cover image: Template for Submission of Scientific Information to Describe Areas Meeting Scientific Criteria for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas

20.500.12592/mt3n1c

Template for Submission of Scientific Information to Describe Areas Meeting Scientific Criteria for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas

11 Sep 2019

As spring and summer progress the anchovy migrates from the interior of the Bay of Biscay towards the north along the French coast and towards the east through the Cantabrian Sea. [...] The high biodiversity found in the area (Sánchez et al., 2008; Cristobo et al., 2009; Altuna, 2013), but moreover, the presence in the area of “1170 Reef” habitats that are included in Annex I of the Habitats Directive of the European Union (Council Directive 92/43/EEC), were the main reason for the declaration of the area as a MPA (Sánchez et al., 2017; Rodríguez-Basalo et al., 2019). [...] The submarine canyons of the Avilés system act as a collector of terrigenous material deposited by the rivers and play an important role as a transport mechanism for the sediment and organic matter from the continental shelf to the deep areas of the Bay of Biscay abyssal basin. [...] Explanation for ranking (must be accompanied by relevant sources of scientific articles, reports or documents) The complex hydrology due to the interaction between waters formed in the Atlantic with water of Mediterranean origin and the role of geomorphological canyons and seamounts as a mechanism to transport organic matter and sediment form the continental shelf to the deep areas of the Bay of B. [...] The Bay of Biscay: The encountering of the ocean and the shelf.

Authors

ana.torriente

Pages
19
Published in
Canada