Physiological, biomineralisation and structural measurements of the cold-water coral (CWC) Lophelia pertusa in response to increases in CO2 and temperature.

• Main Authors: Hennige, Sebastian, Wicks, Laura, Kamenos, Nicholas A, Perna, Gabriela, Findlay, Helen S, Roberts, John Murray
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: British Oceanographic Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council 2015
• Subjects: biota; Lophelia pertusa
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/13d58735-4252-109d-e053-6c86abc0bae4; https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/published_data_library/catalogue/10.5285/13d58735-4252-109d-e053-6c86abc0bae4/

This dataset consists of physiological (respiration, growth), biomineralisation (crystal orientation, growth form) and structural (breaking strength) measurements of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa in response to the single and combined stressors of elevated temperature and CO2 over 12 months. Corals were collected from the Mingulay Reef Complex (UK) on RRS Discovery cruise D366/7 in June/July 2011. Live and dead corals were subjected to projected future CO 2 and temperature scenarios at Heriot-Watt University to determine whether they can acclimate to projected future climate change. Data consists of respiration measurements, growth rates (measured through alkalinity anomaly technique), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of corals in aragonite undersaturated conditions, skeletal molecular bonding measurements (RAMAN spectroscopy), orientation/organisation images of newly accreted aragonite (through Electron Back Scatter Diffraction, EBSD), skeletal breaking strength, and carbonate chemistry of the experimental systems. The collection of these data and the subsequent synthesis and intercomparison were funded as part of the UKOA programme by NERC, DEFRA and DECC.