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Description
Northeast US coastal waters contain benthic fauna data collected from 1881 to the present by National Marine Fisheries Service laboratories. The dataset includes 21,000 sample sites with parameters like depth, sediment type, species name, and abundance. Major studies incorporated are Ocean Pulse, the Northeast Monitoring Program, and surveys of the New York Bight and Long Island Sound.
Use Cases
Analyze species abundance and distribution patterns by family, genus, and species name across 21,000 sample sites.
Model relationships between benthic fauna and environmental parameters like depth (up to 4000m), sediment type, and bottom temperature.
Study long-term temporal trends in benthic communities from 1881 to present, noting intensive sampling periods.
Compare faunal data from specific survey programs like Ocean Pulse, New York Bight, and the 12 Mile Dumpsite studies.
Investigate gear type efficiency and standardization across different historical sampling campaigns.
Strengths
21,000 sample sites provide broad spatial coverage of the Northeast US coast.
Temporal coverage spans over a century, from 1881 to the present.
Includes multiple measured parameters per sample: depth, sediment type, gear type, and taxonomic details.
Limitations
Data is sparse for long periods, specifically from 1881 to around 1955 and again after 1986.
Potential record duplication exists with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Bottom Trawl Survey dataset.
Maximum sampled depth is 4,000 meters, which may not cover the full bathymetric range of some regions.
Provenance
Source
National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratories at Woods Hole, MA and Sandy Hook, NJ.
Collection Method
Field surveys using various sampling gear, with data stored on an Oracle database server at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
Time Range
1881 to present
Freshness
Historical data collection is ongoing, but the last documented update was in 1989.
Geography
Northeastern United States continental shelf, including areas like the New York Bight, Long Island Sound, and Raritan Bay.
Some records may be duplicated in the related Northeast Fisheries Science Center Bottom Trawl Survey dataset. Ancillary hydrographic and chemical data are stored separately at the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole.