Review
From the reviews of the first edition:
"This thick volume results from the Second International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals, held in Erlangen in September, 2003, and is a fine summary of our current state of knowledge. a ] presents a rich archive of data for these fascinating and important ecosystems. The collation of this volume was a substantial undertaking a ] is well edited, and produced to high standards with the inclusion of many colour photos a ] . the volume should certainly be placed on every reef enthusiasta (TM)s bookshelf." (Rachael Wood, Geological Magazine, Vol. 143, 2006)
Product Description
Following the exciting exploration of hot vent and cold seep ecosystems, the rediscovery of cold-water coral ecosystems with high-technology instrumentation is currently another hot topic in multidisciplinary marine research. Conventionally, coral reefs are regarded as restricted to warm and well-illuminated tropical seas, not associated with cold and dark waters of higher latitudes. However, ongoing scientific missions have shed light on the global significance of this overlooked ecosystem. Cold-water coral ecosystems are involved in the formation of large seabed structures such as reefs and giant carbonate mounds, and they represent unexploited paleo-environmental archives of earth history. Like their tropical cousins, cold-water coral ecosystems harbour rich species diversity. Despite the great water depths, commercial interests overlap more and more with the coral occurrences. Human activities already impinge directly on cold-water coral reefs causing severe! damage to this vulnerable ecosystem. In this volume, the current key institutions involved in cold-water coral research have contributed 62 state-of-the-art articles from geology and oceanography to biology and conservation.
