Physical, biological, and meteorological data collected on the Seward Johnson in coastal waters of the southeastern US during the Life on the Edge II cruise, 2004-06-08 to 2004-06-22 (NCEI Accession 0001633)

This dataset contains data collected during the Life on the Edge II (SJ0403) cruise, June 8-22, 2004, aboard the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Seward Johnson. The cruise was coordinated by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration. The science team studied both the outer-shelf hard grounds, found in relatively shallow water (80 to 200 m), and the middle-slope coral banks, found in deeper water (350 to 800 m). Some of the data in this accession came from the Virtual Integrated Data System (VIDS) installed on the Seward Johnson, collecting data from shipboard instruments including meteorological sensors, TSGs, GPS, and others.

Beyond the beach and influenced by the Gulf Stream, the unique habitats along "the edge" of the continental shelf and the deeper continental slope support myriad life forms. The Life on the Edge 2004 mission, part of a several-year study, aims to document and understand these habitats and the species that live in them. The mission team is searching for coral reefs and other reef habitats, from the sargassum floating in the surface waters to the corals found in deep water. The scientists hope to characterize the trophodynamics (energy flow) and community structures in these environments.