ABSTRACT
The bathyal depths round the Faroes represent one of the major boundaries between water masses in the world ocean. Surface Atlantic water flows northeastwards over the continental shelf and upper slope of the Faroes whilst cold water flows out from the Norwegian Sea through the Faroe-Shetland Channel into the deep North Atlantic at mid-bathyal depths. In this area the ophiuroids form a large, conspicuous and ecologically significant element of the benthic fauna. The physical boundary is represented by the juxtaposition of Arctic species, at the southern end of their range, and temperate species at the northern end of their range. This results in a rich species diversity of ophiuroids in a small boreal geographic area. Superimposed on the major physical oceanographic conditions are topographic and hydrodynamic features that result in localized increases in suspended organic matter that result in increased abundances of sponges and cnidarians and their associated filter-feeding ophiuroid fauna. The variable nature of the substrate exercises a strong control over the distribution of ophiuroid species round the Faroes. This paper provides details of local environmental conditions and illustrates how they influence ophiuroid distribution on the outer shelf and at bathyal depths.
