https://cdn.earthdata.nasa.gov/conduit/upload/5182/KeywordsCommunityGuide_Baseline_v1_SIGNED_FINAL.pdf 24.8 2026-09-16T10:40:09.202Z https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/KeywordViewer/scheme/projects/bd779e0a-c8d2-4ee0-a438-7d724485060b 2021-12-07 MDBC Date=2021-12-07 User Id=tstevens Entity=BroaderRelation Operation=INSERT User Note=Insert Concept System Note=add broader relation New Value=MDBC [bd779e0a-c8d2-4ee0-a438-7d724485060b,835971] - M - O [a31c2828-9b6d-44e9-b6ad-7ae81030f322,829997] Mesophotic and deep benthic communities (MDBC) are vast and complex ecosystems on the ocean floor that are a foundation of Gulf of Mexico food webs. More than 770 square miles of deep-sea habitat and 4 square miles of mesophotic habitat were injured by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill and assessed as part of the National Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). The MDBC portfolio, operating under the Open Ocean Restoration Plan 2, coordinates four project teams to protect and manage MDBC by placing hard-ground substrate and transplanting prioritized coral species into damaged communities. The effort uses robust resource-level monitoring and adaptive management to address critical uncertainties identified in the DWH Oil Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PDARP/PEIS). Beginning in 2020, the portfolio includes an initial one to two year planning and design stage, followed by a five-year field and lab-based implementation stage, and one year for final evaluation and reporting.