OB51A:
Beyond Just Discovery in the Ocean’s Midwater: Novel and Mechanistic Approaches to Understanding Mesopelagic and Bathypelagic Ecosystems I

Session ID#: 93100

Session Description:
There is a long history of exploring the ocean’s midwater realm. However, a recent surge in focus on mesopelagic and bathypelagic ecosystems is leading to advances that are greatly enhancing our understanding of the dynamics, functioning, and importance of this massive region of the world’s oceans. We invite researchers around the globe focusing on any aspect related to the ocean’s midwater regime to come together to share their recent findings and, collectively, elucidate the current and future state of midwater research. Focus can span technological development, physics, biogeochemistry, biology, ecology, conservation, and management. Specific examples of such foci include: biomass and biodiversity measurements through the use of acoustics, optical imaging, genetics, and traditional net sampling; novel tools and technologies to study midwater properties and processes; life history characteristics and behaviors of midwater organisms, including those related to diel vertical migration; the role of midwater organisms in carbon flux; trophic pathways in midwater ecosystems, including the role of surface-water dynamics and the use of deep pelagic ecosystems by oceanic top predators; and implications of harvesting of midwater organisms and potential conservation and management strategies.
Co-Sponsor(s):
  • ME - Marine Ecology and Biodiversity
  • MM - Microbiology and Molecular Ecology
Index Terms:

4294 Instruments and techniques [OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL]
4806 Carbon cycling [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL]
4815 Ecosystems, structure, dynamics, and modeling [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL]
4830 Higher trophic levels [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL]
Primary Chair:  Joel Llopiz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States
Co-chairs:  Annette Govindarajan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, United States, Christopher Bassett, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States and Peter H Wiebe, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
Primary Liaison:  Joel Llopiz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States
Moderators:  Joel Llopiz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States and Christopher Bassett, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
Student Paper Review Liaison:  Annette Govindarajan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, United States

Abstracts Submitted to this Session:

OB51A-01
Status and trend of mesopelagic ecosystems using vessel acoustics and a profiling lagrangian acoustic optical probe (645185)
Rudy Kloser and Haris Kunnath, CSIRO, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS, Australia
OB51A-02
Building midwater baselines: Examining the variability of mesopelagic scattering layer depths and behaviors across the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ) (650251)
Jessica Nicole Perelman1, Eric Firing2 and Jeffrey Drazen1, (1)University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Department of Oceanography, Honolulu, United States, (2)University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Oceanography, Honolulu, HI, United States
OB51A-03
Intense mesopelagic acoustic backscattering in northwest Atlantic anticyclonic eddies (646731)
Alice Della Penna, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States and Peter Gaube, Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington, Air-Sea Interaction and Remote Sensing, Seattle, WA, United States
OB51A-04
Taking a closer look into the deep scattering layer - using broadband acoustics to identify mesopelagic organisms in situ (638371)
Mette Dalgaard Agersted1, Babak Khodabandeloo1, Thor Klevjer1, Gavin Macaulay1, Shale Rosen1, Eva García-Seoane1, Espen Strand1, Melanie Underwood1 and Webjørn Melle, (1)Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
OB51A-05
Using Remotely Operated Vehicles and Active Acoustics to Study the Distribution of Mesopelagic Fauna (642367)
Herbert Leavitt1, Adrienne Copeland2, Amanda Nicole Netburn, PhD2 and Mike Ford3, (1)Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, United States, (2)NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Silver Spring, United States, (3)NOAA Fisheries Marine Ecosystems Division, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Silver Spring, United States
OB51A-06
At-sea testing of the Mesobot midwater robot (650731)
Dana Yoerger1, Molly Curran2, Justin Fujii2, Daniel Gomez-Ibanez3, Annette Govindarajan1, Jonathan Howland3, Joel Llopiz2, Peter H Wiebe3, Brett Hobson4, Kakani Katija4, Michael Risi5, Bruce H Robison5, Stephen Rock6, John A Breier Jr7 and Cailean J Wilkinson8, (1)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, United States, (2)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States, (3)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States, (4)Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, United States, (5)Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, United States, (6)Stanford University, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford, CA, United States, (7)University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, United States, (8)University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
OB51A-07
Vertical migration’s why and when revisited with new technology: Tracking individual timing to understand the adaptive significance of vertical migration (640872)
Kelly Benoit-Bird, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, United States, Mark A Moline, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, United States and Brandon Southall, Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., CA, United States
OB51A-08
Predation, fear, and dynamic vertical structure in the mesopelagic (656083)
Samuel Urmy, United States, Kelly Benoit-Bird, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, United States, John Phillip Ryan, MBARI, Moss Landing, United States and John Horne, University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Seattle, United States
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