BIOICE: BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES OF ICELANDIC WATERS
Sigvaldadóttir, E.1; Helgason, G. V.2; Guðmundsson, G.; Fauchald, K.3
1Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Box 532, 125, Reykjavik, Iceland
2Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Grensásvegi 12, 108, Reykjavik, Iceland
3Dept. Of Invertebrate Zoology, Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 163, Washington, DC 20560, USA
The BIOICE programme, commencing in 1992, is a collaborative research on marine benthic fauna around Iceland. Icelandic and Nordic institutes and universities are the main contributors to BIOICE together with many taxonomists around the world. The main objectives of the BIOICE programme is to gain comprehensive knowledge of which species are present within the 200 mile economical zone of Iceland, record their distribution and relative abundance. About 1000 samples on 400 stations have already been sampled in twelve expeditions, but the sampling is not finished yet. The sampling area is 758.000 km2 spanning a depth range of 20-3500 m on both sides of the Greenland - Iceland - Faroe Ridge (GIF). A computerised database stores all information about: (1) physical parameters at the sampling stations (depth, salinity, bottom temperature, bottom type, location), measured at the time of sampling; (2) computed indices for given location, reflecting recent fishing intensity with bottom trawls; (3) biological information resulting from the sorting and identification phase. Unpublished data returned from specialists will be held confidential by for up to 4 years, unless revoked by its author. This area are interesting in many aspects because of great variations in depths and water temperatures, dividing the area into various zoogeographic regions. Each region has a unique combination of "water masses". The fauna of Southern Iceland is commonly included within the Eastern Atlantic region although the eastern distribution limits of a few endemics of the Western Atlantic are found in Icelandic Waters. Zonation in depth distribution in Icelandic waters has also been demonstrated, indicating a further subdivision of the above mentioned zoogeographical regions. This project will give an unique opportunity to explore in more detail and test the distribution limits of taxa endemic to the zoogeographic regions that are believed to border around Iceland. With the BIOICE programme research on Icelandic invertebrates has increased considerably, resulting in substantial addition to our knowledge on the marine benthic fauna around Iceland. Polychaetes have been found in almost all samples. At least 55 families are represented in the samples. At this moment 15 Polychaete taxonomic specialists are involved in the project, dealing with 40 families. Collaborations of scientists within various topics are essential for the success of the program. The BIOICE "steering committee" welcomes therefore all scientist interested in using the BIOICE material for their work.