Abstract
Abstract. This work aims at characterising the seamount physiography and biology in the OSPAR Convention limits (north-east Atlantic Ocean) and Mediterranean Sea. We first inferred potential abundance, location and morphological characteristics of seamounts, and secondly, summarized the existing biological, geological and oceanographic in situ research, identifying examples of well-studied seamounts. Our study showed that the seamount population in the OSPAR area (north-east Atlantic) and in the Mediterranean Sea is large with around 557 and 101 seamount-like features, respectively. Similarly, seamounts occupy large areas of about 616 000 km2 in the OSPAR region and of about 89 500 km2 in the Mediterranean Sea. The presence of seamounts in the north-east Atlantic has been known since the late 19th century, but overall knowledge regarding seamount ecology and geology is still relatively poor. Only 37 seamounts in the OSPAR area (3.5% of all seamounts in the region), 22 in the Mediterranean Sea (9.2% of all seamounts in the region) and 25 in the north-east Atlantic south of the OSPAR area have in situ information. Seamounts mapped in both areas are in general very heterogeneous, showing diverse geophysical characteristics. These differences will likely affect the biological diversity and production of resident and associated organisms.
Highlights
Hydrology and Seamounts are commonEunadretrhwaSteryfsetaetumres in the world oceans greater atnhdanar1e0t0r0admitioinnarlelyliedfesaScbroicbvieeedtnhaesciseseosalflatoeodr elevations (Menard, 1964; International Hydrographic Organization, 2008)
A total of 557 potential large seamounts were identified in the OSPAR area, while 101 seamount-like features were identified in the Mediterranean Sea (Fig. 2)
Our study revealed that the seamount population in the OSPAR area and in the Mediterranean Sea is large with around 557 seamount-like features in the whole OSPAR area and about 101 in the Mediterranean Sea
Summary
Hydrology and Seamounts are commonEunadretrhwaSteryfsetaetumres in the world oceans greater atnhdanar1e0t0r0admitioinnarlelyliedfesaScbroicbvieeedtnhaesciseseosalflatoeodr elevations (Menard, 1964; International Hydrographic Organization, 2008). Koslow et al, 2001), we considered features greater than 100 m in height as small seamounts and defined elevations taller than 1000 m as large seamounts (sSenosuliPditcEhear retthal., 2007). The total number of seamounts at a global scale has been estimated in several studies mainly by running mathematical algorithms on global bathymetry grids inferred from satellite altimetry and acoustic soundings (e.g. Kitchingman and Lai, 2004; et al., 2W0e1s1s)e.lCeutrrael.n,tTl2y0,h1teh0e; sCKe iarmpypoarnosdacpWhheesesasrereel, u2n0a1b1le; Yesson to adequately detect small and deep peaks, and the estimates of the global abundance of seamounts still bear large uncertainties. The small area of the ocean floor explored using multibeam bathymetry prevents improved analyses of seamount location, morphology and abundance
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