Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Community Data from the Corner Rise Seamounts (North Atlantic)

This dataset contains deep-sea coral and sponge community data collected from the Corner Rise Seamounts (CRS) in the North Atlantic Ocean using remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys (OER NOAA Cruise 2104, 2021). The data include taxonomic identifications, abundance estimates, depth information, and spatial metadata derived from annotated video transects. These data were used to examine community structure, depth-related zonation, and the occurrence of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem (VME) indicator taxa on the CRS. The dataset supports analyses of beta diversity, assemblage clustering, and the identification of high-density coral and sponge habitats. All scripts used for data processing, analysis, and figure generation are openly available via the associated GitHub repository: https://github.com/lara-maleen/Corner_Rise. This dataset is intended to support transparency, reproducibility, and future comparative studies of deep-sea benthic ecosystems and seamount biodiversity. These data were used in: Beckmann LM, Eveborn L, Kenchington E and Waller RG (2026) Hotspots beyond borders: quantitative assessment of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems on the Corner Rise seamounts with implications for conservation planning. Front. Mar. Sci. 13:1752067. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1752067