Occurrences of the midwater fauna in the North Atlantic (Azores)

The Mid-North Atlantic, and the Azores archipelago in particular, constitutes a region of exceptional marine biodiversity and productivity. Its unique geological setting, characterised by a complex topography of seamounts and the convergence of multiple tectonic plates, fosters significant nutrient upwellings. This high local productivity, in turn, supports an abundant and diverse community of midwater organisms that aggregate around these underwater features. To comprehensively understand the composition and distribution of these mesopelagic communities, we compiled occurrence data from scientific cruises conducted in the North Atlantic, focusing on the region between 15°00' and 45°59' W and 30°00' and 53°09' N. This initiative gathered records from 30 institutions across North America and Europe, creating a unified database that synthesises over a century of research. The final database encompasses 129 families and 765 distinct species of mesopelagic teleost fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and pelagic cnidarians. Each entry in the database represents a collection lot, detailing a capture event for a single species and associated variables. This consolidated dataset provides an unprecedented opportunity to analyse the midwater fauna of this highly productive region. This study serves as an initial exploratory analysis of the database, aiming to characterise the distinct midwater communities of the Azores.