Seabed mapping represents a very useful tool for seascape characterization and benthic habitat study and requires advanced technologies for acquiring, processing, and interpreting remote data. Particularly, acoustic instruments, such as high-resolution swath bathymetry sounders (i.e., multibeam echosounder: MBES), allow us to recognize, identify, and map the extension of benthic habitats without applying invasive mechanical procedures. Bathymetry and backscatter (BS) data are crucial to perform modern habitat mapping. Although the acquisition and processing of bathymetric data follow standardized procedure (e.g., Hydrographic Organization guidelines), and recent studies have proposed recommendations for backscatter acquisition and processing, a broadly validated methodological approach, integrating geomorphometric analysis for benthic habitat mapping, is still lacking. In this work, a new approach for benthic habitat mapping, with a focus on coralligenous bioconstructions, was developed using the open-source software QGIS. This methodology, tested within the Isola Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area (Calabria, Italy), is designed to be freely reproducible by researchers working in the field of marine ecosystem monitoring and conservation. Through the proposed mapping procedure, it is possible to (i) identify benthic habitats in selected study areas by combining bathymetry and BS data with geomorphological indices performed in QGIS and (ii) quantitatively define the 2D and 3D distribution of coralligenous bioconstructions in terms of surface covered, thickness, and volume. Moreover, the statistical analysis of quantitative morphometric data allowed for comparison of geometric characteristics of different coralligenous morphotypes. The obtained results, combined with improvement of minimally invasive sampling and geobiological– geochemical characterization, can contribute to the development of protocols aimed at monitoring marine bioconstructed ecosystems, many of which are protected by national and international regulations due to their importance for Mediterranean biodiversity preservation, and plan actions for their protection and persistence.
Mapping benthic marine habitats featuring coralligenous bioconstructions: a new approach to support geobiological research
Rosso, Antonietta;Sanfilippo, Rossana;
2025-01-01
Abstract
Seabed mapping represents a very useful tool for seascape characterization and benthic habitat study and requires advanced technologies for acquiring, processing, and interpreting remote data. Particularly, acoustic instruments, such as high-resolution swath bathymetry sounders (i.e., multibeam echosounder: MBES), allow us to recognize, identify, and map the extension of benthic habitats without applying invasive mechanical procedures. Bathymetry and backscatter (BS) data are crucial to perform modern habitat mapping. Although the acquisition and processing of bathymetric data follow standardized procedure (e.g., Hydrographic Organization guidelines), and recent studies have proposed recommendations for backscatter acquisition and processing, a broadly validated methodological approach, integrating geomorphometric analysis for benthic habitat mapping, is still lacking. In this work, a new approach for benthic habitat mapping, with a focus on coralligenous bioconstructions, was developed using the open-source software QGIS. This methodology, tested within the Isola Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area (Calabria, Italy), is designed to be freely reproducible by researchers working in the field of marine ecosystem monitoring and conservation. Through the proposed mapping procedure, it is possible to (i) identify benthic habitats in selected study areas by combining bathymetry and BS data with geomorphological indices performed in QGIS and (ii) quantitatively define the 2D and 3D distribution of coralligenous bioconstructions in terms of surface covered, thickness, and volume. Moreover, the statistical analysis of quantitative morphometric data allowed for comparison of geometric characteristics of different coralligenous morphotypes. The obtained results, combined with improvement of minimally invasive sampling and geobiological– geochemical characterization, can contribute to the development of protocols aimed at monitoring marine bioconstructed ecosystems, many of which are protected by national and international regulations due to their importance for Mediterranean biodiversity preservation, and plan actions for their protection and persistence.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
