The Deepwater Program: Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope Habitat and Benthic Ecology - DgoMB: Macrofauna

<p>A research program has been initiated by the Minerals Management Service (Contract No. 1435-01-99-CT-30991) to gain better knowledge of the benthic communities of the deep Gulf of Mexico entitled “The Deepwater Program: Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope Habitat and Benthic Ecology.”</p>
<p>Increasing exploration and exploitation of fossil hydrocarbon resources in the deep-sea prompted the Minerals Management Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior to support an investigation of the structure and function of the assemblages of organisms that live in association with the sea floor in the deep-sea. The program, Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos or DGoMB, is studying the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) continental slope from water depths of 300 meters on the upper continental slope out to greater than 3,000 meters water depth seaward of the base of the Sigsbee and Florida Escarpments. The study is focused on areas that are the most likely targets of future resource exploration and exploitation. However, to develop a Gulf-wide perspective of deep-sea communities, sampling in areas beyond those thought to be potential areas for exploration has been included in the study design. A major enhancement in the program is the extension of the transects onto the abyssal plain of the central Gulf of Mexico through collaborative studies with Mexican scientists. This additional work effort will allow assessment of benthic communities structure and function throughout the basin by sampling the deepest habitats in the region.</p>
<p>The program is designed to gain a better ability to predict variations in the structure and function of animal assemblages in relation to water depth, geographic location, time and overlying water mass. Biological studies are integrated with measurements of physical and chemical hydrographic parameters, sediment geochemical properties and geological characteristics that are known to influence benthic community distributions and dynamics. Eight (8) hypotheses are being tested on the basis of measures of benthic community structure. It is hypothesized that community structure varies as a function of: 1) water depth, 2) geographic location (east vs. west), 3) association with canyons, 4) association with mid-slope basins, 5) sea surface primary productivity, 6) proximity to hydrocarbon seeps, 7) time (seasonal and interannual scales), and 8) association with the base of escarpments.</p>

<p>美国内政部矿产资源管理局（合同编号：1435-01-99-CT-30991）启动了一项研究计划，旨在深入了解墨西哥湾深海海底生物群落，该计划命名为“深海项目：墨西哥湾北部大陆坡栖息地与底栖生态学。”</p><p>随着深海化石烃资源的勘探和开发活动日益增加，美国内政部矿产资源管理局决定支持一项研究，以探究深海海底生物群落的构成与功能。该计划，即墨西哥湾深海底栖生物研究（DGoMB），旨在研究墨西哥湾北部大陆坡，从大陆坡顶部300米水深延伸至西格比和佛罗里达峭壁基座以外的超过3000米水深的海域。研究聚焦于未来资源勘探和开发最有可能成为目标的区域。然而，为了形成对深海生物群落的全面认识，研究设计中也纳入了对可能探索区域的采样。该计划的一大亮点是与墨西哥科学家的合作研究，将横断面调查扩展至墨西哥湾中部深海平原。这一额外的努力将允许通过对区域最深栖息地的采样，评估整个盆地底栖生物群落的结构与功能。</p><p>该计划旨在提高预测动物群落结构及其与水深、地理位置、时间以及上层水体关系变化的能力。生物学研究与物理化学水文参数、沉积物地球化学特性和地质特征测量相结合，这些特征被认为会影响底栖生物群落的分布和动态。基于底栖生物群落结构测量，正在测试八个（8）假设。假设社区结构随以下因素变化：1）水深，2）地理位置（东与西），3）与峡谷的关联，4）与中坡盆地的关联，5）海面初级生产力，6）与烃渗漏的邻近程度，7）时间（季节和年际尺度），以及8）与峭壁基座的关联。</p>