@article {LoIacono2014316,
	title = {{The West Melilla cold water coral mounds, Eastern Alboran Sea: Morphological characterization and environmental context}},
	journal = {Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography},
	volume = {99},
	year = {2014},
	pages = {316{\textendash}326},
	abstract = {Abstract A new mound field, the West Melilla mounds, interpreted as being cold-water coral mounds, has been recently unveiled along the upper slope of the Mediterranean Moroccan continental margin, a few kilometers west of the Cape Tres Forcas. This study is based on the integration of high-resolution geophysical data (swath bathymetry, parametric sub-bottom profiler), \{CTD\} casts, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), \{ROV\} video and seafloor sampling, acquired during the \{TOPOMED\} \{GASSIS\} (2011) and \{MELCOR\} (2012) cruises. Up to 103 mounds organized in two main clusters have been recognized in a depth range of 299{\textendash}590 m, displaying a high density of 5 mounds/km2. Mounds, 1{\textendash}48 m high above the surrounding seafloor and on average 260 m wide, are actually buried by a 1{\textendash}12 m thick fine-grained sediment blanket. Seismic data suggest that the West Melilla mounds grew throughout the Early Pleistocene{\textendash}Holocene, settling on erosive unconformities and mass movement deposits. During the last glacial{\textendash}interglacial transition, the West Melilla mounds may have suffered a drastic change of the local sedimentary regime during the late Holocene and, unable to stand increasing depositional rates, were progressively buried. At the present day, temperature and salinity values on the West Melilla mounds suggest a plausible oceanographic setting, suitable for live CWCs. Nonetheless, more data is required to groundtruth the West Melilla mounds and better constrain the interplay of sedimentary and oceanographic factors during the evolution of the West Melilla mounds.},
	keywords = {Alboran Sea, high-resolution seismics, Quaternary, Swath mapping, \{CWC\} mounds},
	issn = {0967-0645},
	doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.07.006},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967064513002786},
	author = {Iacono, Claudio Lo and Gr{\'a}cia, Eul{\`a}lia and Ranero, C{\'e}sar R and Emelianov, Mikhail and Huvenne, Veerle A I and Bartolom{\'e}, Rafael and Booth-Rea, Guillermo and Prades, Javier and Ambroso, Stefano and Dominguez, Carlos and Griny{\'o}, Jordi and Rubio, Eduardo and Torrent, Josep}
}
@inbook {LoIacono2012,
	title = {{The habitats of the Chella Bank. Eastern Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean)}},
	booktitle = {Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat: GeoHAB Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats.},
	year = {2012},
	pages = {681{\textendash}690},
	publisher = {Elsevier},
	organization = {Elsevier},
	abstract = {This chapter provides the first characterization of the geomorphic features and benthic habitats of the Chella Bank, a flat-topped volcanic peak situated in the Eastern Alboran Sea, Western Mediterranean. The Chella Bank, also named "Seco de los Olivos," occurs along the upper slope of the Almeria Margin, showing a subcircular shape and covering a surface area of 100 km2 within a depth range of 70-700 m. High-resolution swath bathymetric mapping reveals three main large-scale morphological features on Chella Bank: the flat subhorizontal top and two main ridges, located to the west and to the east of the bank-top. Video tracks acquired in the area showed the occurrence of macrobenthic communities such as gorgonian assemblages (Callogorgia verticillata, Viminella flagellum), small patches of living cold-water corals (Madrepora oculata), and sponges (Fakelia ventilabrum). An automatic classification of multibeam data has been tested on the area as a predictive habitat mapping method, using backscatter characteristics (intensity, texture), and depth measurements as surrogate descriptors of the habitats recognized on the Chella Bank. The Chella Bank is one of the study areas of the LIFE-INDEMARES Project, which aims to contribute to the protection and sustainable use of the marine biodiversity in the Spanish seas. {\textcopyright} 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.},
	keywords = {Alboran Sea, Geomorphology, Habitat mapping, Seamounts, swath bathymetry, Western Mediterranean},
	isbn = {9780123851406},
	doi = {10.1016/B978-0-12-385140-6.00049-9},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84884425529\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Lo Iacono, Claudio and Gr{\`a}cia, Eul{\`a}lia G. and Bartolom{\'e}, Rafael and Coiras, Enrique and Jose Da{\~n}obeitia, Juan and Acosta, Juan}
}
