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Offshore Seafloor 330 Western Oshima Peninsula

Basic Information A separate window opensReferences

Area (km2) 29644
Maximum water depth (m) 3711

Reason(s) for selection A separate window opensCriteria

Selected due to high levels for criteria 1, 4, 5, and 8, and selected by the MARXAN software.

Characteristics A separate window opensReferences

These waters extend from the waters off the west coast of the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido to the Japan Basin. From north to south, these waters include the Oshoru, Kaiyo, and Shiribeshi seamounts. Of these, the highest spot on Shiribeshi Seamount is only about 100 m below the sea surface. Diverse creatures live in this diverse environment, and productivity at the sea surface layer is high as a result of the upwelling current that occurs here as well (Fujikura, personal communication).
The Shiribeshi Trough extends to the south of Shiribeshi Seamount, and on its west side runs the Okushiri Ridge, splitting the Japan Basin. On the northwestern and eastern slopes of the Okushiri Ridge hydrothermal vent communities and bacterial mats have been found. Bacterial mats also have been found in the waters to the west of the Matsumae Plateau in the south of these waters (Fujikura et al., 2008).

Environment / Habitat information A separate window opensData source

Shiribeshi-Seamount, Chemosynthetic community,
Seamount, Canyon, Musashi Bank

Species information (*) A separate window opensData source

Criteria 1
<Octocorallia>
Clavularia dispersa
Criteria 4
<Octocorallia>
Clavularia dispersa

* This is the species list of which meet the criteria. In that matter, this list does not include all species that inhabit the individual area.

 

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