Ecosystem Reference
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
Surface 17.5 °C Map69.gif
100 Meters Depth 14.5 °C Map70.gif
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
FishBase Literature
Species Families Species Families Reference
614 176 35388
Froese, Rainer on 12.05.00
Modified by Kesner-Reyes, Kathleen on 06.01.16
Comments & Corrections
Sign our Guest Book
Back to Search
cfm script by eagbayani, 23.12.02 ,  php script by cgarilao, 15/10/08 ,  last modified by sortiz, 06.27.17