dc.description.abstract | An initiative is currently being taken by several Norwegian organizations to obtain funds to
intensify ongoing investigations on marine sea-floor mapping off Norway. Led by the
Geological Survey of Norway and Institute of Marine Research, planning during the last two
years has led to the inception of a large-scale mapping project entitled “MAREANO - Marine
Areal Database for the Norwegian Sea”. The investigation area covers 270 000 km2 of the shelf
and deep sea off the central part of western Norway. It is a commercially important region for
fisheries and the petroleum industry and includes the world’s largest system of cold-water coral
reefs. The aim of MAREANO is to collect new as well as historical data elucidating the
physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the seabed along the mid-Norwegian shelf
and parts of the deeper Norwegian Sea. The project shall produce maps and/or provide
information on seabed bathymetry, marine habitats, biological diversity and resources,
mineralogical resources and geological features as well as habitat contamination. Stored in a
GIS database, this information shall be available to environmental managers and interest groups
as well as the fisheries, aquaculture and petroleum industries via a dedicated system on the
intern&.
A description of the MARFKNO project as well as some early results and their consequences for
environmental management, e.g. establishing marine protected areas, shall be presented. | en |