Resumen de Western slope of Hatton Bank (NE Atlantic Ocean): geo-environmental constrains in relationship to deep sea ecosystems
Miriam Sayago Gil, Pablo Durán Muñoz, Juan Tomás Vázquez, Víctor Díaz del Río Español
This work is focused on the relationship between the morphology of the sea bed and the habitats of invertebrate benthic species. The study area is located between 600 and 2000 m water depth on the western slope of Hatton Bank (NE Atlantic Ocean). Acoustic methods as well as sea bed sampling were used to carry out this work. Two major sea bed domains have been described: Outcrop (mainly comprised by hard substrate) and Drift (in the main, composed by mobile sediment). Benthic communities are sparse where the sea bed comprises mobile sediments, such as the Hatton Drift in the deeper water, and more common where the sea bed comprises a hard rocky substrate, as observed in shallower water on the top of Hatton Bank.
