How cold seeps might both support and challenge coral reef resilience?

This article from Muhammed Fatih Sert reports on the connectivity between cold seeps and coral reefs through the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cycle, revealing a potential duality:
– Cold seep-derived organic carbon fuels cold-water corals, acting as a carbon and energy source.
– At the same time, seep-driven inorganic carbon plays a role in water column redox, making corals more vulnerable.

Cold seeps are geological features that release methane from the seabed to the water column. In oxygenated sea water column, seeping methane is consumed by specialized microbes that convert it into carbon dioxide. Although the increase in carbon dioxide can lead to ocean acidification, cold seeps are often found in the Hola trough of Northern Norway near cold-water corals (CWCs), which are vulnerable to changes in ocean acidity. This raises questions about how these features coexist in the same marine ecosystem and how they impact each other. We investigated the carbon exchange between cold seeps and CWCs by analyzing seawater samples. Our data on nutrients, organic matter, and microbial compositions implied cooccurring carbon processes such as methane oxidation and organic matter synthesis. Notably, cold seeps might support CWCs by producing dissolved organic matter that corals feed on. However, this relationship may be valid for a moderate amount of methane release. If methane release increases, consequent acidification may influence the CWC reefs in the future.