Presence, absence and density information for fish and corals in the northeast Gulf of Mexico and the West Florida shelf. Data was collected from three different projects over a two-year period from 2018-2020. The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment, Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group’s Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities Restoration: Coral Propagation Technique Development (CPT) Project funded re-analysis of previously collected, separately funded ROV video surveys for acquisition of relevant coral and sponge presence, absence, and density data, and performed a quality assurance/quality check prior to submitting the data to NCEI. Data is formatted into two Excel spreadsheets, one with observations and one with absence data. This data package also includes representative images for each site taken from ROV video. This dataset was generated by William F. Patterson III, University of Florida (UF) during ROV surveys undertaken to monitor Lionfish trap sites and to perform a count of Red Snapper at designated areas. The corresponding video was then analyzed for corals and sponges by Joe Tarnecki at UF. The coral and sponge data in this accession were funded by the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities Restoration: Coral Propagation Technique Development (CPT) project. Members of the CPT Project performed a quality check on the annotations prior to submission to NCEI.

This dataset collection contains raw (unprocessed) data, including physical, navigational, and biological data, as well as map images, stills, and video files collected during the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) expedition PS-22-22 aboard R/V Point Sur between 2022-05-31 and 2022-06-11. The data were collected in 2022 as a part of the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC): CPT and HAE Projects. These projects were a few of many selected by the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group to restore natural resources injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Twenty-three remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives were conducted at twelve sites during the cruise. ROV operations were conducted to sample and survey sites for husbandry and genetics. Live coral fragments were collected for propagation at federal labs. Coral snips were also collected for microbiology, population genetics, taxonomic barcoding, and reproduction data. CTD rosette casts were conducted daily with water sampling for husbandry and environmental DNA, also known as eDNA. Data loggers were deployed to monitor temperature and currents, and one data sensor that had been previously deployed by a separate project to monitor light and temperature parameters was recovered. Highlight videos were collected for outreach and education purposes as well. Additional related processed data products may also be included in this collection as they are submitted to the NCEI archive.

This dataset contains files produced by CTD rosette casts from the R/V Point Sur during the MDBC expedition PS-23-09. The ship conducted 58 CTD casts. Plots of the CTD data are also included. Data was collected from deep sites in northeastern Gulf of Mexico from 2022-09-08 to 2022-09-26.

This dataset contains CTD rosette sensor files collected from casts aboard R/V Point Sur during MDBC Cruise PS-24-10. The ship conducted CTD casts at multiple sites in the depth range from 59 to 101 meters in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico during the time period 2023-10-09 to 2023-10-18. The CTD survey resulted in sixteen total casts. Plots of the CTD data and coordinate locations are also included.

This dataset contains files produced by CTD casts from the R/V Point Sur during MDBC expedition PS-23-23. The ship conducted fourteen CTD casts at multiple mesophotic sites in the depth range from 53 to 102 meters in northeastern Gulf of Mexico during the time period 2023-05-17 to 2023-05-24. Plots of the CTD data and coordinate locations are also included.

This dataset contains raw: physical, navigational, biological, and both still and video imagery data files collected during the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) Expedition PS-22-08 cruise between 2021-10-04 and 2021-10-08. Seven dives were conducted at 5 sites, including 3 CTD casts and 2 survey transects during the cruise. ROV operations were conducted to sample and survey sites with goals to acquire live corals for husbandry and genetics research. Coral snips were also collected for microbiology, population genetics, barcoding, and reproduction data. CTD rosette casts were conducted daily with water sampling for husbandry and eDNA. Highlight videos were collected for outreach and education purposes as well. Additional related data products may also be included in this collection as they are submitted to the NCEI archive. The data in this accession were funded by the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities Restoration Coral Propagation Technique Development (CPT) and Habitat Assessment and Evaluation (HAE) projects. These projects are two of many selected by the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group to restore natural resources injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an unprecedented event. Approximately 3.2 million barrels of oil were released into the deep ocean over nearly three months. The plume of oil moved throughout the water column, formed surface slicks that cumulatively covered an area the size of Virginia, and washed oil onto at least 1,300 miles of shoreline habitats. More than 770 square miles (2,000 square kilometers) of deep benthic habitat were injured by the oil spill, including areas surrounding the Deepwater Horizon wellhead and parts of the Pinnacles Trend mesophotic reef complex, located at the edge of the continental shelf.

This dataset comprises still images recorded by remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys during four cruises from 2012 to 2015, which characterized the mesophotic coral ecosystems at Pulley Ridge and Dry Tortugas. A total of 87 ROV dives surveyed 91 random blocks in the Pulley Ridge and Dry Tortugas regions, and covered a distance of 150 kilometers at depths from 22.9 to 114.4 meters. The dataset totals 14,942 in situ digital still images, of which 11,104 were analyzed using Coral Point Count with Excel Extensions (CPCe) for benthic habitat, benthic macrobiota, and coral/sponge/algal cover.