NOAA Deep Sea Corals Research and Technology Program

Occurrence
Latest version published by United States Geological Survey on Oct 7, 2023 United States Geological Survey

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 1,007,469 records in English (20 MB) - Update frequency: irregular
Metadata as an EML file download in English (23 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (15 KB)

Description

NOAA’s Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSC-RTP) is compiling a national geodatabase of the known locations of deep-sea corals and sponges in U.S. territorial waters and beyond. The database will be comprehensive, standardized, quality controlled, and networked to outside resources. The database schema accommodates both linear (trawls, transects) and point (samples, observations) data. The structure of the database is tailored to occurrence records of all the azooxanthellate corals, a subset of all corals, and all sponge species. Records shallower than 50 m are generally excluded in order to focus on predominantly deep-water species – the mandate of the DSC-RTP. The intention is to limit the overlap with light-dependent (and mostly shallow-water) corals. The current data reflects DSC-RTP Database Version 20230828-0. To query, visualize, and download data in its native format, please visit our map portal: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/deep-sea-corals/mapSites.htm For advanced data query and data download, please visit our ERDDAP data access form: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/erddap/tabledap/deep_sea_corals.html To learn more about deep sea coral and sponge habitats, please visit our website: https://deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 1,007,469 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Hourigan T (2020). NOAA Deep Sea Corals Research and Technology Program. Version 1.6. United States Geological Survey. Occurrence dataset

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is United States Geological Survey. To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: df8e3fb8-3da7-4104-a866-748f6da20a3c.  United States Geological Survey publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF-US.

Keywords

Occurrence; Observation; Occurrence

External data

The resource data is also available in other formats

Contacts

Tom Hourigan
  • Metadata Provider
  • Originator
Deep-Sea Coral Chief Scientist
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Meredith Everette
  • Point Of Contact
Biologist
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(206) 860-3404
Robert McGuinn
  • Point Of Contact
Project Manager
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Heather Coleman
  • Point Of Contact
DSCRTP Program Coordinator
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abby Benson
  • Publisher
Biologist
U.S. Geological Survey
Stephen Formel
  • Processor
Biologist
U.S. Geological Survey

Geographic Coverage

Data were collected primarily from U.S. waters and oceanic regions--the Arctic, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Bounding Coordinates South West [-90, -180], North East [90, 180]

Taxonomic Coverage

Deep-sea corals, sponges, and fishes that are co-observed with corals and sponges.

Phylum Cnidaria (Corals), Porifera (Sponges), Echinodermata
Class Myxini (Hagfish), Teleostei, Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, Appendicularia, Thaliacea, Ascidiacea, Petromyzonti

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 1833-01-01 / 2022-09-07

Project Data

The Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program is administered by the Office of Habitat Conservation within NOAA Fisheries. It is the nation’s only federal research program dedicated to increasing scientific understanding of deep-sea coral ecosystems. This work informs critical management decisions about these habitats and the ecosystems they support in every region of the United States and its territories.

Title NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
Identifier DSC-RTP
Funding NOAA
Study Area Description NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (Program) was established in 2007 under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act (or see Section 408). It is the nation’s only federal research program dedicated to increasing scientific understanding of deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems. The Program is highly cost-effective and leverages partner expertise and resources to expand its reach, and allow use of the newest technologies. These actions enhance the impact of NOAA’s deep-sea exploration and research efforts. The Program’s cutting edge and collaborative research aids resource managers in developing and evaluating management options for these valuable and vulnerable habitats on which U.S. fisheries and communities depend. The Program works with partners across the nation to support multi-year regional fieldwork initiatives and targeted projects centered on integrating new and existing information—including maintaining a national database of known coral and sponge occurrences—to maximize conservation impact while allowing sustainable fisheries to thrive. These products can be found on our data portal in the form of free downloadable data, interactive maps, images, technical reports, and other products. There are several avenues through which deep-sea corals and sponges can be recognized and protected. The United States’ eight regional fishery management councils can designate Essential Fish Habitat (and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern within Essential Fish Habitat). The councils also work to protect deep-sea corals and sponges through developing fishery management plans and exercising other authorities to minimize bycatch of these important species. NOAA and other governmental bodies may also designate national marine monuments and national marine sanctuaries. The Program provides the latest and best-available information for these management decisions.

The personnel involved in the project:

Sampling Methods

http://doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-NOS-NCCOS-191

Study Extent The Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program is tasked with identifying and mapping the locations of deep-sea corals. To meet this mandate, the Program has built a national geographic database that houses spatial records of deep-sea corals and sponges derived from the research funded by the Program, results of other NOAA programs that study the deep sea, and data voluntarily contributed by other federal agencies, research institutions and international organizations.
Quality Control http://doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-NOS-NCCOS-191

Method step description:

  1. http://doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-NOS-NCCOS-191

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Hourigan, T. F., P. J. Etnoyer, R. P. McGuinn, C. Whitmire, D.S. Dorfman, M. Dornback, S. Cross, D. Sallis. 2015. An Introduction to NOAA’s National Database for Deep-Sea Corals and Sponges. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 191. 27 pp. Silver Spring, MD. doi:10.7289/V5/TM-NOS-NCCOS-191
  2. McGuinn, RP, TF Hourigan, SL Cross, LM Dornback, PJ Etnoyer, DE Sallis, and HM Coleman. 2020. NOAA’s National Database for Deep-Sea Corals and Sponges: 2020 Status Update. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-OHC-007. 56 p. NMFS-OHC-007

Additional Metadata

marine, harvest by iOBIS

Purpose NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (Program) was established in 2007 under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act (or see Section 408). It is the nation’s only federal research program dedicated to increasing scientific understanding of deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems. The Program is highly cost-effective and leverages partner expertise and resources to expand its reach and allow use of the newest technologies. These actions enhance the impact of NOAA’s deep-sea exploration and research efforts. The Program’s cutting edge and collaborative research aids resource managers in developing and evaluating management options for these valuable and vulnerable habitats on which U.S. fisheries and communities depend. The Program works with partners across the nation to support multi-year regional fieldwork initiatives and targeted projects centered on integrating new and existing information—including maintaining a national database of known coral and sponge occurrences—to maximize conservation impact while allowing sustainable fisheries to thrive. These products can be found on our data portal in the form of free downloadable data, interactive maps, images, technical reports, and other products. There are several avenues through which deep-sea corals and sponges can be recognized and protected. The United States’ eight regional fishery management councils can designate Essential Fish Habitat (and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern within Essential Fish Habitat). The councils also work to protect deep-sea corals and sponges through developing fishery management plans and exercising other authorities to minimize bycatch of these important species. NOAA and other governmental bodies may also designate national marine monuments and national marine sanctuaries. The Program provides the latest and best-available information for these management decisions.
Maintenance Description Updates to the database are published quarterly.
Alternative Identifiers df8e3fb8-3da7-4104-a866-748f6da20a3c
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/56eafb3fe4b0f59b85d91a54
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/deep-sea-corals/mapSites.htm
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/erddap/tabledap/deep_sea_corals.html
https://ipt-obis.gbif.us/resource?r=noaa_dsc_rtp