Coral Colonies Taking Hold on Oil Drilling Rigs Off Europe

Oil drilling rigs in Northern Europe’s waters may have an unintended environmental benefit: They have become home to colonies of coral. The white or pink coral, called Lophelia pertusa, was found in July in the North Sea for the first time on two platforms that have been producing oil since the late 1970s, according to a study in today’s issue of the journal Nature. The coral was also discovered on an oil-storage buoy in a Norwegian fiord.

The lophelia colonies were 22 inches long on the platforms and up to 8 inches long on the buoy. The colonies are a long way from forming coral reefs, which are prized as habitat for all sorts of marine life. The study suggests that any dismantling of oil installations may need to take the coral into account. The discovery of the apparently healthy colonies also indicates that the coral may have a tolerance for certain chemical discharges that result from oil drilling.

Compiled by Times medical writer

Thomas H. Maugh II