Scientists from Carnegie Institution state that carbon dioxide emission rates need to be drastically cut for coral reefs to survive.
Coral reefs house a variety of marine life and for some time now scientists have been worrying about the slow but steady degradation of this marine habitat. In a recent study conducted by researchers from the Carnegie Institution, scientists Katharine Ricke and Ken Caldeira state if carbon dioxide emission rates keep on increasing, by the end of this century most water bodies will become inhospitable to all coral reefs.
Coral reefs are very sensitive to any change in the chemical composition of oceans resulting from coastal pollution, green house gas emission as well as warming waters and overfishing. For this study, Ricke and Caldeira concentrated on how acidification of ocean waters was effecting the survival of coral reefs.
A coral reefs' skeleton is made up of a mineral called aragonite, which is a naturally occurring form of calcium carbonate. However, when ocean water absorbs more carbon dioxide, it becomes more acidic, which makes it difficult for many marine organisms to grow their shells and skeletons
For the study, researchers calculated ocean chemical conditions that would occur under different scenarios in the future to see whether coral reefs would be able to grow by adapting to these chemical changes.
"Our results show that if we continue on our current emissions path, by the end of the century there will be no water left in the ocean with the chemical properties that have supported coral reef growth in the past. We can't say with 100% certainty that all shallow-water coral reefs will die, but it is a pretty good bet." Ricke said in a news release.
Hence, researchers of the study say that it is important to make aggressive cuts in carbon dioxide emissions so that the present chemical composition of ocean waters can be maintained, which is crucial for the survival of coral reefs.
"To save coral reefs, we need to transform our energy system into one that does not use the atmosphere and oceans as waste dumps for carbon dioxide pollution. The decisions we make in the next years and decades are likely to determine whether or not coral reefs survive the rest of this century," Caldeira said.
The findings will be published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, July 3, 2013.
