Coralligenous has a relevant role in submarine landscape formation and demise through geological times, producing various morphotypes on the seafloor. Several terms are used to define coralligenous morphotypes, but their application through different geological and environmental settings still remains inconsistent. Through a systematic analysis of seafloor acoustic remote data (multibeam, side scan sonar and subbottom profiler) along Apulia continental shelf, ground-truthed by video observations and direct sampling, we detected a number of coralligenous morpho-acoustic facies as 0.2 up to 4 m topographic reliefs with steep flanks and a rigid inhomogeneous biogenic framework, characterized by medium to strong SSS backscatter and a variable plan-view geometry. The observed pattern led to the identification of coralligenous meso- and macrohabitat in which the biogenic frameworks (i.e. coralligenous) prevail as sole biocommunity on the seafloor or are associated with other type of habitats: (i) coralligenous sensu stricto, (ii) coralligenous and detritic bottom, (iii) coralligenous and muddy bottom, (iv) coralligenous and Posidonia meadow. Finally we improve the geomorphological definition of bank, proposing this new descriptive rigorous categorization for coralligenous morphotypes on sub-horizontal substrate: 1) tabular bank, 2) discrete relief, and 3) hybrid bank.

Bracchi, V., Basso, D., Marchese, F., Corselli, C., Savini, A. (2017). Coralligenous morphotypes on subhorizontal substrate: A new categorization. CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH, 144, 10-20 [10.1016/j.csr.2017.06.005].

Coralligenous morphotypes on subhorizontal substrate: A new categorization

BRACCHI, VALENTINA ALICE
Primo
;
BASSO, DANIELA MARIA
Secondo
;
MARCHESE, FABIO;CORSELLI, CESARE
Penultimo
;
SAVINI, ALESSANDRA
Ultimo
2017

Abstract

Coralligenous has a relevant role in submarine landscape formation and demise through geological times, producing various morphotypes on the seafloor. Several terms are used to define coralligenous morphotypes, but their application through different geological and environmental settings still remains inconsistent. Through a systematic analysis of seafloor acoustic remote data (multibeam, side scan sonar and subbottom profiler) along Apulia continental shelf, ground-truthed by video observations and direct sampling, we detected a number of coralligenous morpho-acoustic facies as 0.2 up to 4 m topographic reliefs with steep flanks and a rigid inhomogeneous biogenic framework, characterized by medium to strong SSS backscatter and a variable plan-view geometry. The observed pattern led to the identification of coralligenous meso- and macrohabitat in which the biogenic frameworks (i.e. coralligenous) prevail as sole biocommunity on the seafloor or are associated with other type of habitats: (i) coralligenous sensu stricto, (ii) coralligenous and detritic bottom, (iii) coralligenous and muddy bottom, (iv) coralligenous and Posidonia meadow. Finally we improve the geomorphological definition of bank, proposing this new descriptive rigorous categorization for coralligenous morphotypes on sub-horizontal substrate: 1) tabular bank, 2) discrete relief, and 3) hybrid bank.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Coralligenous; Morphotypes; Submarine geomorphology; Remote sensing; Seascape; Mediterranean Sea
English
2017
144
10
20
reserved
Bracchi, V., Basso, D., Marchese, F., Corselli, C., Savini, A. (2017). Coralligenous morphotypes on subhorizontal substrate: A new categorization. CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH, 144, 10-20 [10.1016/j.csr.2017.06.005].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/158561
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