[from Deep-Sea Life Issue 14]
Hydrodynamics and Habitat Suitability for Meiofauna And Corals (HydroSMAC)
Sandra Brooke
Florida State University, USA
The eastern Gulf of Mexico is dominated by a massive carbonate platform that slopes gently for over 200km, before dropping sharply to ~3000m. Extensive deep coral habitats occur on the upper slope (300-700m), but the deep escarpment remains virtually unexplored.
![](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Brooke_Figure-1.png)
On October 1st, our team of scientists set sail to study deep benthic communities of the west Florida escarpment, with funding provided by NOAAs Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.
A primary project objective was to generate coral distribution data (> 1500m) on the escarpment, and improve habitat suitability models for this region. The models are strongly influenced by coral records, so data-limited areas produce inaccurate habitat suitability predictions. These models may be further refined by incorporating coral-relevant variables such as current speed. Another project objective was to assess the utility of meiofauna communities for ‘ground-truthing’ oceanographic currents and improving model predictions.
![](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Brooke_Figure-2.jpg.jpeg)
![](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Brooke_Figure-3.jpg.jpeg)
Despite the usual weather and technical setbacks, we surveyed ~ 5km of seafloor, collected > 80 samples of corals, some of which may be new species, and collected > 180 samples for infaunal community analysis. Every dive revealed dense coral communities with entirely different species assemblages from those on the slope. We could only survey a tiny fraction of the seafloor, but if our observations are representative of the > 600 km of the west Florida escarpment, this may be the largest deep coral province in the Gulf of Mexico.
![](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Brooke_Figure-4.jpg.jpeg)
![](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Brooke_Figure-5.jpg.jpeg)
For more cruise information please go to https://marinelab.fsu.edu/hydrosmac/