Northeastern Atlantic cold-water coral reefs and climate

• Published in: Geology
• Main Authors: Frank, Norbert, Freiwald, Andre, Lopez Correa, Matthias, Wienberg, Claudia, Eisele, Markus, Hebbeln, Dierk, Van Rooij, David, Henriet, Jean-pierre, Colin, Christophe, Van Weering, Tjeerd, De Haas, Henk, Buhl-mortensen, Pal, Roberts, J. Murray, De Mol, Ben, Douville, Eric, Blamart, Dominique, Hatte, Christine
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Geological Soc Amer, Inc
• Subjects: geo; envir; Barents Sea; Lophelia pertusa
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31825.1; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00214/32554/31025.pdf; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00214/32554/

U-series age patterns obtained on reef framework-forming cold-water corals collected over a nearly 6000-km-long continental margin sector, extending from off Mauritania (17 degrees N; northwest Africa) to the southwestern Barents Sea (70 degrees N; northeastern Europe), reveal strong climate influences on the geographical distribution and sustained development of these ecosystems. Over the past three glacial-interglacial cycles, framework-forming cold-water corals (Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata) seem to have predominantly populated reefs, canyons, and patches in the temperate East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Above 50 degrees N corals colonize reefs in the northern East Atlantic primarily during warm climate periods with the biogeographic limit advancing from similar to 50 degrees N to similar to 70 degrees N. We propose that north-south oscillations of the biogeographic limit of reef developments are paced by ice ages and may occur synchronously with north-south displacement of cold nutrient-rich intermediate waters and surface productivity related to changes of the polar front.