Survey of soft sediment assemblages around Casey Station (grab samples), Feb - Mar, 1997

• Other Authors: RIDDLE, MARTIN J. (hasPrincipalInvestigator), STARK, JONATHAN SEAN (hasPrincipalInvestigator), STARK, JONATHAN SEAN (processor), Australian Antarctic Data Centre (publisher)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Australian Antarctic Data Centre
• Subjects: biota; environment; oceans; transportation; CONTAMINANT LEVELS/SPILLS; EARTH SCIENCE; HUMAN DIMENSIONS; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS; HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATION; SEWAGE DISPOSAL; MARINE OBSTRUCTIONS; MARINE ENVIRONMENT MONITORING; ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES; BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION; CRUSTACEANS; ARTHROPODS; ECHINODERMS; MOLLUSKS; SEGMENTED WORMS (ANNELIDS); EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC; COASTAL; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; POPULATION DYNAMICS; BIOSPHERE; ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; SPECIES DOMINANCE INDICES; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; COMMUNITY STRUCTURE; ASSEMBLAGE; GARBAGE TIP; COMMUNITY; HEAVY METALS; GRAB SAMPLES; HUMAN IMPACT; LOCATION; MACROBENTHOS; PLOT/REPLICATE; POLLUTION; SITE; SPECIES; VOLUME; WEIGHT; GRAB SAMPLERS; MICROSCOPES; FIELD INVESTIGATION; FIELD SURVEYS; OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN; CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > East Antarctica; Casey Station; Brown Bay; O'Brien Bay; Beall Island; Shannon Bay; Honkala Island; Newcombe Bay; GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Windmill Islands; Van Veen; Honkala; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://researchdata.ands.org.au/survey-soft-sediment-mar-1997/699756; https://doi.org/10.4225/15/55F66783B7EC6; https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/ASAC_2201_Casey_benthic_survey1; http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-617536

Marine soft-sediment assemblages were sampled from shallow (5 - 35m) nearshore regions around Casey Station, Windmill Islands, East Antarctica in late summer (Feb-March) 1997, using a van-Veen grab (surface area 20 x 25 cm). Samples were sieved through a 1 mm mesh and sorted to species where possible. A hierarchical, spatially nested sampling design was used with locations (km's apart), sites (100s of metres apart), and plots (10s of m). Two potentially impacted, polluted locations (adjacent to a sewage outfall and an old garbage tip) were compared with two control locations. Data was analysed using both multivariate and univariate statistical methods. Significant differences in assemblages were found between locations and between sites within locations. Significant differences in the abundances of taxa at several taxonomic levels (species, family, order, phylum) were found at all three spatial scales. Significant differences were also detected between the polluted and control locations. Compared with other Antarctic locations, the assemblages were dominated by crustaceans (90 to 97 % of individuals) and there was a paucity of polychaete fauna at the locations sampled. This study represents the first description of benthic assemblages from this region. A total of 70 samples are included in this data set. Also links to ASAC 1100. The fields in this dataset are: Location Site Plot/replicate Weight Volume Species