Along the seaward rim of the wide Argentinian shelf in the SW Atlantic, huge amounts of nutrients are brought up from the ocean depths via oceanic upwelling. These nutrients support high marine phytoplankton productivity, which in turn fuels diverse ecosystems at the seabed. Recent discoveries reveal that one of the most diverse group of deep-sea ecosystems – cold-water coral reefs – benefits from this abundant food supply. These Argentinian cold-water coral reefs are unique as they are built by an ecosystem engineer, the cold-water coral Bathelia candida, which is found nowhere else in the Atlantic Ocean.

Boundary of the iAtlantic study region: 12. Deep-sea coral banks in the Malvinas Upwelling Current off Argentina

The boundary of Region #12 was adjusted to a much smaller area from about 39S to the northern edge of the Argentinian EEZ at around 37S.UNIHB and SHN noted t...