Abstract:

This dataset is comprised of still photographic images of coral colonies collected from coral communities in the area of the Deepwater Horizion wellhead. Images in this dataset were collected in October 2011. These images are used to quantify the ongoing impact of oil fallout on the health of long-lived deep-sea corals. Communities imaged include one 6 km south of the Macondo wellhead and another 22 km southeast.

Suggested Citation:

Charles Fisher. 2016. Coral image dataset for Footprint of Deepwater Horizon blowout impact to deep-water coral communities, Gulf of Mexico, October 2011. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N78913TC

Publications:

Fisher, C. R., Demopoulos, A. W. J., Cordes, E. E., Baums, I. B., White, H. K., & Bourque, J. R. (2014). Coral Communities as Indicators of Ecosystem-Level Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Spill. BioScience, 64(9), 796–807. doi:10.1093/biosci/biu129

Fisher, C. R., Hsing, P.-Y., Kaiser, C. L., Yoerger, D. R., Roberts, H. H., Shedd, W. W., … Brooks, J. M. (2014). Footprint of Deepwater Horizon blowout impact to deep-water coral communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(32), 11744–11749. doi:10.1073/pnas.1403492111

Girard, F., Fu, B., & Fisher, C. (2016). Mutualistic symbiosis with ophiuroids limited the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea octocorals. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 549, 89–98. doi:10.3354/meps11697

Fisher, C., Montagna, P., & Sutton, T. (2016). How Did the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impact Deep-Sea Ecosystems? Oceanography, 29(3), 182–195. doi:10.5670/oceanog.2016.82

Girard, F., Shea, K., & Fisher, C. R. (2018). Projecting the recovery of a long-lived deep-sea coral species after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using state-structured models. Journal of Applied Ecology. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13141

Girard, F., & Fisher, C. R. (2018). Long-term impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea corals detected after seven years of monitoring. Biological Conservation, 225, 117–127. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.06.028

Girard, F., Cruz, R., Glickman, O., Harpster, T., & Fisher, C. R. (2019). In situ growth of deep-sea octocorals after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Elem Sci Anth, 7(1), 12. doi:10.1525/elementa.349

Purpose:

Quantification of impact of oil fallout to the health of coral colonies.

Data Parameters and Units:

Site (lease block); Coral (code); Species (coral species name); Proportion w/o visible damage; Proportion not healthy; Proportion with hydroids

Methods:

ROI files: http://imagej.net/ROIs

Instruments:

UHD ROV, Beast Camera

Individual Files: