Tolerance to long-term exposure of suspended benthic sediments and drill cuttings in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa

The cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa was exposed to suspended particles (<63 μm) for 12 weeks. Skeletal growth was significantly lower under exposure concentrations of ∼25 mg l⁻¹ than ∼5 mg l⁻¹ and there was a trend of lower growth rates when exposed to water-based drill cuttings than to natural benthic sediment. Polyp extension was less in corals exposed to higher material concentrations, which provides a possible explanation for observed...