ABSTRACT1. The protocols available for sampling and monitoring shallow subtidal rhodolith beds (RBs) are inadequate for the deep Mediterranean analogues, and need calibration in order to attain comparable results.2. After reviewing the present knowledge of the specificities of Mediterranean RBs, and in the framework of the ongoing international effort for their conservation, a two-step approach is suggested for their definition, identification, delimitation, description, and monitoring.3. Regional mapping should be improved, and RBs should be identified and delimited as those areas of the sea floor with >10% cover of live rhodoliths over a minimum surface of 500 m 2 , on 1:10000 scale. More detailed scales (at least 1:1000) should be used for monitoring selected RBs, in order to detect significant changes through time. 4. Beside location and areal extent, the description of RBs should include the occurrence of macroscopic sedimentary structures of the sea floor, thickness of live cover, mean percentage cover of live thalli and surface live/dead ratio, cover of dominant morphologies of rhodoliths (simplified on a ternary diagram), and volumetrically important calcareous algal species.5. For the purpose of assessment of the ecological status and the evaluation of human-induced impacts, quantitative data about community composition are required. The comparative assessment of ecological status and the identification of RBs of high conservation value for special protection should consider the natural geographic and seasonal/annual variability of RBs.
On the continental shelf off the Cilento peninsula (eastern Tyrrhenian Sea) the occurrence of more than 13 km 2 of maerl beds was documented through acoustic surveys. Swath bathymetric data along with a dense grid of chirp-sonar profiles were acquired over more than 180 km 2 . e maerl facies was characterized on the basis of the components analysis of 32 grab samples collected at selected sites. Mapped maerl-beds are predominant on submerged terraces located at variable water depth (wd) between 42 and 52 m. is preferred distribution on submerged terraces is probably associated with relatively vigorous bottom currents generated by local circulation that hinders the deposition of terrigenous sediments. Calcareous red algae result to be the most important producers of carbonates from 40 down to 60 m wd. We calculated the coralline carbonate accumulation from the percentage cover of coralline algae (thin section mapping) × 1 cm-thick layer of sediment × measured coralline density. e total coralline cover (living plus dead) in the Cilento area is 13.96 km 2 , with a total 316 800 tons of algal carbonate in the surface 1 cm layer, that correspond to 20 430 g m -2 . Living maerl is recorded at a depth of 47 m, with a live coralline
Hyperspectral imagers enable the collection of high-resolution spectral images exploitable for the supervised classification of habitats and objects of interest (OOI). Although this is a well-established technology for the study of subaerial environments, Ecotone AS has developed an underwater hyperspectral imager (UHI) system to explore the properties of the seafloor. The aim of the project is to evaluate the potential of this instrument for mapping and monitoring benthic habitats in shallow and deep-water environments. For the first time, we tested this system at two sites in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea): the cold-water coral (CWC) habitat in the Bari Canyon and the Coralligenous habitat off Brindisi. We created a spectral library for each site, considering the different substrates and the main OOI reaching, where possible, the lower taxonomic rank. We applied the spectral angle mapper (SAM) supervised classification to map the areal extent of the Coralligenous and to recognize the major CWC habitat-formers. Despite some technical problems, the first results demonstrate the suitability of the UHI camera for habitat mapping and seabed monitoring, through the achievement of quantifiable and repeatable classifications.
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