H. GARY GREEN
Center for Habitat Studies, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Mapping of Critical Habitat: The Geology/Biology Interface

Abstract

Mapping of deep-water marine benthic habitats is increasing at an accelerated rate using high technology digital multibeam swath bathymetric and backscatter systems. Data collected with these systems image the seafloor in such high resolution that substrate and rock types can be identified with a high degree of accuracy. The lithologic and textural information obtained from the images provide information that is critical to defining and classifying habitats. However, the maps that are produced from these geophysical techniques are generally devoid of biology and essentially present an interface or foundation for biota and other organisms that may be attracted to geology.

The San Juan Islands region of northern Washington and southern Canada has been imaged in great detail using Canadian multibeam and geophysical seafloor mapping systems. This information is now being used to determine the relationship between seafloor geology and biology. Steep, high relief rock walls and seafloor mounds provide hard substrate for sessile organisms and attract various species of rockfish while dynamic bedforms such as sediment waves on the floor of the straits and channels migrate over hard substrate altering or covering these habitats. Understanding the relationship between geology and sedimentary processes is critical to habitat mapping. In situ observations using submersibles and ROVs are essential in documenting habitat types and identifying the biology attracted to various substrate types. In the San Juan Islands, this biological–geological relationship is just being initiated and should result in the identification of critical habitats for such organisms as rockfishes.

Biography

• Professor, Marine Geology, and Head, Center for Habitat Studies
• Senior Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

Education

• California State University, Long Beach—Paleontology B.Sc. (1966)
• San Jose State University—Geophysics, MS (1969)
• Stanford University—Marine Geology, PhD (1977)

Appointments

• 1998-present—Professor/Researcher, Marine Geology, Moss Landing Marine Labs
• 1998-present—Senior Researcher, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
• 1994-1998—Director, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
• 1966-1994—Marine Geologist, Program Manager, U.S. Geological Survey, (USGS), Menlo Park, CA

Selected Publications

Authored or Co-authored over 250 reports, papers, abstracts, and maps. Co-edited four books, senior editor of two.

• Greene, H. G., Maher, N. and Paull, C., 2002. Physiography of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and implications about continental margin development. Mar Geol.,181 p.55-82
• Greene, H.G., Yoklavich, M.M., O’Connell, V.M., Starr, R.M., Wakefield, W.W. and Cailliet, G.M., 2000, Mapping and classification of deep seafloor habitats. ICES paper CM 2000/T:08, 11 pp.
• Auzende, J.-M. and Greene, H.G. (Eds.), 1999. Special Issue of Oceanologica Acta, v. 22, n. 6, Marine Benthic Habitats, 726 p.
• Eichhuble, P., Greene, H.G., and Maher, N., 2002. Physiography of an active transpressive margin basin: high-resolution bathymetry of the Santa Barbara Basin, southern California continental borderland: Mar. Geol., 184 p.95-120.
• Wagner, D. and Greene, H.G., 2002. Geologic map of the Monterey region: California Division of Mines and Geology Regional Map Series, scale 1:100,000.
• Yoklavich, M.M., Greene, H.G., Cailliet, G.M., Sullivan, D.E., Lea, R.N. and Love M.S., 2000, Habitat association of deep-water rockfishes in a submarine canyon: an example of a natural refuge. Fisheries Bulletin, v. 98, p. 625-641.
• Davis, Alicé S., Clague, David A., Bohrson, Wendy A., Dalrymple, G. Brent, Greene, H. Gary, 2002. Seamounts at the continental margin of California: A different kind of oceanic intraplate volcanism. GSA Bulletin, 114, no. 3, p.316-333.
• Eichhubl, P., Greene, H.G., Naehr, T., and Maher, N., 2002. Structural control of fluid flow: Offshore fluid seepage in the Santa Barbara Basin, California: Jour. Geochemical Exploration, 69-70, p. 545-549.
• Orange, Daniel L., Yun, Janet, Maher, Norman, Barry, James and Greene, H. Gary. 2002. Tracking California Seafloor Seeps with Bathymetry, Backscatter and ROVs. Continental Shelf Research 22. 2273-2290.
• Paull, C.K., Greene, H.G., Ussler, W. III and Mitts, P.J. 2002. Pesticides as tracers of sediment transport
  through Monterey Canyon. Geo-Marine Letters DOI 10.1007/s00367-002-0110-1
• Paull, C., Ussler, W., III, Maher, N., Greene, H.G., Rehder, G., Lorenson, T. and Lee, H. 2002. Pockmarks off Big Sur, California. Marine Geology 181 323-335.
• Greene, H.G., Barry, J. P., Hashimoto, J., Fujiwara, Y., Kochevar, and Robison, B .H., 1997. A submersible-based comparison of cold-seep regions in Sagami and Monterey bays. JAMSTEC J. Deep Sea RES., 13, p. 395-415.
• Greene, H. G. and Ward, S.N., (In Press). Mass movement features along the central California margin and their modeled consequences for tsunamis generation. In Submarine Mass Movements and their Consequences. Ed Locat and Mienert(2003). Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research.

Synergistic Activities

• While at the USGS conceived and developed a major international marine geophysical program in the South Pacific (called the SOPAC Tripartite Program) for the purpose of investigating tectonic processes which led to 3 major Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) drilling legs in the region.
• Chief Scientist or Co-Chief on over 90 oceanographic cruises, many associated with academic (UNOLS) institutions, international organizations and government agencies; American Co-Chief Scientist aboard JOIDES Resolution during Leg 134 in 1990.
• Conceived and established the Circum-Pacific Council (CPC) for Energy and Mineral Resources Earth Science Series and was Editor-in-Chief from 1984-1990; presently Vice President of CPC.
• Established the Center for Habitat Studies at MLML in 1994 to focus on the investigation of deep-water marine benthic habitats, an interdisciplinary (geology and biology) institute; designed and implemented curriculum at MLML to address a systems approach to marine benthic habitat characterization.
• Developed a major deep-water marine benthic habitat characterization scheme and GIS attribute code that is being used by national and international marine scientists.