Open Ocean Deep Sea

  • Jeroen Ingels
  • , Malcolm Clark
  • , Michael Vecchione
  • , Jose A. A. Perez
  • , Lisa A. Levin
  • , Imants G. Priede
  • , Tracey Sutton
  • , Ashley Rowden
  • , C. R. Smith
  • , Moriaki Yasuhara
  • , Andrew K. Sweetman
  • , Thomas Soltwedel
  • , R. S. Santos
  • , Bhavani Narayanaswamy
  • , Henry A. Ruhl
  • , Katsunori Fujikura
  • , Linda Amaral-Zettler
  • , Daniel Jones
  • , Andrew Gates
  • , P. V. R. Snelgrove
  • Patricio Bernal, Saskia van Gaever

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

The deep sea comprises the seafloor, water column and biota therein below aspecified depth contour. There are differences in views among experts and agencies regarding the appropriate depth to delineate the “deep sea”. This chapter uses a 200 metre depth contour as a starting point, so that the “deep sea” represents 63 per cent of the Earth’s surface area and about 98.5 per cent of Earth’s habitat volume (96.5 per cent of which is pelagic). However, much of the information presented in this chapter focuses on biodiversity of waters substantially deeper than 200 m. Many of the other regional divisions of Chapter 36 include treatments of shelf and slope biodiversity in continental-shelf and slope areas deeper than 200m. Moreover Chapters 42 and 45 on coldwater corals and vents and seeps, respectively, and 51 on canyons, seamounts and other specialized morphological habitat types address aspects of areas in greater detail. The estimates of global biodiversity of the deep sea in this chapter do include all biodiversity in waters and the seafloor below 200 m. However, in the other sections of this chapter redundancy with the other regional chapters is avoided, so that biodiversity of shelf, slope, reef, vents, and specialized habitats is assessed in the respective regional or thematic chapters.AB - The deep sea comprises the seafloor, water column and biota therein below aspecified depth contour. There are differences in views among experts and agencies regarding the appropriate depth to delineate the “deep sea”. This chapter uses a 200 metre depth contour as a starting point, so that the “deep sea” represents 63 per cent of the Earth’s surface area and about 98.5 per cent of Earth’s habitat volume (96.5 per cent of which is pelagic). However, much of the information presented in this chapter focuses on biodiversity of waters substantially deeper than 200 m. Many of the other regional divisions of Chapter 36 include treatments of shelf and slope biodiversity in continental-shelf and slope areas deeper than 200m. Moreover Chapters 42 and 45 on coldwater corals and vents and seeps, respectively, and 51 on canyons, seamounts and other specialized morphological habitat types address aspects of areas in greater detail. The estimates of global biodiversity of the deep sea in this chapter do include all biodiversity in waters and the seafloor below 200 m. However, in the other sections of this chapter redundancy with the other regional chapters is avoided, so that biodiversity of shelf, slope, reef, vents, and specialized habitats is assessed in the respective regional or thematic chapters.
Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationOpen Ocean Deep Sea
StatePublished - Jan 1 2016

Disciplines

  • Marine Biology

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