WORK IN PROGRESS
This megafauna atlas is a result of study aimed to establish likely abundance, composition structure and distribution pattern of deep-sea megafauna living in the exploration block H22 of the IOM contract area located in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, NE Pacific. Megafauna studies are a part of baseline research on deep-sea biological communities conducted in accordance with the Recommendations for the guidance of contractors for the assessment of the possible environmental impacts arising from exploration for marine minerals in the Area (ISBA/25/LTC/6) and achieved results are necessary for adequate forecasting of environmental impact created by the deep-sea minerals development. Photos were taken during the IOM-2014 cruise to the license area. Overall 43 722 individuals were recognized and identified on more than 32 000 images of sea-bed from nine photo-profiles of a total length of more than 580 km. Taxonomic identification was performed by Valcana Stoyanova, PhD. and was done with best knowledge.
Names of images identify exact date and time of taking a photo and taxonomic name of an organism (to the lowest possible taxonomic category): DD_MM_YYYY_HH_MM_SS_Name
Images copyright: IOM Joint Organization
Corresponding author: Kamila Mianowicz [k.mianowicz(a)iom.gov.pl]
