Layer: Chapter 3 - Benthics (ID: 23)

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Name: Chapter 3 - Benthics

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Description: NOTE: The layers presented here only represent a small sample of the spatial information compiled during this assessment. The entire data package is publicly avaialble for download on NOAA's NCEI's website: https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/access/index.html. For more information, please see: Bauer, L., M. Poti, B.M. Costa, D. Wagner, F. Parrish, M. Donovan, and B. Kinlan. 2016. Chapter 3: Benthic Habitats and Corals. pp. 57-136. In: B.M. Costa and M.S. Kendall (eds.). Marine Biogeographic Assessment of the Main Hawaiian Islands. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. OCS Study BOEM 2016-035 and NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 214. 359 pp. An understanding of the distribution of marine benthic habitats and associated biota in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI)is necessary in order to assess potential direct and indirect effects of renewable energy development. Benthic habitats in the MHI can be divided into three broad categories based on their depth: shallow (<30 m), mesophotic (30-150 m)and deep (>150 m). Shallow-coral reefs provide numerous natural and economic benefits to the state’s economy and are much better studied than mesophotic and deep-water coral reefs. Approximately 75% of the shallow-water (<30 m)area around the MHI has been characterized using satellite imagery, although the percentage varies by island, with less area mapped around Hawaiʻi and the windward sides of Maui and Kahoʻolawe. Seventeen datasets from shallow reef monitoring programs were compiled into a standardized database of benthic cover. A qualitative assessment of the data indicates that percent cover of major benthic taxonomic groups (e.g., live coral, macroalgae) varies at both the island and local scales, with coral cover generally lower around the most northwestern islands. Recently published spatial predictive models of mesophotic hard coral distributions in the ʻAuʻau Channel provided maps of probability of occurrence for Leptoseris spp., Montipora spp. and Porites spp. These models were created using presence and absence records for these genera and a suite of environmental predictor variables. Probability of occurrence for mesophotic hard corals was highest in the warmer, clearer, and calmer waters off the western coast of Maui between Hanakaoʻo Point and Papawai Point. Although less data is available in deeper habitats, a variety of deep-sea corals (DSC) have been documented in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Using presence-only data and a suite of environmental predictor variables, spatial predictive models were created for eighteen DSC groups to identify areas most likely to contain deep-sea coral habitat around the MHI. The distributions of DSC presence records varied among groups; however, records were often concentrated in particular locations such as Cross Seamount, Makapuʻu Point, Makalawena Bank, Lō‘ihi Seamount, and the southern edge of Penguin Bank. Areas predicted to contain highly suitable DSC habitat broadly aligned with the locations of DSC presence records. The environmental variables depth, distance to shore and slope were consistently the most important predictors across all models. For both mesophotic corals and DSC, model results can be used to guide future exploration and research, particularly in areas where few records exist.

Copyright Text: For web service: NOAA NOS NCCOS CCMA Biogeography Branch

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