| Ecosystem |
Iberian Coastal |
| Type |
Sea/Bay/Gulf |
| Salinity |
saltwater |
| Other Names |
|
| Location |
|
LME SAU No 25. Shelf from French-Spanish boarder in the Biscay to Gibraltar. LME2002, LME2006, SAUP 2008. |
43° N 36° N - 10° W 2° W |
|
| Location Map |
iberian-coastal.jpg |
| Size Ref |
|
River Length |
|
Area |
304350 km2 |
Drainage Area |
|
|
| Depth |
|
Average Depth |
|
Max Depth |
|
Ref |
|
|
| Temperature |
|
| Description |
The Iberian ecosystem is here defined as the continental shelf region of the Eastern Atlantic Ocean lying between about 36° N (Gulf of Cadiz) and 44° N (Cantabrian Sea). The shelf itself varies in width from 15 to nearly 400 km, and the general trend of the coast can not be specified. Much of the area experiences moderate upwelling. Iberian coastal waters lie at the northern limit of a typical eastern boundary current (Wooster et al., 1976). Upwelling occurs in the northern spring and summer along the coasts of Portugal and Western Galicia. To the south, the Gulf of Cadiz and the entrance of the Mediterranean separate the summer upwelling off Portugal from that off NW Africa. South of 37° N, there is a broad zone where no significant upwelling occurs. The Atlantic seaboard of Western Europe can be described as one of the most fractal areas of its kind (http://www.na.nmfs.gov/lme/text/lme25.htm)
Should contain all marine fishes of Portugal. |
| Comments on faunal list |
Area from SAU (November 2015). |
| URL 1 |
http://www.seaaroundus.org/lme/25.aspx |
| URL 2 |
|
| Ecosystem Checklist Link |
|
| Total |
|
Species |
Families |
Species |
Families |
Reference |
|
614 |
176 |
|
|
35388 |
|
