Sampling design for predictive habitat modeling of mesophotic and deep benthic communities

The Mapping, Ground-truthing, and Predictive Habitat Modeling (MGM) project aims to document the abundance and distribution of mesophotic and deep benthic communities (MDBC) in the Gulf of Mexico. This fundamental information will help prioritize and support MDBC protection and management activities and target locations for restoration. The project is collecting seafloor mapping and ground-truthing data and is integrating those data through predictive habitat modeling to map the potential spatial distributions of species and habitats of interest over large areas. It is important that the models are as accurate as possible and that the input ground-truthing data are collected in a cost-effective manner.