Desvelando los paisajes submarinos

The seabed remains largely unknown. Compared to the more accessible and familiar terrestrial landscapes, most of them remain unexplored, being an enormous challenge for scientific research. This book presents the underwater landscapes of different areas of the peninsular Mediterranean: unique and little explored seabeds, formed by crinoids (exclusively marine animals) and maërl (aggregations of calcareous seaweed), which are found between 20 and 200 meters deep. depth. Of great ecological interest due to their rich biodiversity of fauna and flora, they are also very vulnerable funds, as they are subject to intense fishing activity and different environmental disturbances, hence the need and urgency of their protection, and to achieve a balance between conservation and exploitation. Imperatives that acquire greater relevance when dealing with habitats that are an abundant source of goods and services, from the provision of food to the mitigation of the effects of climate change, contributing to planetary and human health and well-being. Written by a multidisciplinary research team in marine sciences and thanks to the unusual footage captured by the ROV LIROPUS 2000 underwater vehicle, as part of the CriMa Oceanographic Campaign (ICM/CSIC), this work reveals the characteristics and peculiarities of these marine ecosystems.