Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica
The East Antarctic continental shelf has had very few studies examining the macrobenthos structure or relating biological communities to the abiotic environment. In this study, we apply a hierarchical method of benthic habitat mapping to Geomorphic Unit and Biotope levels at the local (10s of kilome...
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:35996 2023-05-15T14:03:55+02:00 Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica Beaman, RJ Harris, PT 2005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2005.04.013 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/35996 en eng Elsevier Science http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2005.04.013 Beaman, RJ and Harris, PT, Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica, Continental Shelf Research, 25, (14) pp. 1657-1691. ISSN 0278-4343 (2005) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/35996 Earth Sciences Oceanography Physical Oceanography Refereed Article PeerReviewed 2005 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2005.04.013 2019-12-13T21:14:21Z The East Antarctic continental shelf has had very few studies examining the macrobenthos structure or relating biological communities to the abiotic environment. In this study, we apply a hierarchical method of benthic habitat mapping to Geomorphic Unit and Biotope levels at the local (10s of kilometers) scale across the George V Shelf between longitudes 142E and 146E. We conducted a multi-disciplinary analysis of seismic profiles, multibeam sonar, oceanographic data and the results of sediment sampling to define geomorphology, surficial sediment and near-seabed water mass boundaries. Geographic information system models of these oceanographic and geophysical features increase the detail of previously known seabed maps and provide new maps of seafloor characteristics. Kriging surface modeling on data includes maps to assess uncertainty within the predicted models. A study of underwater photographs and the results of limited biological sampling provide information to infer the dominant trophic structure of benthic communities within geomorphic features. The study reveals that below the effects of iceberg scour (depths >500 m) in the basin, broad-scale distribution of macrofauna is largely determined by substrate type, specifically mud content. In waters within the direct influence of glacial ice (depths <500 m) on the banks, scouring by icebergs is a strong limiting factor in the distribution of macrobenthos. In areas protected from iceberg scour disturbance, such as on the outer shelf banks and slope, the direction and speed of oceanic currents are the likely dominant abiotic factor in the broad-scale distribution of macrofauna. This hierarchical method of benthic habitat mapping could be applied circum-Antarctic for comparison against other geographic areas, and would assist authorities responsible for developing ecosystem-based plans by identifying the different types of marine habitats and their associated biological communities at varying scales on the Antarctic shelf. 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Iceberg* eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Continental Shelf Research 25 14 1657 1691 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Physical Oceanography |
spellingShingle |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Physical Oceanography Beaman, RJ Harris, PT Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Physical Oceanography |
description |
The East Antarctic continental shelf has had very few studies examining the macrobenthos structure or relating biological communities to the abiotic environment. In this study, we apply a hierarchical method of benthic habitat mapping to Geomorphic Unit and Biotope levels at the local (10s of kilometers) scale across the George V Shelf between longitudes 142E and 146E. We conducted a multi-disciplinary analysis of seismic profiles, multibeam sonar, oceanographic data and the results of sediment sampling to define geomorphology, surficial sediment and near-seabed water mass boundaries. Geographic information system models of these oceanographic and geophysical features increase the detail of previously known seabed maps and provide new maps of seafloor characteristics. Kriging surface modeling on data includes maps to assess uncertainty within the predicted models. A study of underwater photographs and the results of limited biological sampling provide information to infer the dominant trophic structure of benthic communities within geomorphic features. The study reveals that below the effects of iceberg scour (depths >500 m) in the basin, broad-scale distribution of macrofauna is largely determined by substrate type, specifically mud content. In waters within the direct influence of glacial ice (depths <500 m) on the banks, scouring by icebergs is a strong limiting factor in the distribution of macrobenthos. In areas protected from iceberg scour disturbance, such as on the outer shelf banks and slope, the direction and speed of oceanic currents are the likely dominant abiotic factor in the broad-scale distribution of macrofauna. This hierarchical method of benthic habitat mapping could be applied circum-Antarctic for comparison against other geographic areas, and would assist authorities responsible for developing ecosystem-based plans by identifying the different types of marine habitats and their associated biological communities at varying scales on the Antarctic shelf. 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Beaman, RJ Harris, PT |
author_facet |
Beaman, RJ Harris, PT |
author_sort |
Beaman, RJ |
title |
Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_short |
Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_full |
Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_sort |
biogregionalization of the george v shelf, east antarctica |
publisher |
Elsevier Science |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2005.04.013 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/35996 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Iceberg* |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Iceberg* |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2005.04.013 Beaman, RJ and Harris, PT, Biogregionalization of the George V Shelf, East Antarctica, Continental Shelf Research, 25, (14) pp. 1657-1691. ISSN 0278-4343 (2005) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/35996 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2005.04.013 |
container_title |
Continental Shelf Research |
container_volume |
25 |
container_issue |
14 |
container_start_page |
1657 |
op_container_end_page |
1691 |
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1766274790664962048 |