Analyses/Maps
Fish
Bathymetric Complexity
This map displays bathymetric complexity derived from high resolution bathymetry. Bathymetric complexity is calculated for each cell as the standard deviation of depth for all grid cells within a 1 kilometer radius. The range of resulting bathymetric complexity is large, and the majority of cells show a low variance. Therefore, in order to visualize differences, results have to be displayed as standard deviations above and below the mean. The areas in blue are relatively flat with little slope, and the darker red shows the highest variance. Results highlight the edge between the shelf and slope areas, and create a dramatic visual for the canyons and seamounts.
Bathymetric complexity was calculated using the "neighborhood statistics" option in Arcview 3.2. Arcview computes a standard deviation from all grid cells within a 1 kilometer radius around each cell. The results are displayed as standard deviations from the mean as this scale provides the best resolution for visualizing the location of high slope areas. 3 arc second (nominally 70 x 70 meters) bathymetry, derived from NGDC and MBARI data sources, was used for the analysis. All available multibeam points were used in the area. Hydrographic survey data (echo sounder data) was eliminated from the interpolation if it overlapped with multibeam data. Vertical and horizontal correction was performed on all data prior to incorporating it into the data set. All data were triangulated and gridded using "The Vertical Mapper" extension with MapInfo 6.5. Cell size varies depending on the available data for each area, with a minimum cell size of 70 x 70 meters.