Meeting Abstract

P1-39  Sunday, Jan. 4 15:30  Distribution and abundance of benthopelagic hydromedusae in deep water off Anvers Island, western Antarctic Peninsula DEAL, ME*; SMITH, KE; ARONSON, RB; AMSLER, MO; MCCLINTOCK, JB; Florida Institute of Technology; Florida Institute of Technology; Florida Institute of Technology; University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Alabama at Birmingham mdeal2011@my.fit.edu

Scant data are available on the abundance and distribution of benthopelagic hydromedusae in Antarctic waters. We conducted a photographic survey of the sea floor off Anvers Island, western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during November–December 2013. Our survey encompassed the slope and shelf environment from approximately 400–2000 m depth within a 100-km² study area. We describe the distribution and abundance of dense populations of hydromedusae in the deep water off the WAP. The data provide a record of hydromedusae in a largely unstudied region of the world.