Final Report: NOAA Ocean Exploration NOFO NA18OAR0110285, Combining habitat suitability and physical oceanography models for targeted discovery of new benthic communities on the west Florida slope

The eastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is dominated by a massive carbonate platform that slopes gently for over 200 km offshore before dipping sharply down to abyssal depths. The deep west Florida slope (WFS) and escarpment of this platform is one of the least accessible places in the GOM; it is far from shore, very deep and is subject to high current conditions. Unlike the northern GOM, there has been little research effort in this region, particularly > 1000 m; however, a few dives by NOAA OER on the escarpment, revealed dense coral communities, with different species assemblages from those on the upper slope. This project focused on the deep (>1,500m) habitats and associated communities of the WFS and escarpment. Grant no. NA180AR0110285