177 / 2025-04-14 09:11:39

Toward understanding the Cold-water Corals as interior-ocean observatory and benthic-ecosystem pillar

Cold-water corals,west Pacific,geochemical proxies,benthic ecosystem

Theme 1: Novel Tools and Techniques in Geobiology > Session 1c: Unraveling Life-Earth Interactions across Extreme Environments and Beyond from Innovative Approaches in Geobiology

Cold-water corals (CWCs) thrive at bathymetric heights in the intermediate- to deep-waters over the global ocean, yet are only studied sporadically with the aid of deep-diving vehicles. CWCs themselves may play an essential role in the benthic ecosystem, providing habitat frameworks on the sea-floor and/or organic tissues feeding certain carnivorous grazers. Many CWCs build organic and carbonate skeletons with distinguishable growth-layers, which could be utilized to extract information about the physiological and environmental changes through their life-span. In the recent years, quite a few deep-diving expeditions have been deployed in the Indo-Pacific regions with various and plentiful CWCs being discovered. By applying geochemical methods, such as metal isotopes and N/C-coupled isotopes, the time-series of environmental changes recorded in CWC skeletons are being deciphered, and with the aid of digital intelligent approaches, the geographical distribution and ecological function of CWCs are being investigated. Novel methodologies and strategies are needed to further unravel and fully comprehend the CWCs, beautiful creatures that live long in the dark deep-sea.