Black corals are antipatharian corals that occur from sublittoral to abyssal depths on hard, mixed and soft substrates. Under favourable conditions, some black coral species form dense stands known as black coral gardens which create habitat for a variety of associated species.

Circalittoral faunal turfs are animal-dominated shelf assemblages that are found on hard substrata between the lower limit of the infralittoral zone and the shelf edge. Benthic organisms generally form dense intricate mixes that may include tall alcyonarians, sponges, hydroids, scleractinians and gorgonians, as well as less prominent fauna such as encrusting sponges, bryozoans, ascidians, bivalves, solitary cup corals, serpulid worms and vermetid gastropods.

Rhodoliths is a general term used to designate non-geniculate coralline red algae (Rhodophyta) that live unattached (Riosmena-Rodríguez, 2017). The term is used here to encompass (i) branched free-living coralline algae devoid of an evident nucleus, but also (ii) nucleated nodules where the biogenic calcium carbonate deposit around the core represents >50%, as well as (iii) “coated grains” where the core is larger than the algal carbonate component.

<p>Plankton observations along the South Brazilian Shelf, with a focus on the Cabo Frio Upwelling System. The sampling was done using images generated by an in-situ imaging device, the Lightframe On-Sight Key Species Investigation (LOKI): An underwater camera system designed for vertical hauls for continuous, in-situ imaging of zooplankton. It is equipped with an environmental sensor (CTD) that measured the density of the water column, salinity, oxygen concentration and temperature.</p>

These grid data were derived from National Parks and Wildlife Service cetacean surveys within the Irish MSFD area and the EEA-10km GRID. The grid shows the current distribution of Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) in Irish coastal and marine waters. The data were collected for the purposes of 2019 reporting under Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive.

These grid data were derived from National Parks and Wildlife Service cetacean surveys within the Irish MSFD area and the EEA-10km GRID. The grid shows the current distribution of Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and Grey seal (Halichoreus grypus) in Irish coastal and marine waters. The data were collected for the purposes of 2019 reporting under Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive.

<p>Maps of the North Atlantic showing the average abundance of Metridia lucens during the a) Day and c) Night, and the abundance of Pleuromamma during the b) Day and d) Night from 1960-2019.</p><p>Some large zooplankton are known to conduct Diel Vertical Migrations (DVM), coming to the surface waters during the night to feed and avoid visual predators at depth during the daylight. The CPR survey consistently tows plankton recorders in the surface waters throughout night and day, and therefore has been able to detect DVM in zooplankton species that carry it out. These maps show the distribution of two large calanoid copepods, Pleuromamma spp. (multiple species are summed for this genus grouping) and Metridia lucens, recorded in the CPR survey during Day and Night across the North Atlantic, both species demonstrate DVM behaviour. M. lucens are found off the coast of Ireland and throughout the North Atlantic, while Pleuromamma are found in the lower latitudes of the North-western Atlantic.</p>

<p>Maps of the North Atlantic showing the mean decadal abundance for calanoid copepod assemblages from 1960-2019, updated from Beaugrand et al. (2002). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1071329</p><p>The calanoid copepod assemblages distributions are available for four groups: Warm-temperate copepods, Pseudo-oceanic temperate copepods, Cold-temperate copepods and Sub-Artic copepods.</p>

<p>3-D habitat suitability maps (HSM) or probability of occurrence maps, built using Shape-Constrained Generalized Additive Models (SC-GAMs) for the 30 main commercial species of the Atlantic region.</p><p>Predictor variables for each species were selected from: sea water temperature, salinity, nitrate, net primary productivity, distance to seafloor, distance to coast, and relative position to mixed layer depth. Each species HSM contains 47 maps, one per depth level from 0 to 1000 m. Probability values of each map range from 0 (unsuitable habitat) to 1 (optimal habitat). For depth levels below the 0.99 quantile of the depth values found on the species occurrence data, NA values were assigned. Maps have been masked to species native range regions. See Valle et al. (2024) in Ecological Modelling 490:110632 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110632), for more details.</p>

<p>Maps of potential biomass catches (tons/year) per surface unit (0.25º latitude x 0.25º longitude) based on 3-D probability of occurrence for the main commercial fish species of the Atlantic. To map potential catches, first, mean catches (tons/year) were calculated according to Watson (2020) Global fisheries landings (V4) database for period 2010-2015 and then the total mean catch value for each species was redistributed according to the occurrence probability value that was modelled in 3-D using Shape-Constrained Generalized Additive Models (SC-GAMs). Potential catch value of each cell integrates the catches along the water column (from surface until 1000 m depth). See Valle et al. (2024) in Ecological Modelling 490:110632 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110632), for more details.</p>