D544 Transect RB29 Rippled sand/mud/soft sediment throughout the transect with occasional sponges. Priority. Features: Predicted Pheronema habitat. Water Depth: -1219 m.TL: 2.1 km SOL: -16°21.553 W 55°17.101 N
Highlights: Demosponge - Polymastia sp. Demosponge - Polymastia sp. Demosponge - Polymastia sp. & orange anemone Rope Demosponge - Polymastia sp.
Rippled sand with gravel/pebbles on flat/gently downhill. Vision obscured at times due to the suspended sediment/sand cloud, possible strong currents. Epifauna sparse, which includes gastropods and Polymastia sp. Unidentified white sponge in abundance and Pheronema is present. Soft sediment with some pebbles and occasional boulders dominated throughout the dive with encrusting sponges and barnacles. Overall fauna is sparse.
START VIDEO [00:00:00]/23:50 [1] Sand/ rippled sand/gravel/pebbles on flat/gently down hill. Vision obscured at times due to the suspended sediment/sand cloud, possible strong currents. Epifauna sparse, which includes gastropods and Polymastia sp. [00:00:00] – [00:12:00] ROV collects two pushcores and a Polymastia sp. [00:16:00]-[00:18:00] Sampling of Demospongiae. [00:24:00] – [00:27:00] Vision obscured. [00:27:00]-[00:33:00] ROV stops for imagery and sampling of Geodia cf. barretti. [00:46:00] [2] Rippled sand/pebbles/boulders. Encrusted sponges co-dominante on boulders with barnacles. [00:47:00] [3] Again sand/ rippled sand/gravel/pebbles on flat/gently downhill. [00:49:00]-[00:54:00] ROV stops for imagery and sampling of Demospongiae. Vision obscured at times. [00:58:00] ROV stops and starts again. [01:03:00]- [01:10:00] ROV sampling Demospongiae. [01:13:00]-[01:17:00] ROV stops for imagery of Desmospongiae and Polymastia sp. and sampling of Demospongiae. [01:19:00] [4] Rippled sand/gravel/boulders. Encrusted sponges and Cirripedia sp. domintate on boulders. [01:22:00] [5] Now again sand/ rippled sand/gravel/pebbles on flat/gently downhill. [01:27:00]-[01:29:00] ROV stops for imagery of rope. [01:32:00] Rajiformes sp.1 OTU652. [01:34:00]-[01:39:00] ROV stops for imagery and sampling of white spring (poss OTU994). [01:50:00] Flat/plateau of gravel/mud/sparse cobbles. Sponges on cobbles. [01:51:00]-[01:56:00] ROV stops for imagery and sampling of hexactinellid (glass vase). [01:57:00] ROV stops for imagery and sampling of Polymastia sp. [02:04:00] [6] Again rippled sand/gravel/boulders. Encrusted sponges and Cirripedia sp. domintate on boulders. END VIDEO 01:55.
Progression | Start | Duration | Code | Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | [00:00:00] | 00:54:02 | M.AtMB.Sa | Atlantic mid bathyal sand |
2 | [00:54:03] | 00:03:03 | M.AtMB.Ro.BarCom | Barnacle dominated community on Atlantic mid bathyal rock and other hard substrata |
Porifera
Hexactinellida (glass vase) : 9987 : R
cf. Polymastia boletiformis : 1030 : O
cf. Geodia baretti (Porifera massive globose sp. 11) : 601 : R
Porifera encrusting sp. 15 (yellow) : 58 : R
Porifera encrusting sp. 2 : 7 : R
Porifera lamellate sp. 13 : 1053 : R
Demospongiae sp. : 9990 : R
Cnidaria
Cerianthidae sp. 1 : 2 : R
Actiniaria sp. 20 : 605 : R
Actinostolidae sp. 1 : 132 : R
Caryophyllia sp. 2 : 6 : R
Epizoanthus sp. 1 (Paguridae associated) : 317 : R
Metallogorgia/Iridogorgia or Cirripathes : 994 : R
Acanella arbuscula (firtree) : 991 : R
Arthropoda
Paguridae sp. : 205 : R
Caridea (indet.) : 1077 : R
Bathynectes sp. : 235 : R
Munidopsis sp. : 1126 : R
Cirripedia sp. 1 : 82 : R
Mollusca
Colus sp. : 113 : R
Echinodermata
Ophiuroidea (indet.) : 1076 : R
Ophiuroidea sp. 7 - yellow : 340 : R
Ophiuroidea sp. 7 - yellow : 340 : R
Stichastrella rosea : 198 : R
Porania sp. : 263 : R
© Marine Institute, MERC Consultants, Bernard Picton 2022