March 25, 2013 — Researchers have completed the first comprehensive survey of the upper waters of the continental shelf off of the Northeast U.S. from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to the Nova Scotia Shelf, including Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine.
The focus was on the physics, chemistry, and biology of the water column – or pelagic zone, where most primary production occurs – rather than the ocean bottom. The scientific parties worked from the NOAA Ship Pisces and spent 16 days at sea to conduct the work.
Three federal agencies were involved in the survey: NOAA, NASA, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), each investigating a different aspect of the ocean. Scientists from the City University of New York (CUNY) Staten Island participated in the cruise as marine mammal and bird observers with BOEM support.
A wide variety of data were collected on plankton, fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, sea birds, and sea turtles encountered in the survey. Researchers also collected information on the ocean water, including nutrients, light levels, distribution of currents and other properties
A secondary survey objective was to learn how to integrate various operations, which involved traditional and novel techniques and instruments. The 209-ft. Pisces, whose homeport is Pascagoula, Miss., is being jointly utilized by the NEFSC and the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), headquartered in Miami. NOAA's modern class of research vessels, which includes the Henry B. Bigelow and the Pisces, has greatly expanded scientists' capabilities to do this type of multidisciplinary work.
Data and samples collected on the survey will be distributed to regional universities and research institutions including the University of Connecticut, University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The information collected will be used in fisheries stock assessments, ecosystem status reports, satellite development, and offshore energy planning. Once processed, the data also will be deposited in national archives and be publically available. Integrating the data across institutions and agencies remains a challenge, but the comprehensive collection is an important step in understanding the ecosystem as a whole and how the different components interact.
Read the full press release from the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center