Regionalisation of the Mediterranean basin, a MERMEX synthesis
Abstract
Regionalisation aims at delimiting provinces within which physical conditions, chemical properties, and
biological communities are reasonably homogeneous. This article proposes a synthesis of the many
recent regionalisations of the open-sea regions of the Mediterranean Sea. The nine studies considered
here defined regions based on different, and sometimes complementary, criteria: dynamics of surface
chlorophyll concentration, ocean currents, three-dimensional hydrological and biogeochemical
properties, or the distribution of organisms. Although they identified different numbers and patterns of
homogeneous regions, their compilation in the epipelagic zone identifies nine consensus frontiers,
eleven consensus regions with relatively homogeneous conditions, and four heterogeneous regions with
highly dynamical conditions. The consensus frontiers and regions are in agreement with well-known
hydrodynamical features of the Mediterranean Sea, which constrain the distribution of hydrological and
ecological variables. The heterogeneous regions are rather defined by intense mesoscale activity. The
synthesis proposed here could constitute a reference step for management actions and spatial
planning, such as the application of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and for future
biogeochemical and ecological studies in the Mediterranean Sea.
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