Editorial: The Azores Marine Ecosystem: An Open Window Into North Atlantic Open Ocean and Deep-Sea Environments

Lying between continental Europe and North America, the Azores is the most isolated archipelago
in the North Atlantic Ocean. Its one million square km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) comprises
mostly deep seafloor interspersed with shallower portions offered by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
over 100 seamounts, and the slopes of the nine islands. After the seminal expeditions in the late
nineteenth century (Porteiro, 2009), extensive scientific research based in the Azores in the last
three decades opened a window on the functioning of oceanic, deep-sea and seamount ecosystems,
as well as the impacts from human activities. These discoveries helped to raise awareness on the
need for protecting a rather fragile marine environment, and resulted in a pioneering role on the
implementation of multiple conservations actions within and beyond the EEZ (Santos et al., 1995,
2009). This Research Topic expands our current knowledge on themarine ecosystemof the Azores,
and highlights the need for improved, science-based management and conservation. It brings
together 12 research papers (nine research articles, one review, one data report, and one perspective
article) within four main themes: (1) geological and environmental settings, (2) biodiversity and
food web structure of open ocean and deep-sea environments, (3) anthropogenic impacts, and (4)
the future of marine science, management, and conservation in the Azores.