DISCOL Megafauna Atlas

Introduction to the ONLINE version (2001)

Introduction to the preliminary version (1991)

Introduction to the print version (1998)

Two years after the preliminary version of the megafauna atlas was put together the International Megafauna Atlas System (IMAS) was started (Bluhm et al. 1993) and known megafauna species from the DEA were firstly published therein. In the meantime, the DISCOL investigations (projects DISCOL 1 to 3, 1989-1993) were finished and continued by the 1996 ECOBENT expedition (SO 106) with the German research vessel SONNE (Schriever et al. 1996). Therefore, it was need to update the information given in the DEA megafauna atlas. The large OFOS system was lost and the older EXPLOS system used to monitor the megabenthos of the DISCOL experimental area and the SEDIPERU station, some 150 nmi west of the DEA, containing photographic technologies, comparable or even similar to the instruments prior used (Schriever & Thiel 1992, Schriever et al. 1996). The image analysis was published in Bluhm et al. 1995.
The photographs and descriptions were analyzed carefully and if possible mentions were put to the megafauna atlas of the Clarion Clipperton Farcture Zone (Pawson & Foell 1983). The Holothurioidea were investigated in detail and a publication is under preparation (Bluhm and Gebruk, in prep.).
I hope this atlas gives more knowledge to the megafauna diversity of manganese nodule sites of the world oceans.

Bremerhaven, 25. January 1998

Dr. Hartmut Bluhm