Abstract
 Using GIS to Study Animal Distributions at Hydrothermal Vents Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources Author(s): Elizabeth Podowski, G.W. Luther, T. Moore, C.R. Fisher Understanding the distributions of animals at deep-sea hydrothermal vents has been a focus of interdisciplinary research since their discovery 30 years ago. Recent technological developments allow collection of spatially explicit imagery and data of much higher quality than previously possible, enabling detailed analysis of the intact communities. During two research cruises to the Lau Basin back-arc spreading center in the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Tonga (June 2005 and September 2006), high-resolution, geo-referenced imagery of hydrothermal-vent communities was collected using a remotely operated vehicle. Additionally, chemical and temperature data were obtained from between 50 and 100 positions in each community using in-situ instruments. All data were then integrated into a GIS, which is being used to better understand the requirements and tolerances of the hydrothermal vent fauna for particular chemical and thermal environments. Elizabeth Podowski Pennsylvania State University Biology 208 Mueller Buildilng University Park , PA 16802 US Phone: 814-863-8360 E-mail: elp145@psu.edu |
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