Northern Gulf of Mexico Chemosynthetic Ecosystems Study

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: Northern Gulf of Mexico Chemosynthetic Ecosystems Study
Abstract:
Numerous descriptive studies of the continental shelf are available. In contrast, the topography, geology, geophysics, currents, chemistry, and biota of the continental slope are less well known. For the most part, deep-sea animals live under conditions of total darkness, low temperature, nearly featureless mud, and sparse food resources. They are generally small and fragile. But chemosynthetic animals are exceptions to the generality. The first chemosynthetic animals were discovered in the Pacific Ocean (Galapagos Rift, 1977). Living near hydrothermal vents in the spreading seafloor, these remarkable animals were shown subsequently to obtain their metabolic energy from dissolved hydrogen sulfide issuing from the vents. The high density and biomass of these very large forms were the exception which proved the rule that the main limiting factor to the deep-sea fauna is the availability of nutrients. The 1982 discovery of well-developed chemosynthetic communities near petroleum seeps in the Gulf of Mexico led MMS to require that industry protect them from the physical effects of upper continental slope exploration and production. While some investigations have been conducted in recent years, there are still few data on the life history and ecological interactions within these communities. This study addresses both operational and biological questions, the answers to which are needed for effective description, detection, and protection of these communities.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Jenkins, Christopher J. , Bryant, William R. , and University, Texas A&M , 2004, Northern Gulf of Mexico Chemosynthetic Ecosystems Study.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -94.7892
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.000
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 29.1833
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 26.3533

  3. What does it look like?

    MMS_92-0035.jpg
    Image showing geographic extent of data layer coverage

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Calendar_Date: 1992
    Currentness_Reference: publication date

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: datatables

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Entity point (45)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.0000. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.0000. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

    Please review the cross reference information for the original data set credit to MacDonald, ed. (1992), and Chris Jenkins for digitizing samples locations and entering the data from the source report.

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Chris Jenkins
    Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research (INSTAAR) University of Colorado at Boulder
    1560 30th Street
    Boulder, CO 80309-0450
    USA

    (303) 492-6387 (voice)
    (303) 492-6388 (FAX)
    chris.jenkins@colorado.edu

Why was the data set created?

The purpose of this data layer is to create a digital version of the sedimentary characteristics published by Stewart (1962) for inclusion in the usSEABED data collection.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    (process 1 of 1)
    Digital data were hand formatted into dbSEABED data entry structure, then filtered and data-mined through dbSEABED software (version: db9_MNEx.bas)

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Chris Jenkins
    Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research (INSTAAR) University of Colorado at Boulder
    1560 30th Street
    Boulder, CO 80309-0450
    USA

    (303) 492-6387 (voice)
    (303) 492-6388 (FAX)

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

    MacDonald, I.R., ed., and Service, Minerals Management , 1992, Northern Gulf of Mexico Chemosynthetic Ecosystem Study: Literature Review and Data Synthesis, Volume III: Appendix, Prepared by Geochemical and Environmental Research Group: Minerals Management Service, New Orleans, Louisiana.

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    All attributes were entered and checked in a consistent manner.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Navigational accuracy is unknown.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    Sedimentary descriptions and locations are provided for 45 samples.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    No additional check for topological consistency were performed on this data.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
None except that acknowledgement must be made in publications and reports of (i) the original data source, and (ii) the data integration by USGS and dbSEABED project at the University of Colorado.

  1. Who distributes the data set?[Distributor contact information not provided.]

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    MacDonald, 1992

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Trade, firm, or product names and other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty, express or implied, by the USGS, USDOI, or U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 23-Mar-2006
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Brian J. Buczkowski
Core Curator and Data Management Specialist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2361 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
bbuczkowski@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.8.24 on Mon Mar 27 19:55:54 2006