Fine-scale nutrient and carbonate system dynamics around cold-water coral reefs in the northeast Atlantic.
Ocean acidification has been suggested as a serious threat to the future existence of cold-water corals (CWC). However, there are few fine-scale temporal and spatial datasets of carbonate and nutrients conditions available for these reefs, which can provide a baseline definition of extant conditions. Here we provide observational data from four different sites in the northeast Atlantic that are known habitats for CWC. These habitats differ by depth and by the nature of the coral habitat. At depths where CWC are known to occur across these sites the dissolved inorganic carbon ranged from 2088 to 2186 μmol kg(-1), alkalinity ranged from 2299 to 2346 μmol kg(-1), and aragonite Ω ranged from 1.35 to 2.44. At two sites fine-scale hydrodynamics caused increased variability in the carbonate and nutrient conditions over daily time-scales. The observed high level of variability must be taken into account when assessing CWC sensitivities to future environmental change.
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, West Hoe, Plymouth, England, PL1 3DH, UK.
Helen S
HS
Findlay
Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH14 4AS, UK.
Sebastian J
SJ
Hennige
Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH14 4AS, UK.
Laura C
LC
Wicks
Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH14 4AS, UK.
Juan Moreno
JM
Navas
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, West Hoe, Plymouth, England, PL1 3DH, UK.
E Malcolm S
EM
Woodward
1] Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH14 4AS, UK [2] Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK [3] Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, 601 S. College Road, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28403-5928, USA.
J Murray
JM
Roberts
D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D002254:Carbonates / Q000737:chemistry*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D017753:Ecosystem; D005843:Geography; D054712:Salinity; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*
D002254:Carbonates