Benthic organism data from the South Texas Outer Continental Shelf (STOCS) and the Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida (MAFLA) Outer Continental Shelf studies from 16 May 1974 to 20 February 1978 (NODC Accession 8500179)

• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: NOAA NCEI Environmental Data Archive 2015
• Subjects: DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; 8500179; BENTHIC SPECIES - TAXA COUNTS; BENTHIC SPECIES - TAXA IDENTITIES; BENTHIC SPECIES - TAXA WET WEIGHTS; BIVALVES; CORE - BOTTOM; INVERTEBRATE SPECIES; MARINE SPECIES INVENTORY; MEIOFAUNA; MOLLUSKS; POLYCHAETES; TAXONOMIC CODE; biota surveys; dredge; laboratory analysis; net; scale; sediment sampler - corer; sediment sampler - grab; trawl; benthic; biological; sediment analysis; survey - biological; tows; BELLOWS; COLUMBUS ISELIN; GYRE; INDIAN SEAL; JAVA SEAL; LONGHORN; ROUNSEFELL; Dauphin Island Sea Lab; Florida State University; Texas A&M University; University of Texas; University of Texas - Austin; Marine Science Institute; Mississippi/Alabama/Florida Area Environmental Study (MAFLA); OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF - SOUTH TEXAS (OCS-SOUTH TEXAS); Gulf of Mexico; oceanography; OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MEXICO; Austin; Indian; Alabama; Bellows; Dauphin Island; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/{64115AFC-4B2A-4AF0-9D5D-0188611B6D19}

Benthic organisms data were collected using sediment sampler and net casts BELLOWS and other platforms in the Gulf of Mexico from 16 May 1974 to 20 February 1978. Data were collected and submitted by Dr. William Sackett of Texas University with support from the Outer Continental Shelf project. The data are from field sampling or surveys of bottom dwelling marine organisms in F132 format. The data provide information on species counts and species wet weight from samples collected by point sampling (grab or core) or by tow (dredge or trawl). Three operational kinds of data include: Epifauna, Infauna, and Meiofauna benthic organisms data that roughly correspond to the different sampling methods and collecting institutions that were part of this study. Cruise information such as vessel, start and end dates, investigator, and institution/agency; station numbers, positions and times; and equipment and methods are reported for each survey. Number of individual organisms or total weight of all organisms in the sample is reported for each taxonomic category identified by the researchers (often to Genus and Species taxonomic resolution).