Aquarium monitoring during a land-based experiment testing the cumulative effect of Cu exposure and ocean acidification on cold-water coral Dentomuricea aff. meteor

We report the results of a land-based experiment testing the cumulative effects of copper (Cu) exposure and ocean acidification (OA). Corals were obtained as by-catch during experimental long-line fisheries campaigns on board R/V \"Arquipélago\" (ARQDAÇO monitoring program, University of the Azores) at Baixa de São Mateus at 185 m depth in April 2019. The experiment was undertaken at the DeepSeaLab aquaria facilities (Okeanos-University of the Azores) where corals were exposed to four OA/Cu-contamination scenarios: (1) ambient pCO2/pH level as measured in situ conditions (385 μatm/ pH 8.09); (2) high pCO2/reduced pH (IPCC RCP8.5 scenario, 1000 μatm/ pH 7.73); (3) ambient pCO2/pH level and additional Cu concentration (60 µg/l); (4) high pCO2/reduced pH and additional Cu concentration (60 µg/l). The pH/pCO2 modification was achieved by bubbling seawater with either pure CO2 (to increase pCO2) or CO2 low air (to decrease pCO2). The copper concentration used in this experiment followed a trial simulating a polymetallic particles plume release during a potential deep-sea mining event. This sublethal concentration was found to be the highest copper concentration dissolved in seawater. […]