Open AccessDiverse coral communities thrive in acidified western Pacific waters
Author(s) -
Wendel JoAnna
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2014eo120006
Subject(s) - ocean acidification , coral reef , seawater , coral , environmental issues with coral reefs , oceanography , reef , environmental science , carbon dioxide , resilience of coral reefs , carbonic acid , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , ecology , biology , chemistry , geology
Ocean acidification, a growing problem associated with increased carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, can disrupt the lives of many marine species. Coral reefs are particularly vulnerable because the increased CO 2 concentration in seawater—which combines with water to form carbonic acid—makes it hard for corals to grow. Models, observations, and lab studies consistently predict that as the ocean becomes more acidic, coral cover and diversity will decrease.