Study: High CO2 Environment Damages Reefs
Posted on: Thursday, 24 July 2008, 18:00 CDT
Reefs may erode in areas with high carbon dioxide levels because the glue binding coral skeletons to larger reef structures is missing, a U.S. study says.
The study found coral reefs in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean offer a real-world example of the reef ecosystems will face under high carbon dioxide conditions resulting in ocean acidification, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday in a release.
Derek Manzello, a coral reef ecologist at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, and his colleagues analyzed cements within reef framework structures from the eastern tropical Pacific, a region having naturally higher levels of carbon dioxide. They compared those structures to reefs from the Bahamas, with comparatively lower carbon dioxide levels.
Ocean acidification seems to result in a reduction in the production of the cements that allow coral reefs to grow into large, structurally-strong formations, the scientists said.
Reefs are constantly degraded by mechanical, biological, and chemical erosion, said Manzello. This study indicates that poorly cemented reefs that develop in an acidic ocean will be much less likely to withstand this persistent erosion.
The study will be in Monday's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: United Press International
Related Articles
- Verizon Business and IR Magazine Study Links Carbon Management, Corporate Social Responsibility With Shareholder Value
- Conservation Zones for Coral Reefs in Wrong Place ; INTERNATIONAL INDIAN OCEAN
- Lionfish Danger to Reef Life, Study Says
- Coral (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) Recruitment at Bahias De Huatulco, Western Mexico: Implications for Coral Community Structure and Dynamics1
- Bills Push Green Energy: Study Says N.C.'s Carbon Emissions Up Sharply
- Study Says Carbon Dioxide Capture, Storage is Critical to Coal's Future: ; MIT Research Says Coal is Likely to Remain an Important Source of Energy
- Study Predicts Which Coral Reefs Are at Greatest Risk
- Carbon Dioxide Threatens Coral Reefs, Sea Creatures
- Study: Global Warming May Raise Sea Levels
- Scientists Studying Lava Under the Ocean That Shaped Earth's Climate
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds