Azores Deep-sea Research — Cruise iMAR 2022

iMAR 2022

iMAR: Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region

iMAR 2022

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iMAR: Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region

Location: Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Year: 2022

38 stations

12 dives

1030 km transits

10 areas visited

AZORES DEEP-SEA RESEARCH

Summary

iMAR: Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region

The iMAR cruises aimed to evaluate the role of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in shaping the latitudinal and trans-Atlantic patterns in deep-sea biogeography, connectivity and spatial distribution patterns of deep-sea megafauna. Additionally, the cruise aimed to (i) map and characterize deep-sea coral and sponge communities inhabiting unexplored seamounts and ridges in the MAR around the Azores; (ii) identify new areas that fit the FAO’s Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem definition; (iii) add to the existing knowledge on the environmental drivers that determine the spatial distribution of deep-sea benthic biodiversity in the MAR; and finally (iv) determine the condition of benthic communities by looking at evidence of fishing damage to fauna, presence of lost fishing gear and marine litter.

The iMAR_2022 cruise “The Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Azores region” took place aboard the Research Vessel Pelagia of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research between July 28th and August 4th 2022. The expedition coded 64PE506 was the second leg of the iMAR cruise funded by the SEA OCEANS program of Eurofleets+ and the H2020 European project iAtlantic. It was led by the University of the Azores (Portugal) in collaboration with the Hydrographic Institute and University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the National Oceanography Center (United Kingdom), GEOMAR (Germany), the University Museum of Bergen (Norway), the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia), and the University of Vale do Itajaí (Brazil). We explored under-visited portions of the southern MAR in the Azores region and associated ridges and seamounts between 300 and 1,200 m depth.

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Statistics

Transits

1030 km

Multibeam Bathymetry

4030 km²

Filmed Seabed

29 km

Visited Areas

Stations

Dives

Video Footage Recorded

33 hours

Used Storage

6 Tb

Samples

278

— 87 samples for environmental DNA, 31 samples for nutrient analyses, 30 for microplastic analyses in the water and 102 in sediment, 6 samples for bacteriological, and 6 samples meiofauna analyses.

Highlights

(28/07/2022) We are lucky to have two research vessels exploring the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) at the same time. While following the @oceanexplorer Voyage to the Ridge, we started the second leg of our Eurofleets+ cruise iMAR - Integrated assessment of the distribution of VMEs along the MAR in the Azores. Onboard of @NIOZ_atSea RV Pelagia, we are mapping deep-sea benthic communities inhabiting unexplored seamounts and ridges in the MAR and adding to the existing knowledge on the environmental drivers that determine the spatial distribution of deep-sea benthic biodiversity.
(29/07/2022) First day of work of the @Eurofleets+ iMAR 2022 cruise, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge south of the Azores. We managed to fulfil today’s schedule with successful sampling with the video system, CTD, multibeam, VMADCP, and TV-guided box-corer. A big thank you to the @NiozatSea crew. The first dive with the video frame came with a surprise, with an impressive aggregation of the octocoral Hemicorallium triocolor on the crest of an unexplored ridge, together with bamboo corals, stylasterids and large fan-shaped sponges.
(30/07/2022) Today, @Eurofleets+ iMAR 2022 cruise, we explored the eastern ridge of the Menez Gwen area and found low diversity and abundance of corals and sponges. The movement of the whip corals denoted high bottom current speeds. We are now heading to an unmapped seamount to verify its existence. It feels like going to Mount Everest to see if it really exists.
(01/08/2022) Day 3 of @eurofleets iMAR cruise 2022, with a new #deepsea area mapped in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, west of Beta seamount. The multibeam surveys completed during the night showed Best West is much shallower and with more structures than the previous maps showed. It revealed a 4 km long summit shallower than 1000 m and added a new area to our list of exploration targets. Looking forward to sharing the data with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institue @MarinhaPT and contributing to @seabed2030.
(03/08/2022) Day 5 of the @eurofleets iMAR cruise 2022 left us on a high after discovering a massive garden of Narella corals on the SE side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge within the Azores. We'll need artificial intelligence algorithms to get all these corals annotated.
(04/08/2022) The @eurofleets iMAR cruise 2022 came to an end after exploring 29km of seafloor along the MAR with the @NIOZatSea video system. We also collected 278 samples to be analysed within @iAtlanticEU.

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Location of operation

Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

AZORES DEEP-SEA RESEARCH © CRUISES

Stations

iMAR 2022

Leg	Period	Days at sea	Vessel	Departure	Return
1	28/07/2022 - 04/08/2022	8	RV Pelagia	Horta	Horta

A total of 8 days at sea

Activities

Video survey (NIOZ video system) Multibeam CTD Box-corer ADCP

Funding

European Union’s Horizon 2020 824077 (EUROFLEETS+)

European Union’s Horizon 2020 818123 (iAtlantic)

Scientific crew

Telmo Morato

Principal Investigator

Marina Carreiro-Silva

Principal Investigator

Carlos Dominguez-Carrió

Senior Scientist

Luís Rodrigues

Senior Scientist

Teresa Cerqueira

Senior Scientist

Manuela Ramos

PhD Student

Guilherme Gonçalves

PhD Student

Inês Carneiro

Research Assistant

João Pereira

Catarina Fazenda

José Cunha (IH)

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Blue Azores Program Expedition 2018, Station 57, Dive 15: annotation of Paragorgia johnsoni Gray, 1862

Apr, 2021

6 team members are authors

OA Citations 1 DOI 10.5281/zenodo.4727164

Authors 10.5281/zenodo.4727164

Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió

Gerald H. Taranto

Manuela Ramos Oscar Vicente Ocaña

Laurence Fauconnet Emanuel J. Gonçalves

Marina Carreiro‐Silva

Telmo Morato

Abstract

Annotation of Paragorgia johnsoni Gray, 1862 colonies from underwater video footage recorded during the Blue Azores 2018 Expedition with the ROV Luso onboard the NRP Almirante Gago Coutinho, Station 57, Dive 15 (June 23^rd, 2018). The images correspond to the octocoral garden discovered between 545 and 595 m depth on the slopes of a small ridge-like structure located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, in the Azores region.

List of deep-sea benthic video stations collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

5 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.17882/86110

Authors 10.17882/86110

Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos

Taranto, Gerald H.

Rodrigues, Luís Neves De Sousa, Laura Evans, Susan

Carreiro-Silva, Marina

Morato, Telmo

Abstract

This dataset was collected during the iMAR cruise “The Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Azores region”, that took place aboard the Research Vessel Pelagia of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) between May 19th and June 2nd 2021. The iMAR cruise aimed to evaluate the role of the MAR in shaping latitudinal and trans-Atlantic patterns in deep-sea biogeography, connectivity and assemblages of deep-sea megafauna. This expedition was funded by the SEA OCEANS program of Eurofleets+ and the H2020 European project iAtlantic, and was led by the University of the Azores (Portugal) in collaboration with the Hydrographic Institute and University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the National Oceanography Center (United Kingdom), GEOMAR (Germany), the University Museum of Bergen (Norway), the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia), and the University of Vale do Itajaí (Brazil). The deep-sea benthic communities were mapped using the NIOZ towed camera system. The Hopper system generated a series of high-definition video transects in each area explored, starting from the deepest point (set at 1,200 m approx.) and moving upwards towards the seamount or ridge summit (700 m to 300 m depth). During the iMAR cruise, 22 stations for Hopper video transects were performed (Table 1), mainly in the North portion of the MAR inside the Exclusive Economic Zone around the Azores, which produced approximately 54 hours of bottom time, along 48 km of seafloor.

Outputs of predictive distribution models of deep-sea elasmobranchs in the Azores EEZ (down to 2,000m depth) using Generalized Additive Models

Jan, 2022

3 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.1594/pangaea.940808

Authors 10.1594/pangaea.940808

González-Irusta, José Manuel

Fauconnet, Laurence Das, Diya Catarino, Diana Afonso, Pedro Viegas, Cláudia Neto

Rodrigues, Luís Menezes, Gui M Rosa, Alexandra Pinho, Mário Rui Rilhó Silva, Hélder Marques Da Giacomello, Eva

Morato, Telmo

Abstract

Description: We developed predictive distribution models of deep-sea elasmobranchs for up to 2000 m depth in the Azores EEZ and neighboring seamounts, from approximately 33°N to 43°N and 20°W to 36°W. Georeferenced presence, absence, and abundance data were obtained from scientific surveys and commercial operations reporting at least one deep-sea elasmobranch capture. A 20-year 'survey dataset' (1996-2017) was compiled from annual scientific demersal surveys using two types of bottom longlines (types LLA and LLB), and an 'observer dataset' (2004-2018) from observer programs covering commercial fisheries operations using bottom longline (similar to type LLA) and vertical handline ('gorazeira'). We used the most ecologically relevant candidate environmental predictors for explaining the spatial distribution of deep-sea elasmobranch in the Azores: depth, slope, northness, eastness, Bathymetric Position Index (BPI), nitrates, and near bottom currents. We merged existing multibeam data for the Azores EEZ with bathymetry data extracted from EMODNET (EMODnet Bathymetry Consortium 2018) to calculate depth values (down to 2000m). All variables were projected with the Albers equal-area conical projection centered in the middle of the study area and were rescaled using bilinear interpolation to a final grid cell resolution of 1.12 x1.12 km (i.e., 0.012°). Slope, northness, and eastness were computed from the depth raster using the function terrain in the R package raster. BPI was derived from the rescaled depth with an inner radius of 3 and an outer radius of 25 grid cells using the Benthic Terrain Model 3.0 tool in ArcGIS 10.1. Nitrates were extracted from Amorim et al. (2017). Near-bottom current speed (m·s-1) average values were based on a MOHID hydrodynamic model application (Viegas et al., 2018) with an original resolution of 0.054°. Besides the environmental variables, we also included three operational predictors in the analysis: year, fishing effort (number of hooks) and gear type (longline LLA and LLB, and gorazeira).

CTD data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

5 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.17882/86106

Authors 10.17882/86106

Evans, Susan Neves De Sousa, Laura

Rodrigues, Luis Mohn, Christian

Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos

H. Taranto, Gerald

Carreiro-Silva, Marina

Morato, Telmo

Abstract

SVP data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

5 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.17882/86107

Authors 10.17882/86107

Evans, Susan Neves De Sousa, Laura

Rodrigues, Luis Mohn, Christian

Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos

Taranto, Gerald H.

Carreiro-Silva, Marina

Morato, Telmo

Abstract

List of stations with data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

5 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.17882/86103

Authors 10.17882/86103

Morato, Telmo

Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos

Rodrigues, Luís

H. Taranto, Gerald Neves De Sousa, Laura Evans, Susan

Carreiro-Silva, Marina

Abstract

This dataset contain the metadata for all stations conducted during the iMAR cruise “The Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Azores region”, that took place aboard the Research Vessel Pelagia of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research between May 19th and June 2nd 2021. This expedition was funded by the SEA OCEANS program of Eurofleets+ and the H2020 European project iAtlantic, and was led by the University of the Azores (Portugal) in collaboration with the Hydrographic Institute and University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the National Oceanography Center (United Kingdom), GEOMAR (Germany), the University Museum of Bergen (Norway), the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia), and the University of Vale do Itajaí (Brazil). Statistics: Cruise duration was 17 days, 2,500 km of transits, 6 areas visited, 5,500 km2 of mapped seabed (mainly in the North portion of the MAR in the EEZ around the Azores), 19 dives with the NIOZ video system that resulted in 54 hours of deep-sea images over 48 km of the seabed, 13 stations for the analysis of water mass properties and to collect sediments, which resulted in 380 samples for environmental DNA, 280 samples for nutrient analyses, 27 sediment samples for geological analyses, 24 for microplastic analyses, 10 samples for bacteriological, and 10 samples meiofauna analyses.

ADCP data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

5 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.17882/86019

Authors 10.17882/86019

Mohn, Christian

Rodrigues, Luís

Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos

Taranto, Gerald H. Neves De Sousa, Laura Evans, Susan

Carreiro-Silva, Marina

Morato, Telmo

Abstract

Nutrient data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

5 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.17882/86115

Authors 10.17882/86115

Mohn, Christian Larsen, Martin Mørk Evans, Susan Neves De Sousa, Laura

Rodrigues, Luis

Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos

Taranto, Gerald H.

Carreiro-Silva, Marina

Morato, Telmo

Abstract

This dataset was produced during the iMAR cruise “The Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Azores region”, that took place aboard the Research Vessel Pelagia of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research between May 18th and June 2nd 2021. The iMAR cruise aimed to evaluate the role of the MAR in shaping latitudinal and trans-Atlantic patterns in deep-sea biogeography, connectivity and assemblages of deep-sea megafauna. This expedition was funded by the SEA OCEANS program of Eurofleets+ and the H2020 European project iAtlantic, and was led by the University of the Azores (Portugal) in collaboration with the Hydrographic Institute and University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the National Oceanography Center (United Kingdom), GEOMAR (Germany), the University Museum of Bergen (Norway), the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia), and the University of Vale do Itajaí (Brazil). Nutrient analysis was performed according to Grasshoff et al, adopted for a 5 channel continues flow analyzer (Skalar San Plus, Skalar Analytical B. V., Breda, The Netherlands). Nitrite and nitrate+nitrite was measured using an ammonia buffer and sulfanilamide/alpha-Naphthylethylene diamine dihydrochloride colour reagent in phosphoric acid, with reduction of nitrate to nitrite by cadmium column of at least 80% measured reduction capacity (90-100% achieved), followed by quantification with spectrophotometric determination of the nitrite-azo dye at 540 nm. Nitrate was determined as the difference between nitrate+nitrite and nitrite measurements. Ammonia was measured using a citrate/tartrate buffer and phenol color reagent, catalyzed by hypochlorite and nitroprusside , followed by quantification with spectrophotometric determination of the phenol-ammonia complex at 630 nm. Phosphate samples reacted with antimo nytartrate and ammonium molybdate solution in sulfuric acidified solution, the resulting complex wasreduced by ascorbic acid to a deep blue dye, followed by quantification with spectrophotometric determination of the reduced antimony-phospho-molybdate complex at 880 nm. Silicate samples was acidified with sulfuric acid and reacted with ammonium molybdate solution, reduced by ascorbic acid to a blue dye with oxalic acid to remove phosphate interference , followed by quantification with spectrophotometric determination of the reduced molybdo-silicate complex at 810 nm. Methods used are accredited with expected detection limit of 0,04 µM for nitrite, 0,1 µM for nitrate, 0,3 µM for ammonia, 0,06 µM for Phosphate and 0,2 µM for silicate, with expected RSD between 4 and 7%for the individual nutrients. Certified reference materials (VKI type QC RW1 for ammonia, phosphate and nitrate) and internal reference materials for Nitrite and silicate was spiked at two levels to natural low nutrient seawater sample for quality assurance, recovering 91-109% of the spike for nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and silicate at with RSD% of 1 to 5%, and recovery of 84-91% for ammonia, with RSDs up to 15%. No corrections was performed on data the recoveries. Except for ammonia, all results was within the acceptance limits for accredited analysis. Analysis was performed over two runs, one with triplicates and then a fourth spare sample was included to investigate the ammonia instability, but it could not be determined if this was due to storage/transport or instrument The “.CSV” files of fully processed data contain data collected mainly in the North portion of the MAR in the Exclusive Economic Zone around the Azores.

Multibeam Raw Data collected during the iMAR 2021/Eurofleets+ research cruise in Mid Atlantic Ridge (Azores EEZ)

Jan, 2022

5 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.17882/85926

Authors 10.17882/85926

Neves De Sousa, Laura

Rodrigues, Luis Veiga, Leonor

Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos Evans, Susan

Taranto, Gerald H.

Carreiro-Silva, Marina Vicente, João

Morato, Telmo

Abstract

The iMAR cruise “The Integrated assessment of the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Azores region” took place aboard the Research Vessel Pelagia of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) between May 19th and June 2nd 2021. This expedition was funded by the SEA OCEANS program of Eurofleets+ and the H2020 European project iAtlantic, and was led by the University of the Azores (Portugal) in collaboration with the Hydrographic Institute and University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the National Oceanography Center (United Kingdom), GEOMAR (Germany), the University Museum of Bergen (Norway), the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia), and the University of Vale do Itajaí (Brazil). During the iMAR cruise we performed 28 stations for multibeam surveys, summing 171:30 hours of surveys, 5,500 km2 of mapped seabed (mainly in the North portion of the MAR in the Exclusive Economic Zone around the Azores), in 8 main areas and during many of the 2,500 km of transits All multibeam data processing was treated by Leonor Neves de Sousa (Instituto Hidrográfico) with the software “CARIS HIPS & SIPS”.These are the .all files of multibeam row data about 28 stations, between 18 May and 2 June, with information about seamounts, ridges and depressions of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores.

Adverse effects of ocean acidification on embryonic survival of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum pertusum

Invertebrate Biology

Jun, 2025

1 team member is author

Citations 1 DOI 10.71161/ivb.144.1.2024.00001

Authors 10.71161/ivb.144.1.2024.00001

Maria Rakka

Marina Carreiro‐Silva Ann I. Larsson

A cost-effective, open-source laboratory system for 3D photogrammetric analysis of corals

Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography

Aug, 2025

2 team members are authors

OA Citations 1 DOI 10.1016/j.dsr2.2025.105525

Authors 10.1016/j.dsr2.2025.105525

A. Romo Cristina Gutiérrez‐Zárate Meri Bilan Andrea Gori Alfredo Veiga Rodrigo Pérez‐Sánchez Maria Rakka

António Godinho Timm Schoening Andrew B. Carey

Marina Carreiro‐Silva Covadonga Orejas

Physiological responses of the cold-water octocoral Dentomuricea aff. meteor to sublethal effects of Cu exposure: A risk assessment to deep-sea mining activities

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Jun, 2025

3 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118248

Authors 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118248

Inês Martins Beatriz Mano

António Godinho Joana Goulart Guilherme Vinícius Teixeira

Marina Carreiro‐Silva

Abstract

The growing commercial demand for metal resources has increased interest in deep-sea mining, raising concerns about the environmental impacts on benthic organisms from metals such as copper (Cu) released during excavation and dewatering processes. Previous research found that the cold-water octocoral Dentomuricea aff. meteor has a lethal Cu concentration (LC50) of 137 μg L^-1, indicating its high sensitivity to Cu. This study investigates the response of the cold-water octocoral D. aff. meteor to sublethal Cu concentrations (5-60 μg L^-1) over a two-week exposure period followed by a two-week recovery phase. Results show that Cu accumulates in both coral tissue and skeleton, with concentrations reaching up to 39 μg g^-1 in tissue and 38 μg g^-1 in skeleton at the highest exposure level. Despite initially maintaining cellular homeostasis, the corals exhibited persistent oxidative stress during recovery, evidenced by elevated levels of lipid peroxidation (MDA), stress signalling (HSP70) and antioxidant biomarkers (CAT, GPx and SOD). This research provides critical insights into how cold-water corals respond to and recover from Cu exposure, emphasizing their vulnerability under mining scenarios. The findings underscore the necessity of regular monitoring of deep-sea mining sites, as delayed toxicity responses could threaten these ecosystems. The study highlights the importance of incorporating such data into industry guidelines and International Seabed Authority (ISA) regulations to balance environmental protection with economic interests. Effective management and periodic reassessment of mining impacts are essential to protect these sensitive deep-sea organisms.

Democratizing deep-sea research for biodiversity conservation

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Oct, 2025

11 team members are authors

DOI 10.1016/j.tree.2025.09.015

Authors 10.1016/j.tree.2025.09.015

Telmo Morato

Luís Rodrigues

Marina Carreiro‐Silva

João Balsa

Inês Bruno

Inês Carneiro

Laurence Fauconnet

Guilherme Gonçalves Marc P Vilavendrell

Manuela Ramos

Gerald H. Taranto

Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió

Deep-sea ecosystems of the North Atlantic Ocean: discovery, status, function and future challenges

Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers

Aug, 2025

1 team member is author

OA DOI 10.1016/j.dsr.2025.104580

Authors 10.1016/j.dsr.2025.104580

A. Louise Allcock Diva J. Amon Amelia E.h. Bridges Ana Colaço Elva Escobar‐Briones Ana Hilário Kerry L. Howell Nélia C. Mestre Frank Müller‐Karger Imants G. Priede Paul V. R. Snelgrove Kathleen Sullivan Sealey Joana R. Xavier Anna M. Addamo Teresa Amaro Geethani Bandara Narissa Bax Andreia Braga‐Henriques Angelika Brandt Saskia Brix Sergio Cambronero‐Solano Cristina Cedeño – Posso Jon Copley Erik E. Cordes Jorge Cortés Aldo Cróquer Daphné Cuvelier Jaime S. Davies Jennifer M. Durden Patricia Esquete Nicola L. Foster Inmaculada Frutos Ryan Gasbarro Andrew R. Gates Marta Gomes Lucy V.m. Goodwin Tammy Horton Thomas F. Hourigan Henk‐Jan Hoving Daniel O. B. Jones Siddhi Joshi Kelly Kingon Anne‐Nina Lörz Ana María Martins Véronique Merten Anna Meta×As Rosanna Milligan Tina N. Molodtsova

Telmo Morato Declan Morrissey Beatriz Naranjo‐Elizondo Bhavani E. Narayanaswamy Steinunn H. Ólafsdóttir Alexa Parimbelli Marian Peña Nils Piechaud Stefan Ragnarsson Sofia P. Ramalho Clara F. Rodrigues Rebecca E. Ross Hanieh Saeedi Régis Santos Patrick Schwing Tiago Da Rosa Serpa Arvind K. Shantharam Angela Stevenson Ana Belén Yánez-Suárez Tracey Sutton Jörundur Svavarsson Michelle L. Taylor Jesse Van Der Grient Nadescha Zwerschke

Seabed stability inferred from the 2019–2020 earthquake swarm under a volcanic cone field and slopes of Condor Seamount, Azores

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

Jan, 2025

1 team member is author

OA DOI 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2025.108279

Authors 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2025.108279

Neil C. Mitchell Fernando Tempera Thomas Morrow Joaquim Luís Christian Hübscher

Telmo Morato

Abstract

Knowledge of the strength of submarine volcaniclastic deposits is important for assessing the stability of slopes of such materials and their geohazards but is dif cult to measure. An opportunity for an alternative evaluation has been presented by an earthquake swarm under a volcanic seamount in the Azores. Attenuation relationships applied to earthquake data suggest that a cone eld and anks of the seamount experienced horizontal accel- erations of >0.3 g during the swarm. However, multibeam sonar data collected before and after the swarm suggest that no slope failures occurred. Furthermore, in backscatter data collected after the swarm, low in- tensities below slopes suggest that muddy aprons were undisturbed by landslide debris. The swarm overlies cones with slopes near typical repose angles of non-cohesive particles. During earthquake shaking, the direction of maximum acceleration deviates from that due to gravity alone. We show that cone slopes effectively experienced much steeper gradients than their repose angles during the swarm. As they survived the shaking without failing, they were effectively stronger than non-cohesive sediment. We use a pseudo-static analysis to investigate the implied sediment strength, nding a ratio of undrained shear strength to vertical stress of >0.4–0.5. This implies shear strength of >24–30 kPa at 10 m depth below seabed. We speculate that carbonate cements and/or compaction may be responsible. If shallow areas are more widely strengthened, slope failure may then be less likely during moderate (ML ~ 4.0 or less) seismic shaking and hence be less hazardous than if the slopes comprised wholly non-cohesive materials.

Drivers of trophodynamics of the open-ocean and deep-sea environments of the Azores, NE Atlantic

Progress In Oceanography

Sep, 2024

3 team members are authors

OA DOI 10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103357

Authors 10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103357

Joana Brito Ambre Soszynski Johanna J. Heymans Simone Libralato Eva Giacomello

Laurence Fauconnet Gui M. Menezes

Telmo Morato

From physics to fish: 50 Years of research at Great Meteor Seamount, NE Atlantic

Marine Biodiversity

Jan, 2025

3 team members are authors

OA Citations 1 DOI 10.1007/s12526-024-01484-y

Authors 10.1007/s12526-024-01484-y

Inês Tojeira Miguel Souto Manfred Kaufmann

Manuela Ramos

Marina Carreiro‐Silva Heino O. Fock Kai Horst George Theo Gerkema

Telmo Morato Beatriz Mouriño‐Carballido Hans Van Haren Martin White Joana R. Xavier Teresa Rafael Bettina Martin Henrique N. Cabral José Lino Costa Christian Mohn

Cold-water octocoral interactions with microplastics under laboratory conditions

Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers

Sep, 2024

3 team members are authors

OA Citations 3 DOI 10.1016/j.dsr.2024.104400

Authors 10.1016/j.dsr.2024.104400

João Pereira

Marina Carreiro‐Silva

Anaïs Sire De Vilar

António Godinho Ceri Lewis Christopher K. Pham

First insights into the embryo and larval biology of the antipatharian coral Antipathella wollastoni

Marine Biology

Mar, 2024

2 team members are authors

OA Citations 1 DOI 10.1007/s00227-024-04412-7

Authors 10.1007/s00227-024-04412-7

Maria Rakka

António Godinho Meri Bilan

Marina Carreiro‐Silva

Rethinking sustainability of marine fisheries for a fast-changing planet

npj Ocean Sustainability

Sep, 2024

1 team member is author

OA Citations 32 Hot DOI 10.1038/s44183-024-00078-2

Authors 10.1038/s44183-024-00078-2

Callum M. Roberts Christophe Béné Nathan Bennett James S. Boon William W. L. Cheung Philippe Cury Omar Defeo Georgia De Jong Cleyndert Rainer Froese Didier Gascuel Christopher D. Golden Julie P. Hawkins Alistair J. Hobday Jennifer Jacquet Paul S. Kemp Mimi E. Lam Frédéric Le Manach Jessica J. Meeuwig Fiorenza Micheli

Telmo Morato Catrin Norris Claire Nouvian Daniel Pauly Ellen K. Pikitch Fabián Piña Amargós Andrea Sáenz‐Arroyo U. Rashid Sumaila Louise Teh Les Watling Bethan C. O’leary

Abstract

Abstract Many seafood products marketed as “sustainable” are not. More exacting sustainability standards are needed to respond to a fast-changing world and support United Nations SDGs. Future fisheries must operate on principles that minimise impacts on marine life, adapt to climate change and allow regeneration of depleted biodiversity, while supporting and enhancing the health, wellbeing and resilience of people and communities. We set out 11 actions to achieve these goals.

A simulation-based approach to assess the stability of marine food-webs and inform Good Environmental Status

Ecological Indicators

Dec, 2023

2 team members are authors

OA Citations 2 DOI 10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.111411

Authors 10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.111411

Joana Brito Simone Libralato

Telmo Morato

Abstract

The European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) recognises that maintaining marine food-webs in Good Environmental Status (GES) is fundamental to ensure the long-term provision of essential ecosystem goods and services. However, operationalising food-web assessments is challenging due to difficulties in i) implementing simple but complete monitoring programmes, ii) identifying thresholds in monitoring indicators that inform when perturbations are diverting food-web state from GES and iii) in providing an integrative and complete picture of the (health) status of food-webs. In this context, stability assessments of marine food-webs could be useful to identifying the indicators that best track perturbation-induced changes in food-web state and the threshold boundaries that should not be exceeded to minimise the likelihood of losing stability. Yet, there is still a lack of systematic methods to perform such assessments. Here, we evaluate the potential of a simulation-based protocol to be used as a methodological standard for assessing the stability of marine food-webs. The protocol draws on the principles of ecological stability theory and provides a framework for assessing the trajectories of individual indicators during perturbation regimes and their robustness in detecting stability thresholds for marine food-webs. We tested the protocol on an open-ocean and deep-sea food-web modelled with the Ecopath with Ecosim suite. We concluded that indicators that quantify transfer efficiency through the food-web and measure the average trophic level of the community are optimal proxies for trophic functioning and structure to assess the stability of the system. Furthermore, we show how the approach can be applied to i) determine the impact of a loss of stability on the balance between trophic levels and ii) identify the biological components of the food-web that are most affected in scenarios of stability loss. Our findings could be useful for the ongoing debate on how trophic models and derived indicators can play a concrete and practical role in the food-web assessments in European seas.

Towards a scientific community consensus on designating Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems from imagery

PeerJ

Oct, 2023

2 team members are authors

OA Citations 16 Rising DOI 10.7717/peerj.16024

Authors 10.7717/peerj.16024

Amy R. Baco Rebecca E. Ross Franziska Althaus Diva J. Amon Amelia E.h. Bridges Saskia Brix Pål Buhl‐Mortensen Ana Colaço

Marina Carreiro‐Silva Malcolm R. Clark Cherisse Du Preez Mari-Lise Franken Matthew Gianni Genoveva Gonzalez‐Mirelis Thomas F. Hourigan Kerry L. Howell Lisa A. Levin Dhugal J. Lindsay Tina N. Molodtsova Nicole B. Morgan

Telmo Morato Beatriz E. Mejía‐Mercado David O’sullivan Tabitha R. R. Pearman David M. Price Katleen Robert Laura E. Robson Ashley A. Rowden James Taylor Michelle L. Taylor Lissette Victorero Les Watling Alan Williams Joana R. Xavier Chris Yesson

Abstract

Management of deep-sea fisheries in areas beyond national jurisdiction by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations/Arrangements (RFMO/As) requires identification of areas with Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). Currently, fisheries data, including trawl and longline bycatch data, are used by many RFMO/As to inform the identification of VMEs. However, the collection of such data creates impacts and there is a need to collect non-invasive data for VME identification and monitoring purposes. Imagery data from scientific surveys satisfies this requirement, but there currently is no established framework for identifying VMEs from images. Thus, the goal of this study was to bring together a large international team to determine current VME assessment protocols and establish preliminary global consensus guidelines for identifying VMEs from images. An initial assessment showed a lack of consistency among RFMO/A regions regarding what is considered a VME indicator taxon, and hence variability in how VMEs might be defined. In certain cases, experts agreed that a VME could be identified from a single image, most often in areas of scleractinian reefs, dense octocoral gardens, multiple VME species’ co-occurrence, and chemosynthetic ecosystems. A decision flow chart is presented that gives practical interpretation of the FAO criteria for single images. To further evaluate steps of the flow chart related to density, data were compiled to assess whether scientists perceived similar density thresholds across regions. The range of observed densities and the density values considered to be VMEs varied considerably by taxon, but in many cases, there was a statistical difference in what experts considered to be a VME compared to images not considered a VME. Further work is required to develop an areal extent index, to include a measure of confidence, and to increase our understanding of what levels of density and diversity correspond to key ecosystem functions for VME indicator taxa. Based on our results, the following recommendations are made: 1. There is a need to establish a global consensus on which taxa are VME indicators. 2. RFMO/As should consider adopting guidelines that use imagery surveys as an alternative (or complement) to using bycatch and trawl surveys for designating VMEs. 3. Imagery surveys should also be included in Impact Assessments. And 4. All industries that impact the seafloor, not just fisheries, should use imagery surveys to detect and identify VMEs.

Tidal to decadal scale hydrodynamics at two contrasting cold-water coral sites in the Northeast Atlantic

Progress In Oceanography

Apr, 2023

3 team members are authors

OA Citations 8 DOI 10.1016/j.pocean.2023.103031

Authors 10.1016/j.pocean.2023.103031

Christian Mohn Jørgen L. S. Hansen

Marina Carreiro‐Silva Stuart A. Cunningham Evert De Froe

Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió Stefan F. Gary Ronnie N. Glud Cordula Göke Clare Johnson

Telmo Morato Eva Friis Møller Lorenzo Rovelli Kirstin Schulz Karline Soetaert Anna‐Selma Van Der Kaaden Dick Van Oevelen

Abstract

Cold-water corals (CWCs) thrive in areas with complex and rough topography favoring the development of highly diverse benthic communities. Several biotic and abiotic factors including organic matter supply, temperature, bottom roughness and currents are important drivers of ecosystem structure and functioning in deep-sea environments at different spatial and temporal scales. Little is known, however, how basin-scale changes in the ocean climate affect these drivers at local scales. Here, we use high-resolution implementations of the hydrodynamic model ROMS-AGRIF for estimating characteristic spatial and temporal scales of local hydrodynamics in response to variations of basin-scale currents imposed by distinct changes of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the past century. We focus on two CWC communities on the SE Rockall Bank slope and at Condor Seamount. We considered two contrasting AMOC states that were identified from the 1958–2009 hindcast of the 1/20° resolution VIKING20 North Atlantic basin-scale ocean circulation model and used as boundary conditions for the high-resolution local area models. At SE Rockall Bank, variability of near-bottom currents in both regions was largely dominated by tidal dynamics, but strongly modified by AMOC induced basin-scale variations of water mass properties and bottom currents. During strong AMOC years, waters in the main CWC depth corridor (600–1200 m) were cooler and less saline but were dominated by stronger bottom currents when compared with conditions during weak AMOC years. At Condor Seamount, bottom currents were largely unaffected by AMOC related changes close to the summit at water depths < 400 m. Kinetic energy dissipation rates derived from the 3D near-bottom velocity field appeared to positively relate with the in-situ CWC distribution. Kinetic energy dissipation is therefore proposed as a mechanistic descriptor of CWC presence as it provides a more mechanistic view of hydrodynamics driving organic matter supply to filter and suspension-feeding communities.

FUN Azores: a FUNctional trait database for the meio-, macro-, and megafauna from the Azores Marine Park (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Jul, 2023

2 team members are authors

OA Citations 8 DOI 10.3389/fevo.2023.1050268

Authors 10.3389/fevo.2023.1050268

Neus Campanyà‐Llovet Amanda E. Bates Daphné Cuvelier Eva Giacomello Diana Catarino Andrew J. Gooday Björn Berning Blanca Figuerola Manuel António E. Malaquias Carlos J. Moura Joana R. Xavier Tracey Sutton

Laurence Fauconnet Sofia P. Ramalho Bárbara De Moura Neves Gui M. Menezes Tammy Horton Andrey Gebruk K. V. Minin Joël Bried Tina N. Molodtsova Mónica A. Silva A. B. Dilman Antonina Kremenetskaia Eudriano F. S. Costa Jameson W. Clarke Helen R. Martins Christopher K. Pham

Marina Carreiro‐Silva Ana Colaço

Abstract

Trait-based approaches that complement taxonomy-based studies have increased in popularity among the scientific community over the last decades. The collection of biological and ecological characteristics of species (i.e., traits) provides insight into species and ecosystem vulnerability to environmental and anthropogenic changes, as well as ecosystem functioning. Here, we present the FUN Azores trait database, describe our approach, evaluate its scope, compare it to other marine trait databases, and explore the spatial distribution of its traits with “functional maps.” While most of the available trait databases to date contain essential information to understand the functional diversity of a taxonomic or functional group, our ecosystem-based approach provides a comprehensive assessment of diverse fauna (i.e., meio-, macro-, and megafauna) from benthic and pelagic environments in the Azores Marine Park; including ridges, seamounts, hydrothermal vents, and the overlying water column. We used a collaborative approach involving 30 researchers with different expertise to develop the FUN Azores database, which contains compiled data on 14 traits representing morphological, behavioral, and life history characteristics for 1,210 species across 10 phyla. The “functional maps” show a distinct distribution of the two most common size classes, suggesting different communities with different functionalities. The following traits had the best scoring coverage (i.e., >95% of the species scored): maximum body size, body form, skeleton material, feeding structure, motility, environmental position, substratum affinity, distribution, and depth range; while traits related to species behavior (e.g., sociability or aggregation tendencies) and life history (e.g., developmental mechanism) had lower scoring coverage, highlighting the need for further research to fill these knowledge gaps. We found a larger number of species in the benthic compared to the pelagic environment and differing species composition between areas within the Azores Marine Park resulting from varying biodiversity, ecosystem types, sampling effort, and methodologies used. The FUN Azores database will foster and facilitate trait-based approaches in the area, develop a framework for expansion of cross-ecosystem and cross-taxa trait databases elsewhere, and improve our ecological understanding of the Azores Marine Park and its conservation requirements.

Systematic evaluation of a spatially explicit ecosystem model to inform area-based management in the deep-sea

Ocean & Coastal Management

Aug, 2023

2 team members are authors

Citations 6 DOI 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106807

Authors 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106807

Joana Brito Ambre Soszynski Christopher K. Pham Eva Giacomello Gui M. Menezes Jeroen Steenbeek David Chagaris

Telmo Morato

Challenges in avoiding deep-water shark bycatch in Azorean hook-and-line fisheries

ICES Journal of Marine Science

Oct, 2022

2 team members are authors

OA Citations 12 Rising DOI 10.1093/icesjms/fsac178

Authors 10.1093/icesjms/fsac178

Laurence Fauconnet Diana Catarino Diya Das Eva Giacomello José Manuel González‐Irusta Pedro Afonso

Telmo Morato

Abstract

Abstract Deep-water sharks are highly diverse, vulnerable, and understudied as a group, despite the increasing pressures on their populations. Twenty-five species of deep-water sharks have been recorded in the Azores, an oceanic archipelago in the mid-North Atlantic, that are regularly caught as bycatch in hook-and-line fisheries. Avoiding the bycatch of deep-water sharks presents multiple challenges due to their high catchability, difficulties in correctly identifying species, and the general lack of data on these species. This review summarizes the findings of recent studies from the region, providing an up-to-date science-based framework for mitigating bycatch effects of Azorean hook-and-line fisheries. Several depth-based, area-based, and gear-based measures have been studied that demonstrate the potential to either avoid or increase the survival of deep-water shark bycatch. However, these measures may have limited efficacy for some species (e.g. highly mobile species) and thus, limited widespread applicability. Convincing fishers to avoid deep-water shark bycatch is also a challenge given the antagonistic interactions with sharks damaging the catch and fishing gear, while simultaneously a market incentive for shark liver oil remains. It highlights the need to proactively engage fishers and incentivize the mitigation of bycatch of deep-water sharks in Azorean waters.

Predicting the distribution and abundance of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in the deep sea of the Azores (North Atlantic)

The Science of The Total Environment

Aug, 2023

8 team members are authors

OA Citations 18 Rising DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166579

Authors 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166579

Emily M. Duncan Nina Vieira José Manuel González‐Irusta

Carlos Dominguez‐Carrió

Telmo Morato

Marina Carreiro‐Silva Joachim Jakobsen Kirsten Jakobsen

Filipe M. Porteiro Nina Schläpfer Laura Herrera

Manuela Ramos

Yasmina Rodríguez João Pereira

Laurence Fauconnet

Luís Rodrigues Hugo Parra Christopher K. Pham

First assessment of circle hooks as bycatch mitigation measure for deep-water sharks on longline fisheries

Fisheries Research

Oct, 2023

2 team members are authors

OA Citations 3 DOI 10.1016/j.fishres.2023.106877

Authors 10.1016/j.fishres.2023.106877

Laurence Fauconnet

Telmo Morato Diya Das Diana Catarino Jorge Fontes Eva Giacomello Pedro Afonso

Abstract

The recognition that deep-water sharks are among the most vulnerable marine species to fisheries exploitation led to the implementation of fishing prohibition regulations in European waters. Reducing unwanted bycatch and mortality are key fisheries mitigation measure for the conservation of these species. Yet, few studies have investigated how to mitigate the common bycatch of these sharks on deep-water longline fisheries. Specifically, the potential of hook type as such a measure has never been investigated. Here, we conducted fishing experiments to test how circle hooks affect the catchability, the hooking position, and the overall condition of deep-water sharks, in comparison to the commonly used J-hooks in the Azores bottom longline fishery. We found that circle hooks did not significantly reduce deep hooking (throat or gut hooked), nor improve the overall condition of captured sharks, while the catchability of deep-water sharks on circle hooks was greater than on the J-hooks currently used in the local fishery. As such, circle hooks do not appear as a suitable measure to reduce deep-water shark bycatch and increase survival potential in deep-water longlining. Despite deep hooking being rare for the deep-water sharks caught with both hook types in the experiments, at-vessel mortality was still substantial (around 40%). Post-release survival remains mostly unquantified but preliminary results suggest it could also be high. This study highlights the urgent need for continued research addressing bycatch mitigation measures for deep-water sharks and identifying efficient strategies to reduce bycatch and increase survival.

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