Biogeosciences
Biogeosciences
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Articles | Volume 22, issue 9
Articles | Volume 22, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2201-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2201-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 22, issue 9
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
09 May 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 09 May 2025

Cold-water coral mounds are effective carbon sinks in the western Mediterranean Sea

Luis Greiffenhagen, Jürgen Titschack, Claudia Wienberg, Haozhuang Wang, and Dierk Hebbeln

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2201-2025-supplement

Data sets

CT raw data (DICOM format) of sediment core GeoB18116-2 from Dragon Mound, Alborán Sea, Maria S. Merian cruise MSM36 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.973154

Processed CT image-based volume data of sediment core GeoB18116-2 from Dragon Mound, Alborán Sea, Maria S. Merian cruise MSM36 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971900

AMS 14C age determination for sediment core MD13-3457, Alborán Sea, Marion Dufresne Cruise MD194 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971925

Total organic carbon and total inorganic carbon content data of sediment core GeoB18116-2 from Dragon Mound, Alborán Sea, Maria S. Merian cruise MSM36 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971862

Sediment density measurements based on pycnometer measurements of core MD13-3457 from the Alborán Sea, Marion Dufresne Cruise MD194 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971923

Stable oxygen isotopes of Cibicidoides mundulus from sediment core MD13-3457, Alborán Sea, Marion Dufresne Cruise MD194 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971935

Sediment density measurements based on pycnometer and CT measurements of sediment core GeoB18116-2 from Dragon Mound, Alborán Sea, Maria S. Merian cruise MSM36 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971884

Total Organic Carbon and Total Inorganic Carbon content data of sediment core MD13-3457, Alborán Sea, Marion Dufresne Cruise MD194 Luis Greiffenhagen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971806

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This paper discusses the carbon capture by poorly studied cold-water corals. These coral mounds represent a lesser known part of the carbon cycle and the outcomes of the study highlight the importance of these structures for natural carbon capture and storage at the sea floor.
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Short summary
Cold-water coral mounds are large structures on the seabed that are built by corals over thousands of years. They are regarded as carbonate sinks, with a potentially important role in the marine carbon cycle, but more quantitative studies are needed. Using sediment cores, we calculate the amount of carbon that has been stored in two mounds over the last 400 000 years. We provide the first numbers and show that up to 19 times more carbon is accumulated in mounds than on the common seafloor.
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