Benthic megafaunal composition at the Arctic deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN ...

• Main Authors: Taylor, James, Krumpen, Thomas, Soltwedel, Thomas, Gutt, Julian, Bergmann, Melanie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2016
• Subjects: Long-term Investigation at AWI-Hausgarten off Svalbard Hausgarten; Macrobenthic long-term series in the German Bight LTER_Benthos; Fram Strait; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.856922; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.856922

The Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) observatory HAUSGARTEN, in the eastern Fram Strait, provides us the valuable ability to study the composition of benthic megafaunal communities through the analysis of seafloor photographs. This, in combination with extensive sampling campaigns, which have yielded a unique data set on faunal, bacterial, biogeochemical and geological properties, as well as on hydrography and sedimentation patterns, allows us to address the question of why variations in megafaunal community structure and species distribution exist within regional (60-110 km) and local (<4 km) scales. Here, we present first results from the latitudinal HAUSGARTEN gradient, consisting of three different stations (N3, HG-IV, S3) between 78°30'N and 79°45'N (2351 - 2788 m depth), obtained via the analysis of images acquired by a towed camera (OFOS - Ocean Floor Observation System) in 2011. We assess variability in megafaunal densities, species composition and diversity as well as biotic and biogenic ... : Supplement to: Taylor, James; Krumpen, Thomas; Soltwedel, Thomas; Gutt, Julian; Bergmann, Melanie (2016): Regional- and local-scale variations in benthic megafaunal composition at the Arctic deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 108, 58-72 ...