POSEIDON POS473

How do cold-water corals react to changing environmental conditions such as rising water temperatures and ocean acidification? One year ago, a scientific team led by GEOMAR deployed three so-called landers at cold-water coral reefs in the Trondheim fjord and off the coast of Central Norway. For a period of twelve months, important environmental parameters such as temperature, pH and tides were measured. Corals that had previously been analyzed and marked were placed in the reef in order to investigate growth and natural erosion rates.

During the POSEIDON expedition POS473, 15 August to 3 September 2014, the instruments and experimental setups will be recovered. In addition, extensive video documentations are planned. The researchers are also going to collect samples for further experiments. Already on board, oxygen consumption rates of individual coral branches will be investigated. In the home laboratories, various experiments will be conducted to determine the combined effects of ocean acidification and warming and food availability on basic physiological mechanisms of corals.

For their work off the Norwegian coast, scientists will use the research submersible JAGO. Chief scientist of the expedition, which takes place in the framework of the German research network for ocean acidification BIOACID (Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification) is Dr. Armin Form.