Predictive models of the abundance and distribution of deep-sea corals and sponges in the Gulf of Alaska (NCEI Accession 0289894)

Deep-sea coral and sponge presence and abundance (measured as catch per unit effort (CPUE) were generated based off data from bottom trawl surveys between 1993 to 2013. Sponge models were left at the class level due to taxonomic uncertainty. Models of coral were the combination of seven families (Acanthogorgidae, Paragorgidae, Isididae, Plexauridae, Primnoidae and Stylasteridae). One coral family, due to its dominance in the region, was modeled on its own. Another coral group, sea whips (order Pennatuloidea), were also modeled independently due to their dominance in soft substrate environments. All models are presented in the GeoTIFF format. Environmental layers used in the modeling of the taxa are also part of this data package. They include the parameters GeoTIFF rasters of latitude, longitude, bathymetry, mean bottom temperature for the region, current speed and direction for the deepest depth bin at each sampling point, ocean color, seafloor slope, mean current speed (exclusive of tides), and max tidal current predicted over a year. For details on the measurement of each environmental layer, see the journal article Rooper et al. (2017).