Paper) The relation between frequency and velocity or frequency and amplitude is also direct but seldom used in data processing. However, any discussion of compressional wave theory must include frequency as a very basic parameter. Some existing seismic theory does relate velocity and frequency but actual measurement on real data is scant. It is proposed to consider their possible relationship in the context of geophysical theory and practical observation. VELOCITY DISPERSION One accepted theory, which directly relates frequency and velocity is dispersion. Residual attenuation of the seismic wavefront after distance and reflection factors are removed is proportional to frequency. The equation which governs this dependence of velocity on frequency according to O'Brien and Lucas, 1971, is: (Available In Full Paper) It is indicated by the equation that if the attenuation, Q, is known, the velocity at each frequency could be computed.

Associations between fish and cold-water coral habitats on the Icelandic shelf

Using the non-invasive aquatic eddy covariance technique, we provide the first oxygen (O2) uptake rates from within coral gardens at the Condor seamount (Azores). To explore some of the key drivers of the benthic O2 demand, we obtained benthic images, quantified local hydrodynamics, and estimated phototrophic biomass and deposition dynamics with a long-term moored sediment trap. The coral gardens were dominated by the octocorals Viminella flagellum and Dentomuricea aff. meteor. Daily rates of O2 uptake within 3 targeted coral garden sites (203 to 206 m depth) ranged from 10.0 ± 0.88 to 18.8 ± 2.0 mmol m-2 d-1 (mean ± SE) and were up to 10 times higher than 2 local sandy reference sites within the seamount summit area. The overall mean O2 uptake rate for the garden (13.4 mmol m-2 d-1) was twice the global mean for sedimentary habitats at comparable depths. Combined with parallel ex situ incubations, the results suggest that the octocorals might contribute just ~5% of the observed O2 uptake rates. Deposition of particulate organic matter (POM) assessed by the sediment trap accounted for less than 10% of the O2 demand of the coral garden, implying a substantial POM supply circumventing the deployed traps. Our results expand the database for carbon turnover rates in cold-water coral habitats by including the first estimates from these largely understudied coral gardens.

Coral reef resilience depends on the balance between carbonate precipitation, leading to reef growth, and carbonate degradation, for example, through bioerosion. Changes in environmental conditions are likely to affect the two processes differently, thereby shifting the balance between reef growth and degradation. In cold-water corals estimates of accretion-erosion processes in their natural habitat are scarce and solely live coral growth rates were studied with regard to future environmental changes in the laboratory so far, limiting our ability to assess the potential of cold-water coral reef ecosystems to cope with environmental changes. In the present study, growth rates of the two predominant colour morphotypes of live Lophelia pertusa as well as bioerosion rates of dead coral framework were assessed in different environmental settings in Norwegian cold-water coral reefs in a 1-year in situ experiment. Net growth (in weight gain and linear extension) of live L. pertusa was in the lower range of previous estimates and did not significantly differ between inshore (fjord) and offshore (open shelf) habitats. However, slightly higher net growth rates were obtained inshore. Bioerosion rates were significantly higher on-reef in the fjord compared to off-reef deployments in- and offshore. Besides, on-reef coral fragments yielded a broader range of individual growth and bioerosion rates, indicating higher turnover in live reef structures than off-reef with regard to accretion–bioerosion processes. Moreover, if the higher variation in growth rates represents a greater variance in (genetic) adaptations to natural environmental variability in the fjord, inshore reefs could possibly benefit under future ocean change compared to offshore reefs. Although not significantly different due to high variances between replicates, growth rates of orange branches were consistently higher at all sites, while mortality was statistically significantly lower, potentially indicating higher stress-resistance than the less pigmented white phenotype. Comparing the here measured rates of net accretion of live corals (regardless of colour morphotype) with net erosion of dead coral framework gives a first estimate of the dimensions of both processes in natural cold-water coral habitats, indicating that calcium carbonate loss through bioerosion amounts to one fifth to one sixth of the production rates by coral calcification (disregarding accretion processes of other organisms and proportion of live and dead coral framework in a reef). With regard to likely accelerating bioerosion and diminishing growth rates of corals under ocean acidification, the balance of reef accretion and degradation may be shifted towards higher biogenic dissolution in the future.

The application of meteorological monitoring technology in the agricultural field has become an indispensable and important component of agricultural production and management processes.In this paper, the application of meteorological monitoring in the agricultural field is summarized,including the types of current meteorological monitoring technologies,data acquisition and processing methods,as well as their practical application effects in different agricultural environments,including meteorological stations,satellite remote sensing,unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs),and sensor networks [4].Then,aspects of meteorological data acquisition and processing methods,data collection,transmission,and storage are explored.Next,the application effects of meteorological monitoring technology in crop cultivation,yield estimation, plant diseases and insect pests,livestock husbandry,and greenhouse agriculture are discussed in detail for different types of agricultural environments.Finally,the development trends and future research directions of meteorological monitoring technology are discussed.

Ocean observation has seen a rapid evolution and has become crucial in providing the much needed data and information toward a well-supported and accurate description of ocean processes which influence the environmental, economic, and societal systems. There has been a significant progress in technologies which have enabled the expansion of the sampling and observing systems both on temporal and spatial scales. Furthermore, online, free access, data portals have grown in number and quality, provided by data aggregators, which have promoted the creation of standardized methods for marine data acquisition and management. Ocean observation is now global, but it depends on the single institutions and laboratories’ capability to guarantee the operation of instruments and longevity in data acquisition. International collaborative initiatives are crucial to support the ever-growing databases and feed the services and products that are fundamental to Blue Growth. Collaboration must be developed at local and regional levels and the monitoring system must ensure data consistency, integrity, and redundancy. The “Atlantic Observatory – Data and Monitoring Infrastructure” project, is an example of a Portuguese effort to bring together on-going initiatives working in the Atlantic area and provide access to high quality marine environmental data covering the Atlantic Ocean basin.

The emergence of airborne LIDAR system provides a new technical method for fast acquisition and processing of the spatial three-dimensional data. The limitations of traditional techniques are overcome by LIDRA, using of non-contact scanning data to obtain high-precision 3D data, it be able to work in all-weather, with a quickly scanning speed, strong real-time, all-digital processing and so on. The coordinates of laser pin-point can be abtained by calculating the spatial orientation vector of known points to the unknown point in LIDRA system. The composition of systems is very complex, so the laser point coordinates location will effected by system error and accidental error of the LIADR system. The status quo of airborne laser scanning was briefly introduced in this paper. On the basis of airborne laser scanning system positioning principle, the impact of the pitch angle, roll angle, yaw angle and synthetic attitude error of IMU on laser point positioning accuracy was detailedly analyzed. After simulated calculations using IMU practical measurement accuracy presently, some useful conclusions were obtained, which have certain guiding significance for the understanding of airborne laser positioning accuracy and practical application.

Cold-water coral (CWC) habitats dwell on continental shelves, slopes, seamounts, and ridge systems around the world’s oceans from 50 to 4000 m depth, providing heterogeneous habitats which support a myriad of associated fauna. These highly diverse ecosystems are threatened by human stressors such as fishing activities, gas and oil exploitation, and climate change. Since their life-history traits such as long lifespan and slow growth rates make CWCs very vulnerable to potential threats, it is a foremost challenge to explore the viability of restoration actions to enhance and speed up their recovery. In contrast to terrestrial and shallow-water marine ecosystems, ecological restoration in deep marine environments has received minimal attention. This review, by means of a systematic literature search, aims to identify CWC restoration challenges, assess the most suitable techniques to restore them, and discuss future perspectives. Outcomes from the few restoration actions performed to date on CWCs, which have lasted between 1 to 4 years, provide evidence of the feasibility of coral transplantation and artificial reef deployments. Scientific efforts should focus on testing novel and creative restoration techniques, especially to scale up to the spatial and temporal scales of impacts. There is still a general lack of knowledge about the biological, ecological and habitat characteristics of CWC species exploration of which would aid the development of effective restoration measures. To ensure the long-term viability and success of any restoration action it is essential to include holistic and long-term monitoring programs, and to ideally combine active restoration with natural spontaneous regeneration (i.e., passive restoration) strategies such as the implementation of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs). We conclude that a combination of passive and active restoration approaches with involvement of local society would be the best optimal option to achieve and ensure CWC restoration success.

Climate change is reorganizing the planet's biodiversity, necessitating proactive management of species and habitats based on spatiotemporal predictions of distributions across climate scenarios. In marine settings, climatic changes will predominantly manifest via warming, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and changes in hydrodynamics. Lophelia pertusa, the main reef-forming coral present throughout the deep Atlantic Ocean (>200 m), is particularly sensitive to such stressors with stark reductions in suitable habitat predicted to accrue by 2100 in a business-as-usual scenario. However, with new occurrence data for this species along with higher-resolution bathymetry and climate data, it may be possible to locate further climatic refugia. Here, we synthesize new and published biogeographic, geomorphological, and climatic data to build ensemble, multi-scale habitat suitability models for L. pertusa on the continental margin of the southeast United States (SEUS). We then project these models in two timepoints (2050, 2100) and four climate change scenarios to characterize the occurrence probability of this critical cold-water coral (CWC) habitat now and in the future. Our models reveal the extent of reef habitat in the SEUS and corroborate it as the largest currently known essentially continuous CWC reef province on earth, and also predict abundance of L. pertusa to identify key areas, including those outside areas currently protected from bottom-contact fishing. Drastic reductions in L. pertusa climatic suitability index emerged primarily after 2050 and were concentrated at the shallower end (<~550 m) of the regional distribution under the Gulf Stream main axis. Our results thus suggest a depth-driven climate refuge effect where deeper, cooler reef sites experience lesser declines. The strength of this effect increases with climate scenario severity. Taken together, our study has implications for the regional and global management of this species, portending changes in the biodiversity reliant on CWC habitats and the critical ecosystem services they provide.

During the summers of 2008 and 2009 the USGS conducted bathymetric surveys from West Ship Island, Miss., to Dauphin Island, Ala., as part of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility project. The survey area extended from the shoreline out to approximately 2 kilometers and included the adjacent passes (fig. 1). The bathymetry was primarily used to create a topo-bathymetric map and provide a base-level assessment of the seafloor following the 2005 hurricane season. Additionally, these data will be used in conjunction with other geophysical data (chirp and side scan sonar) to construct a comprehensive geological framework of the Mississippi Barrier Island Complex. The culmination of the geophysical surveys will provide baseline bathymetry necessary for scientists to define and interpret seafloor habitat for this area and for scientists to predict future geomorpholocial changes of the islands with respect to climate change, storm impact, and sea-level rise. Furthermore, these data provide information for feasibility of barrier island restoration, particularly in Camille Cut, and for the preservation of historical Fort Massachusetts. For more information refer to http://ngom.usgs.gov/gomsc/mscip/index.html. Since bathymetric surveys have often been conducted for navigational purposes, soundings have traditionally been referenced to a water level datum using tide gages and tide models. Bathymetric measurements referenced to a Global Positioning System (GPS) is a more accurate way of representing water depth and has been implemented in the acquisition and processing procedures for these datasets. Previous single-beam bathymetric studies performed at the USGS Center for Coastal and Marine Science have successfully referenced bathymetric measurements to GPS (DeWitt and others, 2007; Hansen 2008 and 2009). The 2008-2009 bathymetry surveys were conducted as a test to (1) develop acquisition and processing technology utilizing both single beam and swath bathymetry survey methods together, (2) reference both types of measurements to GPS rather than water level, and (3) compare the differences between methods in acquisition and processing. Results of the survey are explained in greater detail within this report. To acquire suitable coverage of the study area in a limited time frame, the seafloor-elevation survey was conducted using three techniques: single-beam bathymetry, interferometric swath bathymetry, and a walking kinematic survey of the island shorelines. All three techniques utilized GPS measurements. Implementation of these techniques was executed concurrently yet independently aboard two research vessels: the RV Survey Cat, a 26-foot (ft) shallow-draft Glacier Bay Coastal Runner, and the 50-ft RV G.K. Gilbert. A portable push buggy with a rigid antenna mount served as the platform for the kinematic shoreline survey. Data from each survey technique was post-processed and edited independently with proper inclusion of the differentially processed external navigation files. The x,y,z components from each method were then combined and the two survey years (2008 and 2009) were merged into one dataset. The 2008 bathymetry data were processed at the USGS Center for Coastal and Marine Science in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the 2009 bathymetry data were processed at the USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center located in Woods Hole, Mass. This report serves as an archive of the processed single beam and interferometric swath bathymetry, outlines the methodology, and reports the results. Data products herein include gridded and interpolated digital depth surfaces, and x,y,z data products for both single beam and interferometric swath bathymetry. Additional files include trackline maps, navigation files, geographic information system (GIS) files, Field Activity Collection System (FACS) logs, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata. Scanned images of the handwritten FACS logs and digital FACS logs are also provided as PDF files. Refer to the Acronyms page for description of acronyms and abbreviations used in this report or hold the cursor over an acronym for a pop-up explanation. The USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center assigns a unique identifier to each cruise or field activity. For example, 08CCT01 indicates that the data were collected in 2008 for the Coastal Change and Transport (CCT) study and the data were collected during the first (01) field activity for that project in that calendar year. Refer to http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/programs/html/definition/activity.html for a detailed description of the method used to assign the field activity ID. See the digital FACS equipment log for details about the acquisition equipment used. Raw datasets are stored digitally at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center and processed systematically using Novatel's GrafNav version 7.6, SANDS version 3.7, SEA SWATHplus version 3.06.04.03, CARIS HIPS AND SIPS version 3.6, and ESRI ArcGIS version 9.3.1. For more information on processing refer to the Equipment and Processing page. Chirp seismic data were also collected during these surveys and are archived separately.

Common-azimuth imaging can significantly reduce the cost of full-volume 3-D prestack depth imaging of marine data sets. The common-azimuth imaging procedure comprises of two steps: first, transformation of the prestack data to common azimuth data by azimuth moveout (AMO); second, imaging the transformed data by common-azimuth migration. Both these steps are computationally efficient. AMO is a partial migration operator and thus it has narrow spatial aperture. Common-azimuth migration is based on downward continuation of the wavefield; therefore, its computational cost increases only as the square of the image depth. In contrast, the cost of conventional Kirchhoff migration is proportional to the cube of the image depth. Because it is a wavefield-continuation method, common-azimuth migration does not require the computation of asymptotic Green functions. Therefore, common-azimuth imaging is likely to overcome some of the accuracy problems encountered by Kirchhoff migration in the presence of complex wave-propagation phenomena. The proposed common-azimuth imaging procedure successfully depth imaged a marine data set recorded in the North Sea. These positive results suggest the application of common-azimuth imaging to velocity estimation based on wavefield focusing. Introduction Computational cost is a main obstacle to the widespread use 3D prestack depth migration for full-volume imaging. Currently, 3-D prestack migration is almost exclusively performed by Kirchhoff methods because they effectively handle the irregular and sparse geometries of 3-D prestack data. However, the computational cost of full-volume imaging by Kirchhoff migration increases by a factor proportional to the cube of the depth extent of the image, making the imaging of deeper targets extremely expensive. In contrast, the cost of migration methods based on the downward continuation of the wavefield increases only with the square of depth. But 3-D prestack data cannot be efficiently downward-continued by standard methods because of their irregular and sparse sampling. Here I present a procedure for full-volume prestack imaging of marine data sets that takes advantage of the limited azimuthal range of 3-D marine data to reduce significantly the computational cost. The procedure comprises two steps. The first step transforms the recorded data into effective common-azimuth data, where the common-azimuth is the direction of the acquisition sail line. The second step images the synthesized common-azimuth data set by prestack migration based of the downward continuation of the wavefield. To transform marine data into effective common-azimuth data, I "rotate" the prestack data using a partial-prestack migration operator called azimuth moveout3 (AMO). The AMO operator is defined in the time-space domain, and it can be applied as an integral operator to 3-D marine data with geometry irregularities caused by cable feather and multistreamer recording. The spatial aperture, and consequently the computational cost, of the AMO operator is approximately proportional to the azimuth rotation between the input offset vector and the output offset vector, and it is small when the azimuth rotation is small. Since the azimuths of most of the traces recorded during a marine acquisition are close to the nominal common azimuth, the cost of the AMO transformation is low. Common-azimuth migration is based on a downward-continuation operator derived from the full 3-D prestack operator2.

Recently, a novel data acquisition method has been proposed and experimentally implemented for differential phase‐contrast computed tomography (DPC‐CT), in which a conventional X‐ray tube and a Talbot‐Lau‐type interferometer were utilized in data acquisition. The divergent nature of the data acquisition system requires a divergent‐beam image reconstruction algorithm for DPC‐CT. This paper focuses on addressing this image reconstruction issue. We have developed a filtered backprojection algorithm to directly reconstruct the DPC‐CT images from acquired fan‐beam data. The developed algorithm allows one to directly reconstruct the decrement of the real part of the refractive index from the measured data. In order to accurately reconstruct an image, the data need to be acquired over an angular range of at least 180∘ plus the fan angle. As opposed to the parallel beam data acquisition and reconstruction methods, a 180∘‐rotation angle for the data acquisition system does not provide sufficient data for an accurate reconstruction of the entire field of view. Numerical simulations have been conducted to validate the image reconstruction algorithm.