Description of biotope or habitat type
To understand more about what this page is describing, see How to use the classification. See also How to cite.
Atlantic upper bathyal
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | |
| Tidal streams | |
| Substratum | |
| Zone | Atlantic upper bathyal |
| Depth Band | 200 - 600 m |
| Other Features |
Download comparative physical and biological data. The comparative tables enable a rapid comparison of the species composition and principal physical characteristics between a given set of biotopes.
- Records used to define the biotope (core records)
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'certain'
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'uncertain'
- Predicted extent of the level 3 (for sublittoral rock & deep sea) or 4 (for sublittoral sediment) habitat
Point data based on records in the UK Marine Recorder Snapshot. Predicted habitat extent is from UKSeaMap.
Description
Atlantic waters are warm (typically >8°C within the UK) and Atlantic seabed habitats occur around most of the UK, excluding depths greater than 300 m in the Faroe-Shetland Channel. The upper bathyal is the shallowest deep-sea zone occuring below the deep-circalittoral. Where the Atlantic upper bathyal meets the Arctic, waters mix to form the Atlanto-Arctic upper bathyal zone; here the lower boundary of the Atlantic upper bathyal zone is appoximately 300 m at the seabed, while in other areas the lower boundary is approximately 600 m, where the Atlantic mid bathyal zone begins. Communities found in this zone are described in child habitats. Biological zones are three-dimensional biogeographical regions which represent changes in biological community both spatially around the UK and vertically in relation to depth. Biological zones have some overlap in the types of community which can occur. The boundaries relate to areas of greatest change in overall species composition. The boundaries of zones are based on water mass structure which drives differences in biology. Rough boundaries of the zones have been predicted using modelled environmental data; a GIS proxy biogeographic zone layer can be downloaded from the Marine Habitat Classification download page. The depths of upper and lower boundaries depend on several variables, so the given depth range should be treated as a guide only.
Situation
No situation data available.
Temporal variation
No temporal variation data available.
Characterising species
Characterising species data not applicable.
Similar biotopes or habitat types
Not applicable or unknown.