Submarine Canyons in the Mediterranean: A Shelter for Cold-Water Corals

Abstract

In the Mediterranean Sea, many of the locations where cold-water coral communities have been reported and documented tend to be associated to submarine canyon environments. This contribution provides a summary of the Mediterranean canyons where, up to date, cold-water corals develop, describing the most common species, their water depth distribution and degree of preservation, and the prevalent hydrodynamic forcing at specific sites. Considering that the inventory, characterisation and detailed mapping of Mediterranean submarine canyons is far from complete, this compilation urges to focus new research and exploration efforts on these morphological features, as they appear to act as natural shelters of cold-water coral communities at present times