Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
Charles K. Paull, Katherine L. Maier, David W. Caress, Roberto Gwiazda, Eve M. Lundsten, Krystle Anderson, James P. Barry, Chris Lovera, Mark Chaffey, Tom O’Reilly, Brian Kieft, Mike McCann

Departments of Geography and Earth Sciences, Durham University
Peter J. Talling, Matthieu J. Cartigny, Catharina J. Heerema, Natasha Chapplow

National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus
Peter J. Talling, Jenny A. Gales, Michael A. Clare

U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Katherine L. Maier, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Thomas D. Lorenson, Mary McGann, Joanne Ferreira and the Marine Facilities Team

Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull
Daniel Parsons, Steve M. Simmons

Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology of China
Jingping Xu

Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology
Jingping Xu

University of Plymouth
Jenny A. Gales

Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton
Esther J. Sumner, Lewis Bailey

Datasets hosted by MGDS have their own DOI and can be cited individually.

Please cite this online data report as follows:

Lundsten, E. (2019). Coordinated Canyon Experiment (CCE) data report. MBARI.org. Retrieved 11/4/2022. from this page.

• CCE Datasets host at MGDS
  • Water Column Data
  • AMT Data
  • BEDs Data
  • Sediment Trap Data
  • Bathymetric Grids
• CCE Background Data
  • Master file list
  • Time of recorded turbidity events
  • Monterey Bay regional bathymetry

A dense array of sensors ( more than 50) were deployed for three consecutive six-month periods from October 2015 to April 2017 within Monterey Canyon. Traditional moorings with instruments strung between floatation packages and anchors (railroad wheels) were deployed. Additionally, instruments were mounted on platforms and deployed on and buried in the seafloor. These instruments monitored conditions in the water column and near the seafloor.

Moorings (MS1-MS5, & MS7)

Six moorings were deployed at depths of 280 to 1,850 meters water depth in Monterey Canyon. Instruments on each mooring were suspended at various depths above the seafloor. Typically, instruments deployed on the moorings were: acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP), sediment traps with intervalometers to mark time (sediment trap methods), turbidity sensors, CTDs (conductivity, temperature, and depth sensors), and optical backscatter sensors.

Anderson sediment trap (AST)

Anderson sediment traps are designed to passively collect particulate material as it settles from the water column into a tube. This effectively provides a record of the sediment and particulate matter passing through the water column. After recovery these tubes can be logged with a multi-sensor core logger, and subsequently extruded, and sampled. These sediment traps were deployed on moorings MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4 MS5, and MS7 (see map and illustrations above for locations).

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)

ADCPs measure a profile of current velocity and acoustic backscatter in the water column. They were the backbone of the entire experiment. One was suspended approximately 65 meters above the seafloor looking downward on each of the moorings. All ADCP’s deployed on the moorings were 300 kHz RDI Workhorse Sentinels.

Seafloor Instrument Node (SIN)

A seafloor instrument node (SIN) was deployed at a depth of 1,840 meters. The SIN featured three ADCPs (RDI Workhorse Sentinels) of 300, 600 and 1200 kHz frequencies, looking upward from the seafloor and recording data continuously on a common time base. This platform also contained instruments that measured water temperature, salinity, turbidity, and oxygen concentrations at the seafloor.

Benthic Event Detectors (BEDs)

Several BEDs were deployed partially buried in the canyon floor between 208 to 516 meters water depth. BEDs are designed to be carried down-canyon within sediment gravity flows. BEDs recorded acceleration, rotation and pressure as a function of time as they are transported in the flow.

Acoustic Monitoring Transponder (AMT)

An array of three Sonardyne AMTs were placed in Monterey Canyon to monitor seafloor movements. One instrument was placed at 300 meters water depth in the canyon axis and the other two on stable benches on the canyon sides. Each AMT measured the distance to the other instruments as well as recording pitch, roll, temperature, and depth.

McLane profiler (MS6)

A vertical McLane profiler was deployed on mooring MS6 at a depth of 1,830 meters. This automated instrument package crawled along the mooring cable, traveling between 7 to 507 meters above the seafloor every 4.5 hours collecting continuous profiles of temperature, current velocity, salinity, depth, and optical backscatter on each of these 30-minute runs.

Wave height sensor (MS0)

MS0 is an instrument package designed to carry a wave height and current velocity sensor (600 kHz Nortek AWAC). It was deployed in 30 meters water depth on the continental shelf outside the canyon, and also carried instruments that measured, conductivity, temperature, oxygen fluorescence, and optical backscatter.

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV)

Researchers used MBARI’s mapping AUVs to make extremely detailed bathymetric maps of the canyon floor at two sites several times throughout the study.

Wave Gliders