Surficial geology and benthic habitat of the German Bank seabed, Scotian Shelf, Canada
Continental Shelf Research
By: Brian J. Todd and Vladimir E. Kostylev
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
To provide the scientific context for management of a newly opened scallop fishing ground, surficial geology and benthic habitats were mapped on German Bank on the southern Scotian Shelf off Atlantic Canada. To provide a seamless regional dataset, multibeam sonar surveys covered 5320 sqaure kilometres of the bank in water depths of 30–250 m and provided 5 m horizontal resolution bathymetry and backscatter strength. Geoscience data included high-resolution geophysical profiles (seismic reflection and sidescan sonar) and seabed sediment samples. Geological interpretation and is overlain in places by glacial and postglacial sediment. Biological data included seafloor video transects and photographs from which 127 taxa of visible megabenthos were identified. Trawl bycatch data were obtained from government annual research surveys. Statistical analysis of revealed that bedrock is exposed at the seafloor on much of German Bankthese two datasets and a suite of oceanographic environmental variables demonstrated that significantly different fauna exist on bedrock, glacial sediment and postglacial sediment.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Surficial geology and benthic habitat of the German Bank seabed, Scotian Shelf, Canada |
| Series title | Continental Shelf Research |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.csr.2010.07.008 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Contributing office(s) | Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Description | 15 p. |
| First page | S54 |
| Last page | S68 |
| Country | Canada |
| Other Geospatial | German Bank seabed, Scotian Shelf |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |