Hard-bottom coral garden distribution model
Definition: Hard-bottom coral garden distribution model. This raster dataset represents density of megafaunal (coral) taxa Paragorgia arborea and Primnoa resedaeformis. Units are numbers of colonies per 100 m2 (n/100m2). When occurring at high density these taxa combined are assumed to indicate the presence of so-called “hard-bottom coral gardens”. These are a clear type of “Coral gardens” (sensu OSPAR 2010) occurring on hard substrata and characterized by Alcyonacean corals, with other types of corals potentially co-occurring with them. Coral gardens are typically tagged as a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem (VME).
Owner: Institute of Marine Research