INCISE, the International Network for Submarine Canyon Investigation and Scientific Exchange, will hold its 7th International Symposium at ICM, from June 16 to 19, 2025.
INCISE2025, organized in collaboration with the Faculty of Earth Sciences at the University of Barcelona and Auckland University of Technology, will bring together approximately 100 participants from 21 countries. Attendees will represent a broad range of disciplines, including ecology, oceanography, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, marine robotics, and environmental advocacy.
WHY SUBMARINE CANYONS ARE IMPORTANT?
Submarine canyons are widespread features found along continental margins worldwide. They play a crucial role in regulating ocean ecosystems, enhancing biomass, and serving as biodiversity hotspots. As conduits for water masses and organic matter to the deep sea, they also reflect growing human impact, evidenced by the accumulation of marine litter, chemical pollutants, and pressure from industrial fishing.
Despite the presence of over 10,000 submarine canyons globally, less than 1% have been explored. Much remains unknown about their formation, sedimentary dynamics and related geo-hazard, oceanographic processes, and ecological communities—posing challenges for sustainable management and conservation of their resources.
Recent technological advances in marine robotics, have opened new frontiers in canyon research, sparking renewed scientific interest in these critical but understudied environments.
NETWORK
INCISE is a collaborative, interdisciplinary network established in 2012, bringing together researchers, policy-makers, industry partners, and other marine stakeholders with a shared interest in submarine canyons. Its core mission is to foster scientific exchange and address key questions in canyon research through a transdisciplinary approach, in line with new ICM's strategic hubs.
Graphic resources produced by INCISE network: click here
KEY TOPICS
- Oceanographic and hydro-sedimentary fluxes within canyons
- Monitoring biodiversity within canyons
- Cold water corals within canyons: ecology, restauration and predictions
- Canyon geomorphology, slope instability and sedimentary fluxes
- Human impact within canyons
WORKSHOP
A workshop on “The application of Structure from Motion in deep-sea habitats” will be given the 16th of June in ICM. The workshop will concentrate on fine scale mapping of deep-sea environments through photogrammetric technique and will be structured to explore basic theoretical concepts, best practices for sampling design and practicalities for specific case studies. Expected outputs are intended to support environmental scientists, cartographers, robotics engineers and offshore industry.
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Claudio Lo Iacono (ICM-CSIC)
David Amblas (University of Barcelona)
Marta Ribó (Auckland University of Technology, NZ)
Pere Puig (ICM-CSIC)
Albert Palanques (ICM-CSIC)
David Casas (ICM-CSIC)
Ruth Duran (ICM-CSIC)
David Price (ICM-CSIC)
Anna Sanchez (University of Barcelona)
Andrea Gori (University of Barcelona)