Seabed seepage in the Mediterranean Sea: What did we learn from multibeam swath data at different scales?

High-resolution swath data acquired using ship-borne and near-bottom multibeam systems have considerably increased our knowledge and understanding of active sea floor processes in the Mediterranean Sea. Swath mapping of large areas with ship-borne systems has revealed the regional distribution of seabed seepage structures in particular across the Eastern Mediterranean Sea deep-sea basins. Near-bottom multbeam data have revealed remarkable details of seabed features resulting from the expulsion of mud, fluid and gas. The latter data almost bridge the gap between ship-borne data and visual observations, and have been especially useful for planning in situ observations, measurements and sampling.