Meiofauna abundance and distribution predicted with random forest regression in the German exploration area for polymetallic nodule mining, Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone, Pacific

The dataset contains counts of meiofauna organisms on high taxonomic level and predicted distributions computed for overall meiofauna abundance, diversity (Simpson's Index D and Evenness E), richness (ntax) and individual taxa using random forest regressions. Furthermore, a habitatmap is provided, dividing the area based on k-means clustering of combined predicted distributions, bathymetry and backscatter. The spatial layers are saved as grid-files, being the standard format of the R-package "raster" (cran.r-project.org/web/packages/raster/index.html).

Study area is an area allocated to the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources for the exploration of polymetallic nodule mining. Deep-sea mining highly endangers the benthic communities; hence the definition of preservation zones, not only for preservation but also to enable the re-settlement of mined areas, is highly important. These datasets on the spatial distribution of meiofauna have been used to account for a modelling approach to find areas with similar environmental conditions and similar benthic communities.