Launch of Benthic Atlas

The pioneering Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat: GeoHAB Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats was released in December.

The volume, edited by Peter Harris from Geoscience Australia and Elaine Baker from UNEP/GRID-Arendal, examines the relationship between seabed geomorphology and benthic communities. Two hundred and thirty contributors have constructed 54 case studies of different geomorphic environments, from coastal regions to the deep ocean basins. The case studies combine detailed seabed morphology with benthic biodiversity analysis to yield an integrated picture of the benthic communities that are associated with different types of benthic habitat. The habitat mapping approach, which supports ecosystem based management, is based on principles of biogeography and benthic ecology and seabed (geomorphic) classification schemes. This Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat publication is the first product in an international collaborative 5-year project managed by UNEP/GRID Arendal. It aims to provide tools to support sustainable management of the oceans both within and beyond national jurisdiction, with a focus on benthic environments.

The 900 page book is available both as a hard copy and as an ebook from Elsevier and ScienceDirect.

For more information, please contact Elaine Baker.

Source: UNEP Grid Arendal

Related content: Have you heard about hydrothermal vents?; Digging in the seabed for very very small animals; Hunting for a package of whale bones; UNEP/GRID-Arendal's Marine Newsletter #20 – August 2011; 14th Session of the International Seabed Authority; UNGA Working Group Recommends Starting Process on Legal Regime on Marine Biodiversity; Free Downloadable GIS Viewer from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

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Launch of Benthic Atlas

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