The deep ocean is by far the planet's largest biome and holds a wealth of potential natural assets. Human exploitation of the deep ocean is rapidly increasing whilst becoming more visible to many through the popular media, particularly film and television. The scientific literature of deep-sea exploitation and its effects has also rapidly expanded as a direct function of this increased national and global interest in exploitation of deep-sea resources, both biological (e.g. fisheries, genetic resources) and non-biological (e.g. minerals, oil, gas, methane hydrate). At the same time there is a growing interest in deep-sea contamination (including plastics), with many such studies featured in high profile scientific journals and covered by global media outlets. However, there is currently no comprehensive integration of this information in any form and these topics are only superficially covered in classic textbooks on deep-sea biology. This concise and accessible work provides an understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, both at the seafloor and in the water column, and how these might be affected as a result of human interaction, exploitation and, ultimately, environmental change. It follows a logical progression from geological and physical processes, ecology, biology, and biogeography, to exploitation, management, and conservation. Natural Capital and Exploitation of the Deep Ocean is aimed at marine biologists and ecologists, oceanographers, fisheries scientists and managers, fish biologists, environmental scientists, and conservation biologists. It will also be of relevance and use to a multi-disciplinary audience of fish and wildlife agencies, NGOs, and government departments involved in deep-sea conservation and management.

Describes the deepest layer of the ocean including its floor, water pressure, darkness, temperatures, unique animals and their food, and the work of oceanographers in submersibles.

This volume comprises the final report of the research project entitled the Dynamics of the Deep Ocean Circulation. The layered structure of the subsurface circulation, which had been predicted in the hypothetical model proposed prior to the research, is verified through Eulerian and Lagrangian measurements of current. By the use of the numerical model, the deep circulation of the Philippine Sea, which has been long supposed to be isolated from the North Pacific, is revealed to be derived in close association with that of the latter ocean. Behavior of the deep current around the equator is also clarified by numerical modeling. By the extensive use of sediment trapping technology, it becomes clear that sinking sediments play an important role in the distribution of chemical substances in the deep ocean. Graduate students in the field of oceanography will find this a good textbook.

Many organisms in deep-sea environments are extremophiles thriving in extreme conditions: high pressure, high or low temperature, or high concentrations of inorganic compounds. This book presents the microbiology of extremophiles living in the deep sea and describes the isolation, cultivation, and taxonomic identification of microorganisms retrieved from the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest point. Also explained are techniques for recovering pressure-loving bacteria, the barophiles (piezophiles), and for whole genome analysis of Bacillus halodurans C-125. Physiological analysis of the pressure effect in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli is used to answer the question of how deep-sea organisms survive under high hydrostatic pressure. These research results are useful in both basic science and industrial applications. Readers discover a new microbial world in the ocean depths, with state-of-the-science information on extremophiles.

This report represents the first economic valuation of the ecosystem services provided by deep-sea sponges in the North Atlantic. It is based on information available in the scientific literature at the time of writing, but also indicates the research areas where discoveries and research advances are shortly expected. The report is aimed at a generic public with no specialized knowledge on sponges or on economic valuation. It is outlined in a way to provide essential background information, but makes reference to a comprehensive list of scientific publications for further insights.