Preparation of a bathymetric map and GIS of the South Atlantic Ocean and a review of available biologically relevant South Atlantic Seamount data for the SEAFO Scientific Committee

Abstract

This report has brought together various data sets from a number of public sources around the world to produce the most up-to-date regional bathymetric map of the South Atlantic in both printed and digital form. The use of a data control layer in the GIS allows users of this report
an indication of the data accuracy and quality. Physical and chemical parameters have also been included in the GIS, so that the Temperature, Salinity and Oxygen content of the South Atlantic, all primary agents in the distribution of the various forms of biology can be examined, at different critical depths at the same time. These critical depths were determined to be those that had most effect on the biology, and were the sea surface (0m), the lower limit of the photic zone, which we approximated to 200m, and the lower limit of the likely vertical migration of zooplankton, a major source of food at 1000m depth. Other elements presented include biogeographical provinces defined by Longhurst, a geographic depiction of the formally UNbacked named Seamount gazetteer along with a further seamount-science web-based product sponsored by the National Science Foundation in the USA, and a biological catalogue of data supported by the Census of Marine Life.

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