Seafloor Geomorphology As Benthic Habitat : Geohab Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats

Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat: GeoHab Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats, Second Edition, provides an updated synthesis of seabed geomorphology and benthic habitats. This new edition includes new case studies from all geographic areas and habitats that were not included in the previous edition, including the Arctic, Asia, Africa and South America. Using multibeam sonar, the benthic ecology of submarine features, such as fjords, sand banks, coral reefs, seamounts, canyons, mud volcanoes and spreading ridges is revealed in unprecedented detail. This timely release offers new understanding for researchers in Marine Biodiversity, environmental managers, ecologists, and more. Explores the relationships between seabed geomorphology, oceanography and biology Provides global case studies which directly focus on habitats, including both biological and physical data Describes ways to detect change in the marine environment (change in the condition of benthic habitats), a critical aspect for judging the performance of policies and legislation Cover Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat Copyright List of contributors Foreword Preface Part I: Introduction 1 Why map benthic habitats? General outline of the content of this book What are the main purposes of habitat mapping? What are benthic habitats? Potential habitat mapping Geomorphology and habitats Habitat mapping technologies and approaches Sonar systems Remote sensing based on natural or transmitted light Underwater cameras Seafloor sampling Acknowledgments References 2 Habitat mapping and marine management Marine habitat mapping: a tool for environmentally sound management of the ocean Introduction Transformative change in ocean management Marine habitat mapping to support sustainable ocean management Habitat mapping to support national, transboundary, and high seas marine management planning Benthic habitat mapping applications Habitat mapping and fisheries management Assessment of fishery resources Assessing the vulnerability of ecosystems to fishing impacts Habitat mapping and the design of marine reserves (marine protected areas) Declaring marine protected areas is a priority for nations How does habitat mapping assist in design of marine protected areas? Habitat mapping in support of offshore development Habitat mapping contribution to marine environmental assessments Concluding remarks Acknowledgments References 3 Anthropogenic threats to benthic habitats Measuring and mapping human impacts Fishing Oil and gas exploration and production Seismic surveys Drilling and production activities Oil spills Seabed mining Pollution Coastal development Submarine cables Shipping Introduction of exotic species Noise Climate change Acidification Ocean warming and coral bleaching Changes to ocean circulation Global sea level rise Changes to evaporation/precipitation patterns Changes to storm intensity and ocean swell waves Changes to sea ice Wind farms Concluding remarks Acknowledgments References Further reading 4 Biogeography, benthic ecology and habitat classification schemes Biodiversity and biogeography Biodiversity Endemism Biogeographic provinces Relative species abundance and rarity Landscape ecology and the theory of island biogeography Patch theory Metapopulations and source–sink population models Causes of patchiness in marine benthic habitats Disturbance as a cause of patchiness in marine benthic habitats Habitat recovery rates Intermediate disturbance hypothesis Habitat connectivity, scale, and hierarchy Connectivity of habitats Scale and hierarchy of habitats Hierarchical classification systems Classification scheme of Roff et al. (2003) European seas in the European Nature Information System classification scheme Classification scheme of Greene et al. (1999) NOAA’s Coastal/Marine Ecological Classification Standard Integrated Australian classification scheme Global open ocean and deep-sea habitats classification Coastal classification schemes Comparison of different schemes Bioregionalization—mapping biologically distinctive regions Mapping bioregions Bioregion boundaries—fuzzy or crisp? Acknowledgments References Further reading 5 Surrogacy Niche theory Physical surrogates Direct and indirect variables False heterogeneity and false homogeneity Drivers of some biophysical surrogates Hard-substrate surrogates Soft-substrate surrogates Seafloor disturbance regimes Biological surrogates Surrogacy analytical techniques Acknowledgments References 6 Seafloor geomorphology—coast, shelf, and abyss Geomorphology and geomorphic features Coastal geomorphic features and habitats Estuaries Fjords Continental shelf geomorphic features and habitats Continental shelf geomorphology Glaciated coasts and shelves Tropical coral reefs Temperate reefs, seagrass meadows, and other features Temperate rocky reefs Shelf sediment banks and bedforms Sills Geomorphic features and habitats of continental slopes Submarine canyons Escarpments Geomorphic features of ocean basins Geomorphic provinces map of the world’s deep ocean Ocean basins Abyssal plain and manganese nodules Mid-ocean ridges Troughs, trenches, and back-arc basins Abyssal hills and sediment drapes Plateaus Seamounts Hydrothermal vents Cold seeps Acknowledgments References Part II: Case studies 7 Characterization of worm reefs (Sabellaria vulgaris) in Delaware Bay, United States Introduction Study sites’ characteristics Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy References Further reading 8 Benthic habitat mapping in a shallow tropical bay: the Itaparica channel–eastern Brazil Introduction Methods Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy and recommendations for future work Acknowledgments References 9 Seafloor morphology and habitats of tidal channels in the Venice Lagoon, Italy tidal channel habitats Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Naturalness, condition, and trend References Further reading 10 An integrated seafloor habitat map to inform marine spatial planning and management: a case study from Long Island Sound... Introduction Data collection and availability Geomorphic features and habitats Habitat classification via object-oriented classification Characterizing habitat classes Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References Further reading 11 Epibenthic marine habitat mapping in a tropical bay: Todos os Santos Bay, Eastern Brazil Introduction Datasets and methods Geomorphic features and habitats Surrogacy Acnowledgments References 12 Physical oceanographic drivers of geomorphology of rhodolith/maerl beds in Galway Bay, Ireland Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Sediment mobility of maerl in Galway Bay Geomorphology of open marine maerl beds Biological communities Species of maerl/rhodolith Biological communities associated with maerl/rhodolith Surrogacy Conservation significance Acknowledgments Reference Further reading 13 Seabed habitats of the Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada Introduction Geomorphology Physical oceanography Geological and sea level history Multibeam sonar data Geological and photographic data Exploitation of marine resources Tidal power development Geomorphic features and habitats Glacial period Postglacial period Flow-transverse bedforms Flow-parallel bedforms Tidal scour system Biological communities Surrogacy Mapping the seabed Developments in seabed imagery Acknowledgments References 14 A dynamic bedforms habitat for the forage fish Pacific sand lance, San Juan Islands, WA, United States Introduction Geomorphic feature and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 15 The eastern Gulf of Finland—brackish water estuary under natural conditions and anthropogenic stress Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Kurortny key area Vyborg Bay key area Kurgalsky key area Biological communities General description and spatial distribution Detailed-scale study Dynamics of quantitative development of key species under suggested antropogenic impacts Surrogacy Acknowledgements References Annex 1 Habitats and communities in three key areas in EGoF 16 Geomorphic features and benthic habitats of a subarctic fjard: Okak Bay, Nunatsiavut, Labrador Introduction Site history and condition General information on data reported in this study Geomorphic features, substrates, and habitats Multibeam sonar data acquisition and ground truthing Sediment sample and biota analysis Statistical analysis of ground truthed data Mapping Substrates and benthic habitats Habitat substrate Habitat mapping Habitat distribution Biological communities Surrogacy References Further Reading 17 Sponge reefs on the Northeast Pacific margin: geomorphic and biological variability Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Sponge reef morphology Reef foundation Reef matrix sediments delivered by suspension Seafloor currents Biological communities Reef-building glass sponges Associated biological communities Surrogacy Naturalness, condition, and trend Acknowledgments References 18 Habitat mapping in the fjords of the Chilean Patagonia using an autonomous underwater vehicle Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Huinay Bay Cross-Huinay Biological communities Surrogacy References Further reading 19 The inland deep sea—benthic biotopes in the Sognefjord Introduction Geomorphic feature type and depth range Oceanography Naturalness, condition, and trend General information on data reported in the case study Geomorphic features and fjord habitats Biological communities Species richness Biotopes Acknowledgments References 20 Geomorphology, benthos, and habitats in the Primeiras and Segundas Environmental Protected Area, Mozambique Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy References 21 Distribution of seagrass communities north of Barcelona, Northwestern Mediterranean Sea Introduction Geomorphic feature type and depth range Oceanography Naturalness, condition, and trend General information on data reported in the case study Geomorphic features and habitats Description of geomorphic features and habitats mapped Information on scale, grid size, and data used for mapping Methods used to derive habitat maps Biological communities Description of benthos associated with habitats Surrogacy Conclusion References 22 Inner shelf habitat surrounding the Kapiti Marine Reserve, New Zealand Introduction Background and oceanography Geomorphic feature types Naturalness, condition, and trend General information on data reported in the case study Geomorphic features and habitat classes Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgements References Further Reading 23 Marine landscapes and habitats of Cilento Geopark (Italy)—linking geo- and biodiversity using a multiscalar approach Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Map at 1:110,000 scale Map at 1:30,000 scale Biological communities Map at 1:110,000 scale Map at 1:30,000 scale Surrogacy References 24 Fine-scale seabed habitats off Capri Island, southern Italy Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Acknowledgments References 25 Winnowed gravel lag deposits between sandbanks in the German North Sea Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References Further Reading 26 Benthic community structure at a remote temperate rocky reef in the Gulf of Maine, Cashes Ledge Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy References 27 Continental shelf habitats off a large South American metropolis: Salvador City, Eastern Brazil Introduction Data sets Geomorphic features and habitats Macrobenthic communities Fish landings Surrogacy and final remarks Acknowledgments References Further reading 28 Temperate rocky reef on the southeast Australian continental shelf Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Concluding remarks Reference 29 Geomorphology and microhabitats of large, isolated, immobile bedforms in the Great South Channel, Northwest Atlantic Ocean Introduction Naturalness, condition, and trend Data collection Geomorphic features and habitats Surface analysis Image analysis Results: description of large straight, isolated bedforms Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References Further reading 30 Submerged reefs in the Abrolhos Shelf: morphology and habitat distribution Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Concluding remarks Acknowledgments References 31 Coral reefs in Fatu Huku Island, Marquesas Archipelago, French Polynesia Introduction Geomorphic feature type Depth range Oceanography Naturalness, condition, and trend General information on data reported in the case study Geomorphic features and habitats Description of geomorphic features and habitats mapped Information on scale, grid size, and data used for mapping Methods used to derive habitat maps Biological communities Description of benthos associated with habitats Surrogacy Methods applied to measure statistical relationships between physical surrogates and benthos Acknowledgments References 32 Carbonate banks and terraces of the Oceanic Shoals Marine Park region, Northern Australia Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Seabed characterization Habitat predictions Biological communities Sponges Polychaetes Sessile megabenthic communities Surrogacy Naturalness, condition, and trend References 33 Reefs distribution and inter reef sedimentation on Tamandaré continental shelf, Northeast Brazil Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 34 Nature and condition of outer shelf habitats on the drowned Açu Reef, Northeast Brazil Introduction Seafloor mapping methods Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Underwater surveys of reef habitats Reef benthic cover and fish Foraminiferal assemblages and sediments Foraminiferal analysis methods Foraminiferal results Surrogacy Acknowledgements References 35 Seabed character and associated habitats of an equatorial tropical shelf: the Rio Grande do Norte Shelf, Northeast Brazil Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 36 Characterizing benthic habitats in two Marine Protected Areas on the West Florida Shelf Introduction Study areas—two marine protected areas on the West Florida Shelf Towed underwater video to supplement multibeam bathymetry and backscatter Geomorphic features and habitats Towed underwater video analysis Utilizing the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard Geomorphic features and habitats in video imagery Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 37 Substrate mapping to inform ecosystem science and marine spatial planning around the main Hawaiian Islands Introduction Naturalness, condition, and trend Geomorphic features Hard substrate mapping and seafloor morphology metrics Multi scale seafloor metrics Biological communities Surrogacy Modeling approach Results Discussion and concluding remarks References 38 Dropstones on a glaciated continental shelf as key habitat, Sabrina Shelf, East Antarctica Introduction Geomorphic feature type Depth range Oceanography Naturalness, condition, and trend General information on data reported in this case study Geomorphic features and habitats Description of geomorphic features and habitats mapped Biological communities and their association with environmental features Surrogacy Conclusions Acknowledgments References 39 Geomorphological and habitat mapping of the glaciated shelf (the Velikaya Salma Strait of the Kandalaksha Gulf of the Wh... Introduction Methods Geomorphic features and habitats Main features of the landscape and landforms Bottom sediments Potential habitat Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 40 Seafloor geomorphology and benthic habitat of the German Bank glaciated shelf, Atlantic Canada Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Bedrock Glacial sediment Unconsolidated sediment Biological communities and surrogacy Conclusion Acknowledgments References 41 Geomorphic features and benthos in a deep glacial trough in Atlantic Canada Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 42 Submarine sedimentary bedforms and benthos surrounding the Heard and McDonald Islands World Heritage site Introduction Methods Geomorphic features and habitats Glacial erosion Benthos Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 43 Geomorphic features and associated habitats of the Patagonian Continental Margin, southwestern Atlantic Introduction Oceanography Naturalness, condition, and trend Geomorphic features and habitats Methods used to derive habitat maps Biological communities Cold-water coral reefs Coral gardens Sponge beds Deep marine rocky environments Acknowledgments References 44 Fine-scale habitat characterization of The Gully, the Flemish Cap, and the Orphan Knoll, Northwest Atlantic, with a focu... Introduction Naturalness, condition, and trend Data acquisition Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 45 Characterization of the geomorphology and biotopes of the Háfadjúp canyon system, south Iceland Introduction Methods Geomorphic features and habitats The shallow shelf areas The slope areas The gully and channel incised areas Biological communities and biotopes Surrogacy Reference Further Reading 46 Continental shelf, canyons and pockmark fields in the southeastern Bay of Biscay Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Continental shelf Submarine dunes Shelf break Canyons Pockmarks Biological composition of geomorphic features Soft-bottom species assemblages Continental shelf Submarine dunes (troughs and crests) Outer shelf Canyons and pockmark fields Hard-bottom communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 47 The geomorphology and biology of a submarine canyon system incising Ireland’s shelf edge in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Northern tributary Central tributary Southern tributary Biological communities Surrogacy Future work Acknowledgment References 48 Tricase Submarine Canyon: cold-water coral habitats in the southwesternmost Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea) Introduction Material and methods Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities (Figure 48.4) Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 49 Cold-water coral habitat in the Bari Canyon System, Southern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea) Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References Further Reading 50 Benthic habitats of a mud volcano associated with the Queen Charlotte transform margin along northern British Columbia, ... Introduction Geomorphic feature and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References Further reading 51 Geomorphic features, main habitats and associated biota on and around the newly formed Tagoro submarine volcano, Canary ... Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References 52 Habitat distribution and associated biota in different geomorphic features within a fluid venting area of the Gulf of Cá... Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgements References Further Reading 53 New evidence to support the distribution of dense hydrocoral–sponge communities along George V slope, East Antarctica Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy Habitat condition Acknowledgments References 54 Chemosynthetic seep communities triggered by seabed slumping off of northern Papua New Guinea Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Above the amphitheater headscarp and across the subsided reef Amphitheater headscarp The mounds at the headscarp foot The southern boundary of the Upraised Block Biological communities Subsided reef Amphitheater headscarp The southern boundary of the Upraised Block Relationships between the biological communities and seabed habitats Naturalness, condition, and trend Acknowledgments References 55 Near-pristine benthic habitats on the Francesc Pagès Bank, Alboran Sea, western Mediterranean Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy References 56 Application of the coastal and marine ecological classification standard to Gosnold Seamount, North Atlantic Ocean Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Surrogacy References Further reading 57 Deep-sea benthic megafaunal communities on the New England and Corner Rise Seamounts, Northwest Atlantic Ocean Introduction Naturalness Mapping and exploration cruises 2003–14 Geomorphic features and habitats Biological communities Acknowledgments Abbreviations References 58 Manganese nodule fields from the Northeast Pacific as benthic habitats Introduction Geomorphic features and habitats Seamounts Abyssal plains Biological communities Surrogacy References 59 Geomorphology and benthic habitats of the Kermadec Trench, Southwest Pacific Ocean Introduction Geomorphic feature type Depth range Oceanography Naturalness, condition, and trend General information on data reported in the case study Geomorphic features and habitats Description of geomorphic features and habitats mapped The north and south trench boundaries The 32°S north–south divide Biological communities Surrogacy Acknowledgments References Part III: Synthesis 60 GeoHab Atlas of seafloor geomorphic features and benthic habitats–synthesis and lessons learned Introduction Attributes of case studies Surrogates used (and not used) and spatial analysis techniques Use of published classification schemes The purpose of habitat mapping (sectors and clients) Consultation in habitat survey planning Data storage and accessibility Gap analysis and priorities for the future of habitat mapping—geographic areas, geomorphic features, and environmental vari... Discussion: best practices for benthic habitat mapping Acknowledgements References Further reading Appendix 1. Questionnaire completed by all case study authors Glossary Index Back Cover __Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat: GeoHab Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats, Second Edition,__ provides an updated synthesis of seabed geomorphology and benthic habitats. This new edition includes new case studies from all geographic areas and habitats that were not included in the previous edition, including the Arctic, Asia, Africa and South America. Using multibeam sonar, the benthic ecology of submarine features, such as fjords, sand banks, coral reefs, seamounts, canyons, mud volcanoes and spreading ridges is revealed in unprecedented detail. This timely release offers new understanding for researchers in Marine Biodiversity, environmental managers, ecologists, and more.