Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem Indicator Taxa recorded by submarine as evidence of the presence of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, Antarctic Peninsula - data

Study Extent

This dataset describes the occurrence and distribution of taxa deemed indicative of the presence of a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem by CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources) during the Greenpeace expeditions in 2018 (GP18) and in 2022 (GP22) in the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula (Subarea 48.1) during January 2018 and February/March 2022.

Sampling

The seabed was surveyed by video/photographic imagery using a Dual DeepWorker 2000 submarine (Nuytco Research Ltd.). Research submarine video survey and sampling was conducted aboard the dutch vessel M/Y Arctic Sunrise in January 2018 and between 25 February to 6 March 2022 within Subarea 48.1.

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. - Event date and time were converted into ISO 8601 and verified with the data providers.

Method steps

1. The seabed was surveyed by video/photographic imagery using a Dual DeepWorker 2000 submarine (Nuytco Research Ltd.). As described on Nuytco’s website “The Dual DeepWorker 2000 is a two-person, one atmosphere submersible that can operate in depths up to 2000 feet. Each person has a 24-inch diameter acrylic viewing dome, which gives an expansive field of view and is used to enter/exit the submersible. The Dual DeepWorker 2000 has a favorable weight to power ratio and six thrusters”. It was equipped with an HD (H.264, Blu-Ray Codec) camera in 2018 and with a Sony PXW-Z90 (PXWZ90) XDCAM Compact 4K Camcorder with Exmor RS CMOS Sensor and 12x Zoom Lens in 2022. For both expeditions the camera was mounted with a 2-point laser measurement system set at 20 cm. Benthic invertebrate samples for taxonomic determinations were collected using a HydroNewt Manipulator arm controlled by the pilot via a joystick. All attempts were made to maintain a consistent speed, distance off-bottom and camera angle.
2. The video footage was edited using Final Cut Pro X (www.apple.com) in 2018 and using DaVince Resolve 17 (www.blackmagicdesign.com) in 2022.
3. Footage clean-up methodology to remove unusable sequences was similar for both datasets. Edited out of the footage were sequences that were considered off-transect or that were in some way unsuitable for analysis. For example, descent/ascent, pauses to relay vitals Topside, pauses to film assemblages of interest, close-up footage of live and in situ invertebrates for aiding taxonomic determinations and times spent collecting specimens. Also edited out are sequences where the submarine was traveling too fast or too far from the substrate, silt obscured the view or anytime we veered off the heading given to us from Topside, or where filming was deemed off-transect. The analysis methodology was also similar both years and within the associated peer-review (Lockhart & Hocevar, 2021). Determinations/identifications of organisms in the still images are always supplemented/aided by the original video footage (which can be clearer than the frame grabs and which also contains non-transect zoomed-in footage) as well as specimen collections deposited with the California Academy of Sciences (Acquisition #1330).

1. Animalia
   rank: kingdom
2. Chromista
   rank: kingdom
3. Porifera
   rank: phylum
4. Cnidaria
   rank: phylum
5. Brachiopoda
   rank: phylum
6. Bryozoa
   rank: phylum
7. Annelida
   rank: phylum
8. Mollusca
   rank: phylum
9. Arthropoda
   rank: phylum
10. Echinodermata
    rank: phylum
11. Hemichordata
    rank: phylum
12. Chordata
    rank: phylum
13. Foraminifera
    rank: phylum

Antarctic Peninsula