HR: 1340h
AN: B43E-1660 INVITED    [Abstracts]
TI: The Asphalt Ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico: Results From the Chapopote III Cruise
AU: * MacDonald, I R
EM: ian.macdonald@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Physical & Environmental Sciences Dept., Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Escobar, E
EM: escobri@mar.icmyl.unam.mx
AF: Universidad Nacional Autáłnoma de Má©xico, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologma. Apdo. Postal 70-305., Mexico, DF, 045510, Mexico
AU: Naehr, T
EM: thomas.naehr@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Physical & Environmental Sciences Dept., Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Joye, S
EM: mjoye@arches.uga.edu
AF: University of Georgia, Department of Marine Sciences, Athens, GA 30602-3636, United States
AU: Spiess, V
EM: vspiess@uni-bremen.de
AF: University of Bremen, Research Center Ocean Margins Post Box 330 440, Bremen, D-28334, Germany
AU: Cruise Participants, C
AB: The Campeche Knolls region of the southern Gulf of Mexico contains numerous diapiric mounds and ridges that are associated with persistent oil slicks and extensive flows of solidified asphalt. Previous investigations¹ have documented chemosynthetic communities, gas hydrates, and bubble streams that rise hundreds of meters into the water column. However, only a few of the potential features had previously been investigated. The team² selected a series of potential sites based on satellite images of oil slicks and geophysical data. These sites were surveyed during a cruise with the Mexican ship JUSTO SIERRA during 11-24 September 2007. Visual surveys using video and digital images were completed over geophysical anomalies. Multi-corer samples of the sediments were then collected based on the visual data. A narrow beam acoustic profiler was used to search for bubble streams. Preliminary results of this expedition are presented. ¹ MacDonald, I. R., et al. (2004). "Asphalt volcanism and chemosynthetic life, Campeche Knolls, Gulf of Mexico." Science 304: 999-1002. ² Chapopote III cruise participants: J. Adams, L. F. Alvarez, J. Bliss, M. Bowells, F. Deng, E. Escobar, O. Garcia, M. M. L. Garduño, A. Gassner, K. Hunter, B. B. Jimenez, A. Leiva, I. MacDonald, T. Naehr, D. Prouty, V. Samarkin, and J. Wood.
DE: 0439 Ecosystems, structure and dynamics (4815)
DE: 0456 Life in extreme environments
DE: 0480 Remote sensing
DE: 1724 Ocean sciences
DE: 3004 Gas and hydrate systems
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting