Coral Reefs Face Great Danger from Global Warming
August 4, 2008
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If current carbon emissions continue to rise there could be serious danger for many species living in the oceans. The oceans have absorbed nearly half of all carbon emissions to date causing changes in the pH balance of ocean water and changing the habitat for everything living in them.
The acidity of the oceans has already shifted close to 10% since pre-industrial times. According to an editorial published by researched in the magazine Science, while climate change models vary a fair bit, the accuracy of predicting acidity is fairly accurate and models show disastrous results for marine life if current trends continue
“What we’re doing in the next decade could mean that for the next two million years, there are no coral reefs in the ocean,” said Ken Caldeira, a professor from Stanford
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is naturally dissolved into the ocean at the water surface. Coral reefs are especially vulnerable since they build themselves mainly from calcium, which is highly susceptible to acidity.
While most attention goes to halving carbon emissions to stop global warming, even that would still have a big impact on the oceans.
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