Vt.J J V V I MMS 87-0050 CONTRACT NO.14-12-0001-3006 STUDY OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES ON THE U.S. MID-ATLANTIC SLOPE AND RISE VOLUME 2 FINAL REPORT PREPARED FOR U .S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OCS Study M MS 87-0050 Contract No. 14-12-0001-30064 STUDY OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES ON THE US. MID-ATLANTIC SLOPE AND RISE by N. Maciolek 1, J.F. Grassle2, B. Hecker3, P .D. Boehm 1, B. Brown 1, B . Dade2, W .G. Steinhauerl, E . Baptistel, R .E. Ruffl, and R. Petrecca2 December 15, 1987 1Battelle Ocean Sciences 397 Washington Street, Duxbury, Massachusetts 02332 and 2Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543 and 3Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University Palisades, New York 10964 Final Report Prepared for the US. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Washington, D.C. 20240 DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and has been approved for publication . Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the MMS, nor does mention of trade names or commercial ,products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use . i DISCLAIMER This report is a work prepared for the United States by Battelle . In no event shall either the United States or Battelle have any responsibility or liability for any consequences of any use, misuse, inability to use, or reliance upon the information contained herein, nor does either warrant or otherwise represent in any way the accuracy, adequacy, efficacy, or applicability of the contents hereof . ZZ au .9 i j - w . I 3. R .dDl .nt's AeC.ssion No. REPORT DOCUMENTATION I 1. RE>bRT NO. _. PAGE .. Ttele and sl,eatl. s. R.oo.e o.e. December 15, 1987 Study of Biological Processes on the U . S . Mid-Atlantic Slope and Rise ` 7•'w" N . Maciolek, J .F . Grassle, B . Hecker, P .D . Boehm, B .Brown a""'°""'"e °I ""/:'t1°" R'°` N°. 9. r .AOnnl ORs /sstbn N a1d Addrss 10. ho t.etlTasic/Wwk UMt Na Batte~le c.ean ci ences 397 Washington Street, Duxbury, MA 02332 11. c,nt„ct(C) „o„nt(c ) N.. and flBds Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA cc) 14-12-001-30064 cc~ Lamont-Dohert Geo h sical Observator Palisades NY iZ SponsoMnt Oepnlssdon Nsm. aeW Ad4Y.ss 13. Tppe of R .oort & P.rfoa Covana U .S . Department of the Interior FINAL Minerals Management Service 3/84-3/86 Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Region 1~- 5 Kidw 1 'v 15. suoo/.m.na.r Nae.s This report is in two volumes : Volume 1 : Executive Summary Volume 2 : Final Report la Ae.e..a (unft iao wo.au Box core samples were collected at 14 stations as part of a monitoring program to evaluate potential effects of exploratory drilling in water depths of 1500 and 2100 m . The box core samples were analyzed for benthic infauna, hydrocarbons, sediment grain size, and total organic carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen . Benthic infaunal diversity was high at all stations on all sampling dates . As a group, the shallower (1515-1613 m) stations were more diverse than the deeper stations . Species composition and abundance was homogeneous at depths of 2020 to 2195 m along a 176-km transect . Changes in diversity or similarity among stations over time could be explained by changes in the densities of a few dominant species, and were often related to differences in sediment texture, rather than drilling activities . Transect and classification analysis of epifaunal data collected from photographs taken on camera-sled tows indicated trends in trophic structure and species composition that were related to a combination of depth and topography . In one area down-slope of the drill site, a change in the density of a species of sea pen may have been due to drilling activities ; however, sedimentary changes not related to drilling may have caused the observed decrease in the abundance of this species . There was no evidence that hydrocarbons in the sediments, or hydrocarbons and metals in brittle stars and sea urchins, originated from sources associated with drilling activities . 17. Deeum.nt Andpsls a. D.oerlptors 0. IdontlMn/Op.e -End.d T.ena a COSATt n.w/Gee.o 1a Awuaaoey staa.,.ne 1s. 3.«,, .ir• ca.ss crhls R.oort) tl. Na of rsps 20. 3.eu.lqr Cl.s ( TAIs Pat•) 22. P.re• (i.. ANSF.Z39 .1Q s.. In .r.verlww . 00 Rw.w.• OrT10NAL FVwr ric 1- •• TABLE OF CONTENTS Page VOLUME 1 : EXECUTIVE SUMMARY VOLUME 2 : FINAL REPORT CHAPTER 1 . INTRODUCTION...... N....N........NNN..............»»..N...NN........... 1 OBJEC • aVES ..N.N . .. ... ..N... ... .NN ..... ...NN. .....NN.... ....N.. .N .N.... .N... .N.. ... I BACKGROUND OF STUDY DESIGN .. .N .N.N.... .NNNNN..NN.NN.. .. ...N . ..N.N 3 CHAPTER 2 . FIELD PROGRAM..............NN.. .N..N. .. ... ..NN...NNN. .NN .. ... .NN.. 7 IN T ROD U CTION..................N. N...NN. .NNNNN ....... N... .N ..... ... .. ..N. .. .. 7 METHODS. ... .... .. .. .. ..NN.N . ...NN. ..NNNN .N ...NN. ....N.... ... ... .. ..NN..N. ..... 7 V W .V. fi .... ..... ..... .. ..N. .NNN...NN.NN .NN .NNNNN.. ..N.N.N. .. .N ..N. ... .N.... 7 Station Locations....... ... .. ........N. .N .. .NN... .N.N..N... ..... ... ...N . .... .. ..... 10 N avigation ....... ..... .. ... .N .N. ...N ... ..N.NN. ..NNNN.NN. ..... .N.. ...... ..... N. 1 0 Box Core Sampling .N .. ..N. ...NNN..N.N .NN.NNM. ...N.N ..N...N....... NN...... 13 Camera Transects ... ....N .. .NNNNN.NNNNN.N.N.N...NN.NN..N .NN.N ....N1. 15 Bottom Trawls ...... ..NNMN ..NNNN.NNI .N.NN.N .NNN..NN.N..N.NNN. ..N . .. 15 Hydrographic Measurements . ..N.N .NM.NN.NNN..NN.N...NN.NM..NNN.N.. 16 Recolonization TraysNNN. .N.NNN. .NNNN.N.N...N.N... ....N.N. ...NN......... 16 }~ Day Dredge................... »..N»».N.....».NN».»N.N.»........... N............. 18 +,_IVULTS ..N..............N.N.N..N.. .N .NN ...N ..NNNNNN.N..N ..N..N .................N 18 Box Core Sampling. ... .NN ...N .N..N.NN.NNN ..NNN ...N ...NN. ..NNN.NNN ..M 18 Camera Transects .. ... ..... .NN..NN.NNN. .N ..... ..... .N..N.N.N .N .N.N.... ..... 19 Bottom Trawls .. .... ... ..... ...N ... .....N. ..NN.. ..N..N ....N.......NNN....N. ..... 19 Hydrographic Measurements...............N....N.................»......»»N..... 19 Recolonization Trays. ...N..N.. .NN ...N ... ... .. ...N . .N. .N.. .N ....N. ... ... ..N.N. 20 Day Dredge ..... ... .. ... ... ...N .N.. ..N.N.N...N.N . .. ... .N.. ..N.N. ....N.. .. ... ... .. .. 20 CHAPTER 3 . BENTHIC INFAUNAL COMMUNITY STRUCTURE .....N.....N...... 21 INTRODUCTION.............N.»....».NN.»N.NN....N.NN..N....NN..... N............. 21 METHODS.. .. .. .. ..... ... .. ... ....NNNN. .NNN. .NNNMM .MNN ..N.N....NN.N.NNN.... 22 Sam ple Proces.sing....N. .N ...NN.MN. .....NM..NN.N ... .N .. ..N. ..NN ........ N ... 22 Quality Control..... N. .. ... .. ... .. ...NN.N. ...NNN. ... .N.. .. .N .. ... .NN1. ..... .N. 23 Data Reduction and Analysis ... .. ... ... .. ... .... ...N . .N..N .. .. .. ..N.... ..N.NN 23 R ESULTS..........................N ..NN.N.NN.. ..N NN N N . ...N ..NN.N. .. .......N. .. ..... 28 ... Taxonom y . .. .. .. .. ..NN.NN .. .N....N...NN ..... ...N ..NN.. .........N .. ... .. ... .. 28 Diversity...................N.... N ..............N ...N .N ..N.N .......N .. ... ............ .. 30 Cluster AnalyJaJ ....... ..... N. ..... N.N . .N...N..N ... ..... ..N. ..N....N. .. .. ... .. ... .. 44 Correspondence Analysis..... .N.. .....NNN ..NNNNN... ... .N.. .. ........ ..... ... 53 Dominant Species.............................. NNN..... N........ N...................... 58 Dens ity................. N..........N ..... ... .N.. .N.. ..N. ..N.N. ....NN .........N........ 62 DISCUSSION .......................N.... N........N.............N.. .N...........N...........N. 87 CHAPTER 4. 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