Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences.net 1726-4170 1726-4189 6 8 2009 10.5194/bg-6-1671-2009 http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/1671/2009/ http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/1671/2009/bg-6-1671-2009.html http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/1671/2009/bg-6-1671-2009.pdf 1671 1680 2009-08-14 Calcification of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, under ambient and reduced pH C. Maier maier@obs-vlfr.fr J. Hegeman M. G. Weinbauer J.-P. Gattuso Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Dept. of Biological Oceanography, BP 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, The Netherlands CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, BP28, 06234 Villefranche-sur-Mer Cedex, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France The cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa is one of the few species able to build reef-like structures and a 3-dimensional coral framework in the deep oceans. Furthermore, deep cold-water coral bioherms may be among the first marine ecosystems to be affected by ocean acidification. Colonies of L. pertusa were collected during a cruise in 2006 to cold-water coral bioherms of the Mingulay reef complex (Hebrides, North Atlantic). Shortly after sample collection onboard these corals were labelled with calcium-45. The same experimental approach was used to assess calcification rates and how those changed due to reduced pH during a cruise to the Skagerrak (North Sea) in 2007. The highest calcification rates were found in youngest polyps with up to 1% d−1 new skeletal growth and average rates of 0.11±0.02% d−1±S.E.). Lowering pH by 0.15 and 0.3 units relative to the ambient level resulted in calcification being reduced by 30 and 56%. Lower pH reduced calcification more in fast growing, young polyps (59% reduction) than in older polyps (40% reduction). 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