Reefs of the Deep: The Biology and Geology of Cold-Water

• Main Authors: Coral Ecosystems, J. Murray Roberts, Andrew J. Wheeler, Andre ́ Freiwald
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.475.4542; http://faculty.wwu.edu/~shulld/ESCI 432/Roberts2006.pdf

Coral reefs are generally associated with shallow tropical seas; however, recent deep-ocean exploration using advanced acoustics and submersibles has revealed unexpectedly widespread and diverse coral ecosystems in deep waters on continental shelves, slopes, seamounts, and ridge systems around the world. Advances reviewed here include the use of corals as paleoclimatic archives and their biogeological functioning, biodiversity, and biogeography. Threats to these fragile, long-lived, and rich ecosystems are mounting: The impacts of deep-water trawling are already widespread, and effects of ocean acidification are potentially devastating. C old-water corals have been known since the 18th century. Only recently, as fishery and oil exploration activities in deeper waters have increased, have devel-opments in acoustic survey techniques and access to submersibles revealed the scale and abundance of cold-water coral ecosystems