Frederico Cardigos

Robotic ocean vehicles for marine science applications: the European ASIMOV project

The key objective of the ASIMOV project is the development and integration of advanced technological systems to achieve coordinated operation of an Autonomous Surface Craft (ASC) and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) while ensuring a fast communication link between the two vehicles. The ASC/AUV ensemble is being used to study the extent of shallow water hydrothermalism and to determine the patterns of community diversity at vents in the D. Joao de Castro (DJC) bank in the Azores.

Non-indigenous marine species of the Azores

Marine benthic species introduced to the Azores are collated from scientific publications, internal reports and own data. Twelve algae and 21 invertebrates are classified as non-indigenous species, 18 as cryptogenic. Two species of algae and two ascidians are regarded as particularly invasive along the shores of this oceanic archipelago.

New and rare coastal fishes in the Azores islands: occasional events or tropicalization process?

Seven coastal fish species are newly reported for the remote north Atlantic archipelago of the Azores: Mediterranean sand eel Gymnammodytes cicerelus, bar jack Caranx ruber, two-banded seabream Diplodus vulgaris, bastard grunt Pomadasys incisus, unicorn leatherjacket filefish Aluterus scriptus and longspined porcupinefish Diodon holacanthus. The occurrence is also confirmed for 19 species that had been hitherto cited occasionally for the region, totalling a list of two elasmobranchs and 23 teleosts. Diplodus vulgaris, which appears to have recently colonized the islands, as well as roughtail stingray Dasyatis centroura and golden grey mullet Liza aurata, re-cited based on new records, are frequent or common coastal species in the Azores. The remaining 22 species, exceptional or rare in the region, are of tropical or subtropical affinity and find their northernmost distribution limit within the central and north-east Atlantic Ocean precisely in the Azores. This biogeographical pattern contrasts with that of the Azorean coastal fish community and suggests a tropicalization process in the region in line with previous findings of similar patterns across the north-east Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. These novel data from the most isolated archipelago of the North Atlantic Ocean, located in a biogeographic boundary area where colonization opportunities are reduced, reinforce the need for long-term monitoring programmes of coastal fish communities and, in particular, of indicator species groups to improve understanding of the effects of climate change on marine communities.

New records on the ichthyofauna of the Gorringe seamount (Northeastern Atlantic)

Abstract The Gorringe seamount is located in the convergence of the Eurasian and African plates, more than 100 nautical miles from the closest shore and isolated by depths over 3000 m. Underwater surveys were carried out at Gettysburg and Ormonde peaks to identify the ichthyofauna present at Gorringe. Ten species are first records for this seamount with special emphasis on two species of Blenniidae: Parablennius pilicornis and Parablennius ruber. Most species observed are widely distributed: 48% Atlantic–Mediterranean, 24% Eastern Atlantic, 12% Amphi-Atlantic, 12% Cosmopolitan. Only one species is endemic of the Macaronesia region (Abudefduf luridus). The most common species were A. luridus, Coris julis and Thalassoma pavo. This paper presents additional and relevant information on the ichhtyofauna of the Gorringe seamount.

Comparison of the community structure of the marine molluscs of the “Banco D. João de Castro” seamount (Azores, Portugal) with that of typical inshore habitats on the Azores archipelago

D. João de Castro Bank (DJC) is a shallow seamount with hydrothermal activity located between the islands of Terceira and São Miguel, Azores (Portugal). A survey of the molluscan fauna was conducted in this peculiar habitat. We found a smaller number of molluscan taxa and a different community structure compared to shore environments on the Azores. This coincides with impoverished environmental settings at this location. Possible reasons such as the degree of isolation (inshore vs. offshore locations), geological age, and special ecological conditions related to seamounts and hydrothermal vents are discussed.

Overview of the Ocean Climatology and Its Variability in the Azores Region of the North Atlantic Including Environmental Characteristics at the Seabed

Obtaining a comprehensive knowledge of the spatial and temporal variations of the environmental factors characterising the Azores region is essential for conservation and management purposes. Although many studies are available for the region, there is a need for a general overview of the best available information. Here, we assembled a comprehensive collection of environmental data and briefly described the ocean climatology and its variability in the Azores. Data sources used in this study included remote sensing oceanographic data for 2003-2013 (sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, particulate inorganic carbon and particulate organic carbon), derived oceanographic data (primary productivity and North Atlantic oscillation index) for 2003-2013, and in situ data (temperature, salinity, oxygen, phosphate, nitrate and silicate) obtained from the World Ocean Atlas 2013. We have produced 78 geographic datasets of environmental data for the Azores region that were deposited at the World Data Center Pangaea and also made available at the SIGMAR Azores website. As with previous studies, our results confirmed a high spatial, seasonal and inter-annual variability of the marine environment in the Azores region, typical of mid latitudes. For example, lower sea surface temperature was found in the northern part of the study area coinciding with higher values for chlorophyll-a concentration, net primary production, and particulate organic and inorganic carbon. Higher values for some of these parameters were also found on island slopes and some seamounts. Compiled data on the environmental conditions at near-seabed revealed some notable variations across the study area (e.g. oxygen and nutrients) and with depth (e.g. temperature, salinity, and oxygen). Knowledge of these patterns will help improve our understanding of the distribution of many deep-sea organisms such as fish, cold-water corals and sponges, thereby supporting the implementation of marine spatial planning and other management measures. It should be noted, that the assembled datasets suffer from a number of limitations related to the accuracy of remote sensing and global bathymetry data, or to the limited and unevenly distributed historical environmental observations. Accordingly, an effective global network of observing systems for detecting oceanic change with adequate accuracy and precision is still required.