The Mediterranean Sea

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Geology, Chemical and Physical Oceanography

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. The Geological Origins and Paleoceanographic History of the Mediterranean Region: Tethys to Present

      • Vincenzo Picotti, Alessandra Negri, Bruno Capaccioni

      Pages 3-10

   3. A Channeled Shelf Fan Initiated by Flooding of the Black Sea

      • William B. F. Ryan, Dina Vachtman, Cecilia McHugh, M. Namik Çağatay, Yossi Mart

      Pages 11-27

   4. Past, Present and Future Patterns of the Thermohaline Circulation and Characteristic Water Masses of the Mediterranean Sea

      • Nikolaos Skliris

      Pages 29-48

   5. Past, Present and Future Patterns in the Nutrient Chemistry of the Eastern Mediterranean

      • Michael Krom, Nurit Kress, Ilana Berman-Frank, Eyal Rahav

      Pages 49-68

   6. Marine Chemosynthesis in the Mediterranean Sea

      • Marco Taviani

      Pages 69-83

3. Ecology: Taxa and Trophic Levels

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 85-85

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   2. Microbial Components

      • Marta Estrada, Dolors Vaqué

      Pages 87-111

   3. The Mediterranean Sea – Primary Productivity

      • Noga Stambler

      Pages 113-121

   4. Autochthonous Seaweeds

      • Félix L. Figueroa, Antonio Flores-Moya, Juan J. Vergara, Nathalie Korbee, Ignacio Hernández

      Pages 123-135

   5. Autochthonous Seagrasses

      • J. Lucas Pérez-Lloréns, Juan J. Vergara, Irene Olivé, Jesús M. Mercado, Rafael Conde-Álvarez, Ángel Pérez-Ruzafa et al.

      Pages 137-158

   6. Alien Benthic Algae and Seagrasses in the Mediterranean Sea and Their Connection to Global Warming

      • Razy Hoffman

      Pages 159-181

   7. The Zooplankton

      • Enric Saiz, Ana Sabatés, Josep-Maria Gili

      Pages 183-211

   8. Zoobenthos

      • Josep-Maria Gili, Rafael Sardá, Teresa Madurell, Sergi Rossi

      Pages 213-236

   9. Foraminifera

      • Anna Sabbatini, Caterina Morigi, Maria Pia Nardelli, Alessandra Negri

      Pages 237-256

   10. Mediterranean Corals Through Time: From Miocene to Present

       • Agostina Vertino, Jarosław Stolarski, Francesca R. Bosellini, Marco Taviani

       Pages 257-274

   11. Mediterranean Coral Population Dynamics: A Tale of 20 Years of Field Studies

       • Erik Caroselli, Stefano Goffredo

       Pages 275-284

   12. The Making of the Mediterranean Molluscan Biodiversity

       • Bruno Sabelli, Marco Taviani

       Pages 285-306

   13. Recent Changes in the Distribution of Autochthonous Marine Molluscs in the Mediterranean Sea

       • Paolo G. Albano

       Pages 307-318

This volume is an indispensable addition to the multidisciplinary coverage of the science of the Mediterranean Sea. The editors have gathered leading authorities from the fields of Marine Biology, Ecology, paleoclimatology, Chemical and Physical Oceanography, Zoology, Botany, Aquatic Photosynthesis, Socioeconomics, Mariculture,  Mediterranean History and Science of Humanity.   Beginning with the birth of the Mediterranean Sea and its myths. From coral to fish, an introduction is given to its major inhabitants of plants and animals past and present. The chapters illustrate how organisms interact as part of the structure and function of the Sea's main ecosystems. The rise of the Mediterranean as the cradle of the Western Civilization leads to a discourse on the status of human interaction with the sea. Accelerating global climate change, water warming, ocean acidification and sea level rise, and analyses of their effects on key organisms, entire ecosystems and  human socioeconomics are given. Forecasting and predictions are presented taking into account different future scenarios from the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change).   The volume is richly illustrated in color, with an extensive bibliography. A valuable addition to the limited literature in the field, offering up-to-date broad coverage merging science and humanities.​

• Climate change
• Mariculture
• Marine bioerosion
• Marine chemosynthesis
• Marine molluscs
• Mediterranean
• marine and freshwater sciences

“The editors have done a superb job of bringing together an updated, multidisciplinary survey of the Mediterranean Sea as we know it today. … This book belongs in university libraries and on the desks and bookshelves of all researchers interested in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a credit to the science and study of the Mediterranean Sea, and as such it makes an important contribution to the literature.” (Charles W. Finkl, Journal of Coastal Research, Vol. 31 (3), May, 2015)

• Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

  Stefano Goffredo

• Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

  Zvy Dubinsky

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