Submersible Gathered Evidence of a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem at the Melchior Islands, Western Antarctic Peninsula (Subarea 48.1)

Study Extent

This database pertains to one dive site (Lambda Island, Melchior Islands, Western Antarctic Peninsula), proposed as a VME for inclusion in CCAMLR’s VME Registry.

Sampling

Sampling was conducted by U Boat Worx Cruise Sub-7, recording imagery with Panasonic AW-UE150KEJ 4K Integrated PTZ camera operated with a Panasonic AW-RP60GJ remote camera controller.

Quality Control

- All records were validated. - Coordinates were converted into decimal latitude and decimal -longitude and plotted on map to verify the actual geographical location corresponds to its locality. - All scientific names were checked for typo and matched to the species information backbone of Worlds Register of Marine Species (http://marinespecies.org/) and LSID were assigned to each taxa as scientificNameID whenever possible. - Event date and time were converted into ISO 8601 and verified with the data providers.

Method steps

1. DaVinci Resolve 18 was used to combine separate files where necessary and for editing.
2. Clean-up followed the same methodology as was used for analyzing the submarine footage for the successful nomination of VMEs in WG-EMM-22/46Rev1 to remove unusable sequences. For the Lambda Is footage that meant the removal of any sequences where the submersible was too far from the wall, where the visibility was poor and when the submersible was stationary. Footage from Dive A was the longest resulting video after the completion of this clean-up procedure (Table 1), thus it became the footage that was analysed.
3. Footage was color adjusted within DaVinci Resolve 18.
4. The analysis methodology also followed that which was used in WG-EMM-22/46Rev1. To compare the relative percent abundance of VME indicator taxa to that of non-VME taxa and bare substrate at the Lambda Is site, frames were exported at regular intervals (30 secs) beginning at 0:00.
5. The resulting series of images were then imported into the program PAPARA(ZZ)I (Marcon & Purser, 2017). Within this program images were further enhanced by adjusting brightness, contrast and gamma. As recommended by the authors, the usable area was then defined for each image allowing the exclusion of dark or blurred edges.
6. Once images were prepared in this way, an array of 100 random points was overlayed. Each point in each image was assigned one of three designations: VME indicator taxa, non-VME taxa or bare substrate.

1. Mollusca
   rank: phylum
2. Demospongiae
   rank: class
3. Hydrozoa
   rank: class
4. Scleractinia
   rank: order
5. Arthropoda
   rank: phylum
6. Stylasteridae
   rank: family
7. Primnoidae
   rank: family
8. Pectinida
   rank: order
9. Coralliidae
   rank: family
10. Serpulidae
    rank: family
11. Chromista
    rank: kingdom
12. Porifera
    rank: phylum
13. Isididae
    rank: family
14. Zoantharia
    rank: order
15. Pterobranchia
    rank: class
16. Hydroida
    rank: order
17. Thecostraca
    rank: class
18. Animalia
    rank: kingdom
19. Balanomorpha
    rank: order
20. Candelabridae
    rank: family
21. Xenophyophorea
    rank: class
22. Malacalcyonacea
    rank: order
23. Annelida
    rank: phylum
24. Scleralcyonacea
    rank: order
25. Polychaeta
    rank: class
26. Bathylasmatidae
    rank: family
27. Brachiopoda
    rank: phylum
28. Hexacorallia
    rank: class
29. Cidaroida
    rank: order
30. Chordata
    rank: phylum
31. Bivalvia
    rank: class
32. Paragorgiidae
    rank: family
33. Ascidiacea
    rank: class
34. Acanthogorgiidae
    rank: family
35. Euryalida
    rank: order
36. Octocorallia
    rank: class
37. Actinacididae
    rank: family
38. Hemichordata
    rank: phylum
39. Pectinidae
    rank: family
40. Anthoathecata
    rank: order
41. Echinoidea
    rank: class
42. Sabellida
    rank: order
43. Foraminifera
    rank: phylum
44. Antipatharia
    rank: order
45. Pennatulacea
    rank: order
46. Chrysogorgiidae
    rank: family
47. Hexactinellida
    rank: class
48. Ophiuroidea
    rank: class
49. Crinoidea
    rank: class
50. Cnidaria
    rank: phylum
51. Bryozoa
    rank: phylum
52. Echinodermata
    rank: phylum

Lambda Island, Melchior Islands, Western Antarctic Peninsula