A number of recent papers have taken advantage of hydrocarbon industry
AUV data to investigate active fluid flow processes in the Gulf of
Mexico. Roberts et al. (2010) used hydrocarbon industry 3D seismic,
ROV and AUV data (MBES, SSS and SBP) to investigate fluid escape processes
at four cold seep sites in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico at 1050–
2340 m WD (Fig. 2). AUV data provided new insights into formative
processes of i) highly saline and methane-enriched brine lakes, ii) active
methane-emitting moundswith thriving chemosynthetic communities,
and iii) a large ridge with cold-seep carbonate blocks and extensive
deep-water coral communities. AUV data were also used to plan subsequent
ROV dives for ground-truthing and sampling purposes (Fig. 2).
This study provided the first comprehensive understanding of cold
seep processes from the northern Gulf of Mexico at N1000 mWD, and
the interplay between geological and biological responses at these seepage
sites.Macelloni et al. (2012) integrated 3D seismic data with a very
high-resolution AUV 2D chirp SBP dataset, to investigate shallowhydrocarbon
fluid flow associated with the Woolsey Mound in the northern
Gulf of Mexico. The profiler data were collected with a C&C technology
Hugin 3000 AUV, at 900mWD. The AUV data provided newinsights into
active processes, for example a fault imaged on 3D seismic data that
appeared to terminate in the sub-surface, was shown on 2D AUV profiles
to actually propagate through to the surface (Fig. 6); this fault
correspondedwith a seafloor pockmark imaged onMBES data and provided
an obvious target for subsequent monitoring of hydrocarbon
leakage.
Finally,Wagner et al. (2013) used theWHOI SENTRY AUV to investigate
geochemical–biological interactions at cold seep communities associated
with the Blake Ridge Diapir off South Carolina, eastern USA
(Fig. 7). The AUV collectedMBES, SSS and digital photo data across a series
of seafloor pockmarks covering 0.131 km2, with the photo dataset
comprising 5568 georeferenced images thatwere used to classify faunal
characteristics. Several new seep communities were discovered using
the new high-resolution data, and the observed concentric zonations
of mussels and clams around the pockmarks provided useful insights
into the influence of chemical gradients on megafaunal distribution