We’re hiring Facility Operations Specialists in Seldovia, AK (1), Oxford, MD (1), and Charleston, SC (3).

Twenty Years of U.S. Caribbean Seafloor Mapping Aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster

Graphic outlines number of cruises, operational distributed acoustic sensor, survey coverage, and remotely operated vehicles and camera dives throughout the project
NCCOS scientists collected a wealth of data on 23 cruises in 20 years.

Since 2004, NCCOS has conducted seafloor mapping of the U.S. Caribbean to fill critical information gaps that are needed to support conservation and management of diverse coral habitats, targeting high priority sites identified by local and regional managers. Local partners provided input throughout this project to identify priority areas for the team to conduct mapping, sampling, and visual surveys to help fill the data gaps.

Through these missions, scientists have collected critical information about depth, topography, and composition of the seafloor as well as valuable information about the coral reef ecosystems and fish populations in the U.S. Caribbean. 

To collect this information, scientists used acoustic multibeam sensors, fish acoustic sensors, oceanographic sensors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to map and characterize the size and shape of physical habitats. The team used these datasets to create high-resolution seafloor maps, significantly increasing the level of detail needed to interpret and identify sensitive habitats and explain fish distribution patterns.

The team developed the U.S. Caribbean Acoustic Web Map to capture the Caribbean fishery acoustic data for the Northeast Puerto Rico, Southeast Insular Shelf, and St. Croix, USVI study areas. The data was collected throughout the duration of the project. Through this online mapping application, local managers can easily access fish density data overlaid on bathymetric data to identify fish abundance and hotspots.

This information will help local jurisdictional managers better understand these invaluable resources and address issues related to overfishing, recreational and commercial fisheries, restoration, land-based sources of pollution, permitting activities, Marine Protected Area identification, place-based management, coastal intelligence, safe maritime navigation, coastal inundation modeling, marine spatial planning, and other scientific research.

Dive a little deeper into the work and outputs from this project.

A NOAA ship cruises along a mountainous shoreline.
The missions were carried out on the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, which is operated by NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. The Nancy Foster is equipped with wet and dry laboratories as well as computers for data acquisition and analysis, all of which were put to use during the 23 missions.

 

Two people on a boat maneuver a large machine suspended on ropes.
The team launched remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to collect data from the ship by lowering them on a cable using a power winch.

 

Split screen: person at a computer on left, view of ROV on right.
The team operates the ROV, which remained tethered to the ship for the duration of its deployment, from onboard the ship while it collects acoustic bathymetry, backscatter, and ground truthing data.

 

Two people tend to a large, cylindrical instrument on a boat.
The team deployed uncrewed underwater gliders to characterize oceanographic conditions and detect fish vocalizations around concentrated spawning areas in coral ecosystems.

 

Map of bathymetry along southern Puerto Rico shows depth from -11 meters to -1388 meters.
Through a variety of depth collection methods, NCCOS scientists are able to develop bathymetric maps that highlight seafloor characteristics.

NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program supported some missions throughout this project.

Learn more about this project.

Explore Similar News