Thousands of cold-water coral mounds along the Moroccan Atlantic continental margin: Distribution and morphometry

Hebbeln, Dierk; Bender, Maren; Gaide, Stefanie; Titschack, Jürgen; Vandorpe, Thomas; Rooij, David Van; Wintersteller, Paul; Wienberg, Claudia

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2019.02.001

Cited by 29 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…200 m, width of 110 m, heights of up to 25 m, and very steep flanks up to 35 • . Mounds develop at present, adjacent spatially to contouritic deposits, similar to other Mediterranean localities (e.g., off Pantelleria: Martorelli et al, 2011;east and west Melilla: Corbera et al, 2019;Hebbeln et al, 2019;Rebesco and Taviani, 2019, with references therein). Active mounds of the sites A and B seem to develop where the bottom currents decelerate but are still sufficiently intense to sustain coral growth, provide nutrients, and prevent excess silting.…”

Section: Mound Morphology and Genesissupporting

confidence: 56%

The “Corsica Channel Cold-Water Coral Province” (Mediterranean Sea)

et al. 2020

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Over 25 mounds have been identified in the Corsica Channel (Mediterranean Sea) through multibeam bathymetric mapping at depth of 400-430 m, with dimensions ranging from 70 to 330 m, achieving maximum heights of 25 m. Two mounds have been explored in detail using a remotely operated vehicle, revealing thick coral growth with a predominance of the branching scleractinian Madrepora oculata as main frame builder and subordinate Desmophyllum pertusum. The solitary scleractinians Desmophyllum dianthus and Javania cailleti add to the biodiversity here, which accounts for at least 50 macro-and megabenthic species. In consideration of the remarkable surface (ca. 5.3 km 2) covered by living corals, their density and healthy appearance, and discontinuity with other major cold-water coral (CWC) occurrences in the Mediterranean Sea, we propose that this area represents a distinct CWC province in a sector already known for the presence of pre-modern CWC mounds. Noticeably, well-developed contourite drift systems occur in the Corsica Channel, lending support to their strict spatial link with coral establishment at depth. The ecosystemic value of the new CWC province calls for proper conservation measures to ensure their present Good Environmental Status.

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Section: Mound Morphology and Genesissupporting

confidence: 56%

The “Corsica Channel Cold-Water Coral Province” (Mediterranean Sea)

et al. 2020

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“…The interplay between this sediment baffling and coral growth leads, over time, to the formation of CWC mounds (Roberts et al, 2009). These mound structures are essentially confined to continental margins between 200 and 1000 m depth, where they can form build-ups of over 300 m in height (Mienis et al, 2007;Roberts et al, 2009;Wienberg and Titschack, 2015;Hebbeln et al, 2016Hebbeln et al, , 2019. The development of coral mounds depends primarily on the presence of dynamic bottom current regimes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold-Water Coral Mound Archive Provides Unique Insights Into Intermediate Water Mass Dynamics in the Alboran Sea During the Last Deglaciation

et al. 2020

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The Alboran Sea is widely recognized to host numerous cold-water coral ecosystems, including the East Melilla Coral Province. Yet, their development through time and response to climatic variability has still to be fully understood. Based on a combined investigation of benthic foraminiferal assemblages, foraminiferal stable isotope compositions, grain size analysis, sediment geochemistry, and macrofaunal quantification, this study identifies key events and processes having governed coldwater coral development at the East Melilla Coral Province between Greenland Stadial 2.1 and the Early Holocene. The transition from Greenland Stadial 2.1 to Greenland

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“…3,5–8 ). Other areas where relatively large carbonate mounds (with maximum heights of less than 100 m) have been reported include the Galicia continental margin 9 , the Gulf of Cadiz 10–12 , the northwestern African margin 13 , and the Mediterranean Sea 14 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although some studies indicate that seafloor seepage and fluid flow may be involved in their initial evolutionary stages 3,6 through the formation of a hard substrate 9 , the prevailing view considers their development to be mainly controlled by physical variables such as currents 3 and the water mass structure 13 . Indeed, their large-scale distribution is spatially correlated with the boundaries of water masses 1,4 , where different mixing processes (such as internal waves and upwelling) may exert an influence 2,12 . After their initial growth, carbonate mounds can be affected by early diagenetic processes 2,10 or can modify the velocity and direction of bottom currents 1 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Alpha Crucis Carbonate Ridge (ACCR): Discovery of a giant ring-shaped carbonate complex on the SW Atlantic margin

Maly

Schattner

Lobo

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Recently acquired bathymetric and high-resolution seismic data from the upper slope of Santos Basin, southern Brazilian margin, reveal a major geomorphological feature in the SW Atlantic that is interpreted as a carbonate ridge - the Alpha Crucis Carbonate Ridge (ACCR). The ACCR is the first megastructure of this type described on the SW Atlantic margin. The ~17 × 11-km-wide ring-shaped ACCR features tens of >100-m-high steep-sided carbonate mounds protruding from the surrounding seabed and flanked by elongated depressions. Comet-like marks downstream of the mound structures indicate that the area is presently influenced by the northward flow of the Intermediate Western Boundary Current (IWBC), a branch of the Subtropical Gyre that transports Antarctic Intermediate Water. Abundant carbonate sands and gravels cover the mounds and are overlain by a biologically significant community of living and dead ramified corals and associated invertebrates. The IWBC acts as a hydrodynamic factor that is responsible for both shaping the bottom and transporting coral larvae. We contend that the ACCR was formed by upward fluid flow along active sub-surface faults and fractures that formed by lateral extension generated by the ascending movement of salt diapirs at depth. The ACCR provides an important modern and accessible analogue for a seabed carbonate build-up related to sub-surface hydrocarbon systems.

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Thousands of cold-water coral mounds along the Moroccan Atlantic continental margin: Distribution and morphometry

Cited by 29 publications

References 75 publications

The “Corsica Channel Cold-Water Coral Province” (Mediterranean Sea)

The “Corsica Channel Cold-Water Coral Province” (Mediterranean Sea)

Cold-Water Coral Mound Archive Provides Unique Insights Into Intermediate Water Mass Dynamics in the Alboran Sea During the Last Deglaciation

The Alpha Crucis Carbonate Ridge (ACCR): Discovery of a giant ring-shaped carbonate complex on the SW Atlantic margin

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