Abstract
Derived digital elevation models (DEMs) are high-resolution acoustic technology that has proven to be a crucial morphometric data source for research into submarine environments. We present a morphometric analysis of forty deep seafloor edifices located to the west of Canary Islands, using a 150 m resolution bathymetric DEM. These seafloor structures are characterized as hydrothermal domes and volcanic edifices, based on a previous study, and they are also morphostructurally categorized into five types of edifice following an earlier classification. Edifice outline contours were manually delineated and the morphometric variables quantifying slope, size and shape of the edifices were then calculated using ArcGIS Analyst tools. In addition, we performed a principal component analysis (PCA) where ten morphometric variables explain 84% of the total variance in edifice morphology. Most variables show a large spread and some overlap, with clear separations between the types of mounds. Based on these analyses, a morphometric growth model is proposed for both the hydrothermal domes and volcanic edifices. The model takes into account both the size and shape complexity of these seafloor structures. Grow occurs via two distinct pathways: the volcanoes predominantly grow upwards, becoming large cones, while the domes preferentially increase in volume through enlargement of the basal area.
Highlights
The interdisciplinary science of geomorphometry, the quantitative representation of topography and terrain modeling [1], has entered a new era taking advantage of the constant advancements in elevation data acquisition and the spatial resolvability of digital elevation models (DEMs).derive from a unique source (DEM)-based applications in underwater exploration were previously limited by the dimensionality and low resolution of the available bathymetric data [2]
This paper aims to further this objective by focusing on a set of seabed features located west of the Canary Islands (Eastern Atlantic) at a depth of 4800–5200 m, for which a new detailed morphometric method based on DEM analysis (Figure 1A) has been used
Factor 3 explains 18% of the variance and is considered the Plan Shape Factor (F3) since it is positively determined by the shape descriptors EI and II, and negatively loaded by the azimuth of the edifices
Summary
The interdisciplinary science of geomorphometry, the quantitative representation of topography and terrain modeling [1], has entered a new era taking advantage of the constant advancements in elevation data acquisition and the spatial resolvability of digital elevation models (DEMs).DEM-based applications in underwater exploration were previously limited by the dimensionality and low resolution of the available bathymetric data [2]. The interdisciplinary science of geomorphometry, the quantitative representation of topography and terrain modeling [1], has entered a new era taking advantage of the constant advancements in elevation data acquisition and the spatial resolvability of digital elevation models (DEMs). Most DEM-based studies highlight particular submarine patterns and model different geomorphic feature values in the seascapes (i.e., they analyze morphometric attributes). These involve general geomorphometric techniques for characterizing ocean floor physiographic domains [4,5,6], mapping habitats [7,8], analyzing textures [9,10] and studying hydrodynamics [11,12]
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