Against the backdrop of the environmental setting of the subequatorial NE Pacific abyssal plain, Meiobenthos in the Subequatorial Pacific Abyss will characterise the meiobenthos as an ecological category in the deep sea and introduce research lines meiobenthic studies are applied to, including environmental assessments of human-induced disturbance of the deep seafloor. It will proceed to present an overview of the current knowledge on the meiobenthos of the area of concern and will discuss general considerations regarding the use of meiobenthos as indicator of seafloor disturbance. It will address the question of deep-sea mineral resources development versus benthic communities and will present an overview of field studies ("experiments") aimed at assessing the magnitude of potential impact associated with seafloor resources development (polymetallic nodule mining in particular) in the Pacific.
- Characteristics of the North-Eastern Pacific's abyss, with a particular reference to the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ)
- Meiobenthos of the subequatorial Pacific abyssal seafloor: a synopsis
- Abyssal subequatorial NE Pacific meiobenthic communities in the assessment of anthropogenic seafloor disturbance