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A seafloor crater in the German Bight and its effects on the benthos

A seafloor crater in the German Bight and its effects on the benthos
A seafloor crater in the German Bight and its effects on the benthos
In 1963 a deep crater was formed about 65 m below sea level in the western part of the German Bight, due to a gas eruption caused by drilling carried out from the platform ’Mr. Louie'. The study area is situated in a sandy to muddy bottom area inhabited by an Amphiura filiformis association (sensu Salzwedel et al. 1985). The crater, sometimes called ’Figge-Maar', functions as a sediment trap, concentrating particles and organisms from the water column, thus leading to extreme sedimentation rates of about 50 cm, on average, per year. Crater stations, compared with stations situated in the vicinity, show enrichments of juveniles. Echinoderms, especially the subsurface-dwelling heart urchin Echinocardium cordatum and ophiuroids are responsive to enrichment. Other species that are typical of the Amphiura filiformis association are shown to be unable to cope with the special conditions in the crater.
Key words North Sea · Macrobenthos · Benthic-pelagic coupling · Sediment trapping · Community structure
1438-387X
36-44
Thatje, S.
f1011fe3-1048-40c0-97c1-e93b796e6533
Gerdes, D.
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Rachor, E.
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Thatje, S.
f1011fe3-1048-40c0-97c1-e93b796e6533
Gerdes, D.
7ffbe43a-c763-4b97-b76b-909a2831320d
Rachor, E.
a9f7c406-d716-4042-8f9f-1d4cf5d62be6

Thatje, S., Gerdes, D. and Rachor, E. (1999) A seafloor crater in the German Bight and its effects on the benthos. Helgoland Marine Research, 53 (1), 36-44. (doi:10.1007/PL00012136).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In 1963 a deep crater was formed about 65 m below sea level in the western part of the German Bight, due to a gas eruption caused by drilling carried out from the platform ’Mr. Louie'. The study area is situated in a sandy to muddy bottom area inhabited by an Amphiura filiformis association (sensu Salzwedel et al. 1985). The crater, sometimes called ’Figge-Maar', functions as a sediment trap, concentrating particles and organisms from the water column, thus leading to extreme sedimentation rates of about 50 cm, on average, per year. Crater stations, compared with stations situated in the vicinity, show enrichments of juveniles. Echinoderms, especially the subsurface-dwelling heart urchin Echinocardium cordatum and ophiuroids are responsive to enrichment. Other species that are typical of the Amphiura filiformis association are shown to be unable to cope with the special conditions in the crater.

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Published date: August 1999
Keywords: Key words North Sea · Macrobenthos · Benthic-pelagic coupling · Sediment trapping · Community structure

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 39324
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/39324
ISSN: 1438-387X
PURE UUID: d5a9c209-aabc-48a3-8854-b25dc2c1350c

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Date deposited: 03 Jul 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 08:12

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Contributors

Author: S. Thatje
Author: D. Gerdes
Author: E. Rachor

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