Reading through this issue of Oceanography, it will become
apparent that researchers in different disciplines see their
seamounts in quite different ways. The term seamount has been
defined many times (e.g., Menard, 1964; Wessel, 2001; Schmidt and
Schmincke, 2000; Pitcher et al., 2007; International Hydrographic
Organization, 2008; Wessel et al., 2010) but there is no “generally
accepted” definition. Instead, most definitions serve the particular
needs of a discipline or a specific paper. Inconsistencies are
common among different publications and, most notably, differ
from the recommendations of the International Hydrographic
Organization and International Oceanographic Commission
(International Hydrographic Organization, 2008). It is not the
goal of this note to arbitrate or remedy these inconsistencies.
However, as seamount researchers begins to coalesce into one
broad, multidisciplinary research community, it is important
to: (1) have a simple definition that explains which features are
included under the umbrella of seamount research and which are
not, providing an essential condition for defining the seamount
research community, and (2) respect and be aware of differences
among disciplinary definitions, as they may stand in the way of
consistently applying one disciplinary data set to another
