Page Contents: Section | Significance | Background | Location & Dates | Taxonomic Contents | Documentation | Description of Collection | Collection Inventory | Collection Assets Specimen Condition | Container Condition | Label Condition | Label Content | Level of Taxonomic Identification

Monterey Bay Deep 2004

Section Responsible for Processing

Polychaetes

Significance

Polychaetes from the first ever study on the impact of lost shipping containers on the sea floor. A valuable addition to our collection of west coast deep-water polychaetes.

Background

In February 2004, the cargo ship M/V Med Taipei encountered severe weather & lost twenty-four 40-foot shipping containers in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) found one of the containers in June 2004 at a depth of 1281 meters. The ship’s owners paid a $3.25 million settlement for damage to the natural resources within the Sanctuary. Part of the money paid for an ecological assessment of the area directly around the container. 20 of 32 sediment push cores taken by MBARI researchers during a cruise in March, 2011 were analyzed for infauna. The polychaetes were sent to Leslie Harris (Polychaete Collections Manager) for identification & donated afterwards to the museum.

Collection Location and Dates

Monterey Bay, California, 8-10 March 2011.

Taxonomic Contents

Polychaetes

Documentation

Specimens are recorded in the Polychaete Catalogue. Information about the shipping container & the ecological assessment is available on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s & the Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network’s websites at:

http://montereybay.noaa.gov/resourcepro/mt/benthic.html

http://sanctuarysimon.org/projects/100388/ecological-assessment-of-a-lost-shipping-container-in-the-mbnms

[above two links active Nov.2014, relevant collections photos archived on this site]

Findings published in Taylor, J. R., et al. 2014. Deep-sea faunal communities associated with a lost intermodal shipping container in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, CA. Marine Pollution Bulletin 83: 92-106. (PDF available below).

Description of Collection

Samples originally fixed in 10% formalin, later rinsed in fresh water & transferred to 70% ethanol.

Collection Inventory

190 lots.

Collection Assets

Date	View or Retrieve	File Information
02/02/2015	View [84.6 kB]	Map of sanctuary.
02/02/2015	View [144.0 kB]	Faunal growth on surrounding sea floor compared to container.
02/02/2015	View [36.5 kB]	Images of containers.
02/02/2015	View [63.3 kB]	Table of taxa on container versus on surrounding seafloor.
11/07/2014	Retrieve [2747.1 kB]	Taylor, J.R., A.P. DeVogelaere, E.J. Burton, O. Frey, L. Lundsten, L. A. Kuhnz, P.J. Whaling, C. Lovera, K.R. Buck, and J.P. Barry. 2014. Deep-sea faunal communities associated with a lost intermodal shipping container in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, CA. Marine Pollution Bulletin 83: 92-106.
//	View [84.6 kB]

Curatorial Status (Click to view)

Specimen Condition

Date	4: New alcohol needed immediately (specimens will otherwise be irreparably damaged)	3: Containers need to be 'topped off'	2: New alcohol needed within next 6-12 months	1: No curation needed at present
03/18/2014	0%	0%	0%	100%

Container Condition

Date	4: Immediate short-term (less than 5 years) storage container replacement needed. Present containers are inadequate. Curate in the short-term with plastic buckets, whirltop bags, or similar.	3: Specimens contained in museum-grade long-term (greater than 5 years) storage containers. Jars need new closures (e.g. replace Bakelite and metal lids).	2: Transfer to museum-grade long-term storage containers. Replace or transfer to new jars and glass vials, replace cotton and closures.	1: Containers are museum-grade and meet highest curation standards.
03/18/2014	0%	0%	0%	100%

Label Condition

Date	4: New labels needed immediately (original labels in poor condition, paper torn/worn, legibility poor).	3: New labels needed within next 1-2 years (original labels beginning to wear, pencil writing fading, low quality paper was used).	2: New labels needed are as a result of curation and accretion of collection.	1: No new labels needed at present.
03/18/2014	0%	0%	0%	100%

Label Content

Date	2: New label or additional label needed because original label data is incomplete and supporting documentation provides additional collection data which greately enhances significance and value of each lot.	1: Label content complete. All collection data are contained on label.
03/18/2014	0%	100%

Level of Taxonomic Identification

Date	7: Not identified	6: Phylum	5: Class	4: Order	3: Family	2: Genus	1: Species
03/18/2014	0%	0%	0%	0%	1%	9%	90%