Ongoing and Upcoming Cold-Water Coral Multi Stressor Experiments

Abstract

• Cold-water corals (CWC) form complex 3-D structures that are biodiversity hotspots. However, the knowledge about their ecophysiological response to global change stressors (i.e. warming, acidification, decrease of dissolved oxygen concentration) is still very limited, as well as their possible interactions with local stressors such as the impacts from mining and fishing activities. • Three long-term, multi stressor experiments will explore the combined impact of several environmental and local stressors based on the IPCC projections on different CWC species across the North Atlantic.

• Further experiments will include the addition of particles from mining or sediment from trawling activities to all treatments after long-term experiments finish to study the potential physical damage and ecotoxicological effects. • The results from these studies will increase our knowledge on the potential consequences of global change and local stressors and their possible interactions on CWC species and ecosystems that they form. • The results will contribute to support science-based marine spatial planning for the North Atlantic.