Marine habitat mapping provides essential information for environmental management and design of marine reserves. In tropical regions, particularly along the Brazilian coast, the spatial variability of marine habitats is poorly known. The aim of this study is to evaluate the geodiversity of the region as an indicator to benthic habitat distribution, applying an integrative approach utilizing existing broad-scale bathymetric and seafloor geological data sets. A digital bathymetric model (DBM) of the Pernambuco Continental shelf (PCS) was generated at 80 m resolution from available bathymetric data. Through the benthic terrain model (BTM), DBM derivatives and the benthic structures were generated. These structures were combined with the textural seabed classification using tools in ArcGIS™ 10.5 Spatial Analyst to identify 22 seabed geomorphic features, including a submarine canyon confirmed around 8°20′S. These geomorphological features describe the surficial characteristics of the seafloor, providing the baseline for subsequent habitat-mapping studies, and can therefore be considered a potential habitat map. Three profiles taken to describe the cross-shelf seafloor environment (North, Center, and South) extracted from interpolated seabed geomorphological map revealed that sediment grain size becomes coarser from inshore to offshore, with predominantly sand and gravel sediment grain sizes. Overall, these results indicated a great potential for PCS due to the geodiversity present in the area, which leads to a higher biodiversity as well. Based on that, the central portion of PCS is suggested as a priority area for conservation because it was the most geomorphologically diverse. These terrain features influence the environmental conditions, such as currents, waves, nutrients, and other oceanographic parameters, which results in high diversity of benthic habitats in the region. This study presents a first step in characterizing the geomorphology of PCS by using reliable, standardized data.

中文翻译：

---

地质多样性作为底栖栖息地分布的指标：热带大陆架的综合方法

海洋栖息地测绘为海洋保护区的环境管理和设计提供了重要信息。在热带地区，特别是巴西沿海地区，海洋栖息地的空间变异性知之甚少。本研究的目的是评估该地区的地质多样性，作为底栖栖息地分布的指标，采用综合方法利用现有的大尺度测深和海底地质数据集。伯南布哥大陆架 (PCS) 的数字测深模型 (DBM) 是根据可用的测深数据以 80 m 的分辨率生成的。通过底栖地形模型（BTM），生成了 DBM 衍生物和底栖结构。使用 ArcGIS™ 10 中的工具将这些结构与纹理海床分类相结合。5 Spatial Analyst 确定 22 个海底地貌特征，包括在 8°20'S 附近确认的海底峡谷。这些地貌特征描述了海底的表面特征，为后续的栖息地绘图研究提供了基线，因此可以被视为潜在的栖息地地图。从内插海底地貌图中提取的用于描述跨大陆架海底环境（北部、中部和南部）的三个剖面显示，沉积物粒度从近海到近海变得更粗，主要是沙子和砾石沉积物粒度。总体而言，由于该地区存在的地质多样性，这些结果表明 PCS 的巨大潜力，这也导致了更高的生物多样性。基于此，PCS 的中心部分被建议作为保护的优先区域，因为它的地貌最多样化。这些地形特征会影响环境条件，例如洋流、波浪、营养物质和其他海洋参数，从而导致该地区底栖栖息地的高度多样性。本研究是通过使用可靠的标准化数据表征 PCS 地貌特征的第一步。