High-resolution habitat mapping using Snippet and Sidescan-like data from Reson Multibeam device: a case study in Maratea coast (Basilicata Italy).

Habitat mapping and classification is recognised as a central topic in the definition of the quality of marine environment within the framework of the EU Marine Strategy. Acoustic methods for seafloor mapping have been widely developed over the last decades. In particular, the development of swath bathymetry has enabled the creation of detailed maps of seabed topography and acoustic backscatter data; these data have been used to predict sediment and habitat types. The Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) of CNR of Naples carried out a multidisciplinary study focused on the construction of subsurface sedimentological and bionomic maps along the Maratea coast (Basilicata region, south Tyrrhenian sea) within a marine protect area institution project. For this purpose, acoustic swath bathymetric data were collected, together with sediment sampling and direct scuba investigation on benthic communities.