COMARGE, launched in April 2005,  is one of fourteen Census of Marine Life (CoML) field projects dedicated to the description and understanding of biodiversity patterns on continental margins. Continental margins refer here to the deep-sea realm comprised between about 200 meters and 4000 meters depth. Once envisioned as monotonous and devoid of life , continental margins actually  harbor an amazing diversity of life in a variety of habitats including deep-sea corals, cold seeps, canyons, ...and more in the Public Area.

The overall aim of the project is to describe biodiversity patterns on continental margins at different spatial scales and identify the contributions of environmental heterogeneities to these patterns. Central to the question of environmental forcing is the richness of continental slope habitats, as defined by their substrates and trophic sources as well as their geology, water mass and hydrodynamic features . The project is global in vision with the objective of integrating studies in different habitats and at different spatial scales on a worldwide scale. In order to get a census of marine life on continental margins and understand why there are so many species in this oceanic province, COMARGE will foster synergies between past, ongoing and future national and multinational scientific programs by coordinating a network of scientists involved in the study of continental slope ecosystems....more in the Science Area.