Auswirkungen von holozänen Änderungen der Wassermassenstruktur auf Kaltwasserkorallen-Ökosysteme am irischen Kontinentalhang

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Based on an already scheduled expedition with RV POSEIDON (29.6.-15.7.2010) the Holocene development of cold-water coral ecosystems in the Belgica Mound Province in the Porcupine Seabight off Ireland will be investigated. Thereby special emphasis will be given to the question lo what extent the vitality of cold-water coral ecosystems on carbonate mounds throughout the Holocene responded to variations in the regional water mass structure. In the Belgica Mound Province three carbonate mound chains exist in different water depths. With significant variations in their recent coral coverage, these mound chains offer an optimal setting to investigate the relation between coral vitality and water mass structure. The planned work will concentrate on detailed video surveys of the coral coverage on these mounds with the Bremen ROV Cherokee. In addition, sediment cores will be retrieved from the mound chains as well as from the surrounding seafloor to investigate the relation between coral growth and regional paleoceanography during the Holocene. The main aim of this project is the detailed examination of the Holocene development of the cold-water coral ecosystems in this region in dependence of the prevailing oceanographic setting.