P.I.s R.G. Kvitek and H.G. Green This collaborative project with the Italian Antarctic program seeks to develop a species/habitat classification scheme for Antarctic benthic communities at Terra Nova Bay. The P.I.s will employ an acoustic seafloor mapping system to produce a detailed and spatially accurate Geographic Information System (GIS) map of physical habitat diversity and develop an appropriate scheme for classifying this diversity. The P.I.s will work with Italian biologists to make use of their georeferenced Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) video imagery taken of Terra Nova Bay biotic communities and attempt to relate spatial patterning of epifaunal biodiversity with variation in habitat types from 20-200 meters water depth. This product will provide the first step toward developing a classification scheme for species/habitat associations in nearshore Antarctic marine environments. The work will test the hypothesis that acoustic habitat classification techniques can be used to accurately predict epifaunal species distributions and biodiversity in the nearshore systems. If successful, the approach and associated geophysical classification scheme would provide a cost-effective tool for screening and initial assessment of marine areas proposed as Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs). A byproduct of this work will be the establishment of a physical baseline map of the proposed Terra Nova Bay ASPA that can be used for assessing or monitoring habitat change due to natural or anthropogenic disturbance. Follow-up surveys could be done on an as-needed basis after episodic events or as part of a regular, acoustic mapping program to assess rates and changes characteristic to the area.
