Cold-water corals and ecosystems
Freiwald, A.; Roberts, J.M. (Ed.) (2005). Cold-water corals and ecosystems. Erlangen Earth Conference Series. Springer: Berlin. ISBN 3-540-24136. XXXII, 1243 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27673-4
Part of: Freiwald, A. (Ed.) Erlangen Earth Conference Series. Springer: Berling. , more
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| Available in | Authors |
VLIZ: Aquatic communities PBC.106 [104643]
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| Keywords |
Chemistry > Geochemistry
Reefs > Biogenic deposits > Coral reefs
Water > Deep water
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Freiwald, A., editor
- Roberts, J.M., editor
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| Abstract |
Following the exciting exploration of hot vent and cold seep ecosystems, the rediscovery of cold-water coral ecosystems with high-technology instrumentation is currently another hot topic in multidisciplinary marine research. Conventionally, coral reefs are regarded as restricted to warm and well-illuminated tropical seas, not associated with cold and dark waters of higher latitudes. However, ongoing scientific missions have shed light on the global significance of this overlooked ecosystem. Cold-water coral ecosystems are involved in the formation of large seabed structures such as reefs and giant carbonate mounds, and they represent unexploited paleo-environmental archives of earth history. Like their tropical cousins, cold-water coral ecosystems harbour rich species diversity. Despite the great water depths, commercial interests overlap more and more with the coral occurrences. Human activities already impinge directly on cold-water coral reefs causing severe damage to this vulnerable ecosystem. In this volume, the current key institutions involved in cold-water coral research have contributed 62 state-of-the-art articles from geology and oceanography to biology and conservation. |
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