Carte morpho-bathymétrique de la mer Méditerranée

The systematic swath bathymetric mapping of the Mediterranean Sea started in the mid-nineties. This mapping has considerably modified our understanding of the morphology of the Mediterreanean Sea and of the various active geological processes (sedimentary, tectonic, volcanic, bio-geochemical processes) which participate to the seafloor morphology.<br />
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Observing strategy: <br />
This summary provides an overall picture of the morphology of the Mediterranean area and its continental environment, the Gulf of Cadiz to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Brosolo,L., Mascle,J., Loubrieu,B., 2012, Morphobathymetric Map of the Mediterranean Sea, publication CCGM/CGMW, UNESCO, Paris. © CCGM-CGMW 2012 - ISBN 978-2-917310-12-0

This map results from the compilation of the following DTMs and complementary data:

- The basic DTM is the one used for the Morpho-bathymetric compilation of the Mediterranean Sea published by Loubrieu,B., Mascle,J. and Medimap group, (2007), « Morpho-bathymetry of the Mediterranean Sea », CIESM/Ifremer special publication.

This compilation resulted from various DTMs from swath bathymetric data sets recorded between 1995-2007 by several European oceanographic laboratories and Institutes (see: http://www.ciesm.org/).

- This DTM has been completed by unpublished swath bathymetry data from IFREMER, SHOM, GEOAZUR, OGS-Trieste, ISMAR-Bologna, CMCR- Hamburg and, off Egypt, by a few 3D seismic data first arrivals from Industry (BP-Egypt, ENI, OMV).

A few complementary data have been downloaded from the EMODNET European project portal ((www.emodnet-hydrography.eu/)

- For the Gulf of Cadiz the compilation has benefited from a DTM at 500 m from various swath data published by Zitellini, N., Gracia, E., et a., (2009), « Bathymetry of the Gulf of Cadiz, North-East Atlantic: the Swim Multibeam compilation », Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters, 280: 15-50.doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.12.005.

- For the Black Sea, the swath bathymetric data were obtained during the European project ASSEMBLAGE.

- For the Bay of Biscay a DTM at 1000m, from Sibuet, J.C., Loubrieu, B., & al. (2004) « Carte bathymétrique de l’Atlantique nord-est et du Golfe de Gascogne: implications cinématiques », Bull. Soc. Géol. Fr., has been used.

- For areas not yet mapped in details (or whose data are not yet available) in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the Black Sea a DTM, at 1500m, from the GEBCO atlas has been used to complete the map (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans; http://www.gebco.net/data_and_products/gebco_digital_atlas/)

- On land the topography is extracted from SRTM 33’’ (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, NASA); DTM at 90m.