Coral Reefs Could Be Decimated by 2100
Posted by Tsing Mui in Tropical Fish Hobbyist Blog on December 21, 2012 at 8:29 am
Nearly every coral reef could be dying by 2100 if current carbon dioxide emission trends continue, according to a new review of major climate models from around the world. The only way to maintain the current chemical environment in which reefs now live, the study suggests, would be to deeply cut emissions as soon as possible. It may even become necessary to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, say with massive tree-planting efforts or machines.
The world’s open-ocean reefs are already under attack by the combined stresses of acidifying and warming water, overfishing, and coastal pollution. Carbon emissions have already lowered the pH of the ocean a full 0.1 unit, which has harmed reefs and hindered ability to grow. The historical record of previous suggests that acidified seas were accompanied by widespread die-offs but not total extinction.
Source: Wired
Photo: Jim Maragos/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
