| Summary: | ATLAS 4th General Assembly 2019, 1-4 April High quality and fine vertical scale CO2 and ancillary measurements above the bottom are provided over four vulnerable ecosystem areas holding cold water corals and other sensitive organisms. Hydrographic and inorganic biogeochemical measurements were conducted during the MEDWAVES cruise (RV Sarmiento de Gamboa, September 2016) following the path of Mediterranean Sea Water, from inside this marginal sea (Seco de los Olivos) to specific seamounts in the Eastern North Atlantic (Gazul in the Gulf of Cadiz, Ormonde in the Gorringe Bank and Formigas near the Azores Islands). Our measurements reveal the distinct biogeochemical MW signature over the seamount bottom, both in oxygen (low) and inorganic nutrients (high), but also in CO2 variables, high alkalinity, high in situ pH and aragonite and calcite saturation. Given the anthropogenic carbon accumulation rate in the Eastern North Atlantic we predict near future chemical conditions, which would be completely mistaken if coarser scale data from climatologies or publicly available data bases as GLODAPv2 are inspected. Neural Network analysis to predict CO2 conditions is a better option, conditioned by the availability of fine scale ancillary data over the vulnerable areas. A compilation of fine scale measurements over the bottom of sensitive areas is clearly needed Peer reviewed
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