Description
Recent geomorphological studies in the Alboran Sea using multibeam data and seismic profiles have revealed the presence of 4 fields of mounds, probably formed by ecosystem-engineering species, in the upper slope of the Spanish Margin, close to the shelf edge. These fields are located between 160 and 320 m depth, in a sedimentary context that belongs to a contouritic terrace, previously defined by Ercilla et al. (2016) in the upper slope of the northen Alboran sea. This terrace is formed by turbulent processes associated with the interface of the Surficial Atlantic water and the Mediterranean Intermediate water masses, as well as with their oscillation during quaternary glacial and interglacial periods. These mounds are located at the proximal side of the terraces, close to the shelf break, and are exposed to the Western Intermediate Water and Modified Atlantic water masses based on previous studies using CTD data. The main aim of this project is to characterize the habitats and associated biota, focusing especially on the dominant habitat-forming species of these mounds, as well as to define the geological and oceanographic factors that may modulate their development.
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