The water depth and temperature data was collected in Coral Sea, Indian Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and Tasman Sea from multiple Australian and New Zealand ships by the Australian Oceanographic Data Center. The data was collected from September 1984 to January 1993. Originator's 1522 analog bathythermograph (XBT) traces were submitted by Mr. Andrew L. Walsh. The data has been converted and is now available on line in C116 file format of NODC.

Building off the successes of an Office of Ocean Exploration (OE) expedition to Davidson Seamount in 2002, this project will focus on deep-water corals. The week-long expedition in 2002 was the initial effort to characterize the biology and geology of the Davidson Seamount, 1,250 - 3,700 meters deep off Central California. Many results and products from this cruise are relevant to OE, including ocean science issues, education, outreach, and resource management. The focus of the proposed 2005 cruise would be to expand on the exploratory results of our last seamount expedition to investigate processes that generated coral distribution patterns. We will use a simple model derived from results of the last cruise to test our understanding of coral distribution, and use this model to guide exploration in other regions of the Seamount (still over 99.98% unexplored.) Specific regions of the seamount will be targeted based on a topographic index, substratum type, and coral species depth records. Complementary studies of the biodiversity and population dynamics of seamount fauna will include collections of corals for taxonomic studies, and age and growth studies of corals using innovative radiometric techniques. Addressing the public interest in seamounts, corals, and exploration, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will record imagery from Davidson Seamount to feature in an upcoming television series, co-produced with the Discovery Channel, for broadcast in the United States and internationally. The Sanctuary West Coast Visitor Center and Monterey Bay Aquarium have plans to feature seamounts and corals in future exhibits, and high-definition video imagery, as well as research findings will be pivotal in the exhibit development.

The Ocean Data Platform (ODP) is placed on the sea floor to measure water current profiles, waves, temperature and conductivity. The ODP consists of an upward looking acoustic doppler current profiler (ADP) (SonTek/YSI ADP, www.ysi.com) and a temperature/conductivity recorder (Model SBE37-SM, Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., www.seabird.com). This metadata record refers to the SonTek ADP dataset. ADP sensors include three acoustic transducers, internal temperature sensor (temperature data automatically compensate for changes in sound speed), compass/tilt sensor (magnetic heading and 2-axis tilt) and a pressure sensor. When an ODP is recovered, another one is typically deployed in the same place. Time series data combining multiple deployments from a given site may also be available. Please contact CRED with any questions. For program information see the web site https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific

The Ocean Data Platform (ODP) is placed on the sea floor to measure water current profiles, waves, temperature and conductivity. The ODP consists of an upward looking acoustic doppler current profiler (ADP) (SonTek/YSI ADP, www.ysi.com) and a temperature/conductivity recorder (Model SBE37-SM, Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., www.seabird.com). This metadata record refers to the SBE37-SM dataset. When an ODP is recovered, another one is typically deployed in the same place. Time series data combining multiple deployments from a given site may also be available. Please contact CRED with any questions. For program information see the web site https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific