RT journal article
T1 The Interactive Role of Hydrocarbon Seeps, Hydrothermal Vents and Intermediate Antarctic/Mediterranean Water Masses on the Distribution of Some Vulnerable Deep-Sea Habitats in Mid Latitude NE Atlantic Ocean
A1 Somoza, Luis
A1 Rueda, José Luis
A1 Sánchez Guillamón, Olga
A1 Medialdea, Teresa
A1 Rincón Tomás, Blanca
A1 González, Francisco Javier
A1 Palomino, Desiree
A1 Madureira, Pedro
A1 López‑Pamo, Enrique
A1 Fernández-Salas, Luis Miguel
A1 Santofimia, Esther
A1 León, Ricardo
A1 Marino, Egidio
A1 Fernández Puga, María del Carmen
A1 Vázquez, Juan-Tomás
A2 Ciencias de la Tierra
K1 Seafloor mapping
K1 Vulnerable deep-sea habitats
K1 Deep-sea corals
K1 Chemosynthesis-based communities
K1 Vulnerable marine ecosystem
K1 Atlantic Ocean
AB In this work, we integrate five case studies harboring vulnerable deep-sea benthic habitats in different geological settings from mid latitude NE Atlantic Ocean (24–42° N). Data and images of specific deep-sea habitats were acquired with Remoted Operated Vehicle (ROV) sensors (temperature, salinity, potential density, O2, CO2, and CH4). Besides documenting some key vulnerable deep-sea habitats, this study shows that the distribution of some deep-sea coral aggregations (including scleractinians, gorgonians, and antipatharians), deep-sea sponge aggregations and other deep-sea habitats are influenced by water masses’ properties. Our data support that the distribution of scleractinian reefs and aggregations of other deep-sea corals, from subtropical to north Atlantic could be dependent of the latitudinal extents of the Antarctic Intermediate Waters (AAIW) and the Mediterranean Outflow Waters (MOW). Otherwise, the distribution of some vulnerable deep-sea habitats is influenced, at the local scale, by active hydrocarbon seeps (Gulf of Cádiz) and hydrothermal vents (El Hierro, Canary Island). The co-occurrence of deep-sea corals and chemosynthesis-based communities has been identified in methane seeps of the Gulf of Cádiz. Extensive beds of living deep-sea mussels (Bathymodiolus mauritanicus) and other chemosymbiotic bivalves occur closely to deep-sea coral aggregations (e.g., gorgonians, black corals) that colonize methane-derived authigenic carbonates
PB MDPI
SN 2673-1924
YR 2021
FD 2021-04-26
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30517
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30517
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 06-nov-2026