The Reykjanes Ridge As A Habitat For Benthic Organisms

• Main Authors: Egilsdóttir, Hrönn, Odinsson, David Thor, Áki Ragnarsson, Stefán
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: Zenodo 2018
• Subjects: Reykjanes; Iceland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1252367; https://zenodo.org/record/1252367

ATLAS work package 3 presentation at ATLAS 3rd General Assembly The Reykjanes Ridge represents the portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Ridge extending from the southwest of Iceland. The ridge is thus connected to the Icelandic shelf but separates the Irminger- and Iceland basin (to the west and east respectively). Extensive information is available on tectonics and other geological characteristics of the Reykjanes Ridge but there is limited information available on benthic fauna and habitats, including VME indicators, on the ridge and surrounding areas. The ridge has been strongly shaped by volcanic processes. Near the middle of the ridge the seafloor is hard and highly rugose while soft sediments prevail off the ridge flanks towards the Irminger- and Iceland basin. The rugose topography of the seafloor makes sampling of benthic organisms using conventional sampling gears, e.g. benthic sledges and grabs, difficult. In the last decade, imaging data (underwater photographs and video footage) have been collected during four research surveys at numerous locations along the northern most part of the Ridge, mostly north of 63°N, including the Steinahóll hydrothermal vent area. Several new vents were recently discovered within the Steinahól vent area during a recent multibeam surveys (seabed and water column). Cold-water corals have been found sporadically along the ridge while rich sponge communities have been widely encountered. The aim of this study is to describe marine habitats and to map the distribution of VME indicators on the Reykjanes Ridge. This will involve analysis of imaging material collected in various surveys and characterisation of the seafloor and seawater environment. In this presentation, a broad overview is provided about the status of knowledge about research on the biology and geology of the Reykjanes Ridge and the research agenda for the next years.