Southern California Bight, USA; Mingulay Reef Complex, UK

Alkalinity, acidity and pH of the water column; Total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) concentration in the water column; Salinity of the water column; Temperature of the water column; Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column

Inorganic carbon analysers; CTD

This dataset contains visual and physical analyses of the impacts of ocean acidification on the skeletons of the cold-water coral <em>Lophelia pertusa</em>. Visual analysis includes synchrotron images from the Diamond Light Source and electron backscatter diffraction images on polished coral skeletons. Physical analyses include Raman spectroscopy data. Skeletal samples analysed were from the Southern California Bight (SCB), USA, and the Mingulay Reef Complex (MRC), UK. SCB samples were collected in 2010, 2014 and 2015. MRC samples were collected in 2012. Samples from the SCB were taken using a ROV at varying depths covering an environmental gradient with respect to aragonite saturation. Each sample represents an aggregation of <em>Lophelia pertusa</em> that was sampled with a basket attached to the ROV. The samples were transported to the surface and subsampled for live, ethanol-preserved, frozen, and dried samples. Carbonate chemistry parameters of the water column were collected at the same time using a CTD and include temperature, salinity, oxygen, DIC, pH, and total alkalinity. Coral samples from the MRC were subjected to long-term experimentation in projected future conditions. The conditions for MRC samples are outlined in Hennige et al. 2015. The coral samples were also analysed using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and these images are held at BODC and can be requested through this record. RAMAN spectroscopy and Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) analysis was also used to further examine the corals under future projections of climate change. Ocean acidification is a threat to cold-water coral reefs in terms of dissolution of their skeletons, and their subsequent structural stability. This will likely determine the stability of the habitats they form. Work in the Southern California Bight was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. The study was supported by Diamond Light Source (DLS) experimental campaigns MT19794 and MT20412. This work was supported by an Independent Research Fellowship from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to Sebastian Hennige (NE/K009028/1 and NE/K009028/2) and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) pooling initiative, funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions. Experimental incubations for North Atlantic corals were supported by the UK Ocean Acidification programme (NE/H017305/1 awarded to John Murray Roberts). Imaging analysis by Uwe Wolfram and Alexander Groetsch were supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant number EP/P005756/1. All data have been received by BODC amd are available as raw files.

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