The spine of the Atlantic, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is where new ocean crust is formed as plate tectonics pull the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean apart. In a narrow zone along the axis of the ridge the heat from volcanic activity drives hydrothermal venting at the seafloor, which supports a unique and diverse ecosystem that includes specialist chemosynthetic organisms and species that can tolerate the harsh conditions in and around the active hydrothermal vents. On the rocky flanks of the ridge and nearby seamounts, deep-sea corals attach themselves and feed on the organic-rich detritus brought in on the ocean currents. Mid-ocean ridge ecosystems are potentially at risk from the emerging deep-sea mining industry, which is set to target seafloor massive sulphide deposits that occur along the mid-ocean ridge.

Boundary of the iAtlantic study region: 3. Deep-sea coral and hydrothermal vent ecosystems, central Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The original boundary of Region #3 was limited to Azores EEZ. However, GEOMAR noted possible mapping opportunities in Region#3 but outside the areas of natio...