The aim of the EUROCORES Programme on "Ecosystem functioning and biodiversity in the deep sea" (EuroDEEP) is to further explore the deep-sea environment, to further describe the biological species and communities that inhabit it, and to better understand the physical and geochemical processes that shape the environment in which these communities live, in order to describe, explain and predict variations of biodiversity within and between deep-sea habitats, their consequences for deep-sea ecosystem functioning and the interactions of the deep sea with the global biosphere.
The resulting scientific data are a prerequisite for the sustainable use and the development of management and conservation options aiming at the sustainable use of marine resources that will benefit society as a whole.
Bathymodiolus from MAR. Copyright: ATOS/VENTOX, Ifremer.