PREFACE
The deep ocean floor covers over 50% of the surface
of the earth. It is often said that we know more
about the surface of the moon than we do about
the deep ocean floor and the water column above it.
While this is not strictly true, we do know remarkably
little, as a proportion of the total, of the deep ocean
environment. Paradigms are continually changing, and
we know now that the deep sea is an ecosystem of
high species diversity, that it may have seasons as
seen in temperate land ecosystems, and that in certain
areas turbulence can be a great as anything seen in
coastal shallow waters. Last, but by no means least,
the originally perceived idea that the deep sea was an
oligotrophic environment in which all environmental
processes were gentle and physiological processes slow
is no longer valid. We know now that the deep sea is
essentially a heterotrophic system fuelled by organic
carbon from surface waters, with the notable exception
of hydrothermal vents and cold seeps where substantial
ecosystems are fuelled by chemosynthetic processes.
The continuing theme of this volume is how this energy
input affects the deep-sea ecosystem.
All science has its eras of exploration, observation
and experimentation. Exploration in deep-sea biology
is often considered to have come to a finale with
the Galathea cruise of 1950 to 1952. Subsequent
discoveries of hydrothermal vents and cold seeps
show that the deep-sea age of exploration is still
with us and will continue. The 1960s saw the first
change in our perception of the deep-sea with the
introduction of more sophisticated sampling gear. This
has been used from then and still continues to be
used for much observation work. The introduction
of submersibles, and, more recently, remote operated
vehicles and landers, has allowed us to conduct
manipulative experimentation on the deep sea bed and
in the water column.
This volume is a review of where our knowledge
stands at this point. All the chapters are written by
authorities on their respective subjects, all of whom
are still practicing deep-sea biologists. The volume is
divided into sections covering the environment of the
deep sea, specific deep-water seas and oceans, and
lastly a review of the processes that occur there. All
the chapters have been peer-reviewed by other experts
in deep-sea biology, to all of whom I extend my thanks
for their care and advice.
I wish to say a special thank you to all the authors.
As I have said above, all are active research scientists,
often working for extended periods at sea. I know
their scientific lives are full, and I am delighted they
were willing to write chapters and put up with my
impatient prodding. I would also like to thank the
series editor David Goodall for his advice, enthusiasm,
patience and his unremitting courtesy when I failed to
answer his requests! Lastly, I would like to express my
sincere thanks to Lida de Maaijer Hoek of Isys Prepress
Services for her patience, good humour and exceptional
care in the desk editing of this volume.
Paul A. Tyler
Editor
v
The deep ocean floor covers over 50% of the surface
of the earth. It is often said that we know more
about the surface of the moon than we do about
the deep ocean floor and the water column above it.
While this is not strictly true, we do know remarkably
little, as a proportion of the total, of the deep ocean
environment. Paradigms are continually changing, and
we know now that the deep sea is an ecosystem of
high species diversity, that it may have seasons as
seen in temperate land ecosystems, and that in certain
areas turbulence can be a great as anything seen in
coastal shallow waters. Last, but by no means least,
the originally perceived idea that the deep sea was an
oligotrophic environment in which all environmental
processes were gentle and physiological processes slow
is no longer valid. We know now that the deep sea is
essentially a heterotrophic system fuelled by organic
carbon from surface waters, with the notable exception
of hydrothermal vents and cold seeps where substantial
ecosystems are fuelled by chemosynthetic processes.
The continuing theme of this volume is how this energy
input affects the deep-sea ecosystem.
All science has its eras of exploration, observation
and experimentation. Exploration in deep-sea biology
is often considered to have come to a finale with
the Galathea cruise of 1950 to 1952. Subsequent
discoveries of hydrothermal vents and cold seeps
show that the deep-sea age of exploration is still
with us and will continue. The 1960s saw the first
change in our perception of the deep-sea with the
introduction of more sophisticated sampling gear. This
has been used from then and still continues to be
used for much observation work. The introduction
of submersibles, and, more recently, remote operated
vehicles and landers, has allowed us to conduct
manipulative experimentation on the deep sea bed and
in the water column.
This volume is a review of where our knowledge
stands at this point. All the chapters are written by
authorities on their respective subjects, all of whom
are still practicing deep-sea biologists. The volume is
divided into sections covering the environment of the
deep sea, specific deep-water seas and oceans, and
lastly a review of the processes that occur there. All
the chapters have been peer-reviewed by other experts
in deep-sea biology, to all of whom I extend my thanks
for their care and advice.
I wish to say a special thank you to all the authors.
As I have said above, all are active research scientists,
often working for extended periods at sea. I know
their scientific lives are full, and I am delighted they
were willing to write chapters and put up with my
impatient prodding. I would also like to thank the
series editor David Goodall for his advice, enthusiasm,
patience and his unremitting courtesy when I failed to
answer his requests! Lastly, I would like to express my
sincere thanks to Lida de Maaijer Hoek of Isys Prepress
Services for her patience, good humour and exceptional
care in the desk editing of this volume.
Paul A. Tyler
Editor
v