Underwater springs reveal how coral reefs respond to ocean acidification
The study, led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the first to show that corals are not able to fully acclimate to low pH conditions in nature.
"People have seen similar effects in laboratory experiments," said coauthor Adina Paytan, a research scientist in the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz. "We looked in places where the corals are exposed to low pH for their entire life span. The good news is that they don't just die. They are able to grow and calcify, but they are not producing robust structures."
With atmospheric carbon dioxide rising steadily, the oceans are absorbing more carbon dioxide, which lowers the pH of the surface waters. Ocean acidification refers to changes in seawater chemistry that move it closer to the acidic range of the pH scale, although seawater is not expected to become literally acidic. Paytan's team studied coral reefs along the Caribbean coastline of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula where submarine springs lower the pH of the surrounding seawater in a localized, natural setting. The effect is similar to the widespread ocean acidification that is occurring as the oceans absorb increasing amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Led by first author Elizabeth Crook, a graduate student in Paytan's lab, the researchers deployed instruments to monitor seawater chemistry around the springs and removed skeletal cores from colonies of Porites astreoides, an important Caribbean reef-building coral. They performed CT scans of the core samples to measure their densities and determine annual calcification rates in the laboratory of coauthor Anne Cohen at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The results showed that coral calcification rates decrease significantly along a natural gradient in seawater pH. Ocean acidification lowers the concentration of carbonate ions in seawater, making it more difficult for corals to build their calcium carbonate skeletons.
"Carbonate ions are the building blocks they need to grow their skeletons. When the pH is lower the corals have to use more energy to accumulate these carbonate building blocks internally. As a result, the calcification rate is lower and they lay down less dense skeletons," Paytan said.
The reduced density of the coral skeletons makes them more vulnerable to mechanical erosion during storms, organisms that bore into corals, and parrotfish, which sometimes feed on corals. This could lead to a weakening of the reef framework and subsequent degradation of the complex coral reef ecosystem.
"There are likely to be major shifts in reef species and some loss of coral cover, but if ocean acidification is the only impact there won't be total destruction," Paytan said. "We need to protect corals from other stressors, such as pollution and overfishing. If we can control those, the impact of ocean acidification might not be as bad."
Welcome to SUV System Ltd!
SUV System Ltd is ISO 90012008 Certified electronics distributor with 10 years of experiences.
We have built up long term business relationship with about many companies which are stockers and authorized agents. we have a steady and reliable supply to meet customer's demands to the greatest extent .Confidently, we are able to lower your cost and support your business with our years of professional service.
SUV System Ltd is Electronic Components Distributor Supplies,Find Quality Electronic Components Supplies Products IC(Integrated Circuits),Connectors,Capacitor,Resistors,Diodes,Transistors,LED at Suvsystem.com. Sourcing Other Energy, Environment, Excess Inventory Products from Manufacturers and Suppliers at Suvsystem.com
Electronic Components distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com
Connectors Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Connectors-1.html
IC Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/IC(Integrated-Circuits)-1.html
LED Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/LED-1.html
Capacitor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Capacitor-1.html
Transistor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Transistors-1.html
Resistor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Resistors-1.html
Diode Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Diodes-1.html
SUV System Ltd insists on the managing faith ofsincereness,speciality,foresight, win-win,so we build up stable-relationship customers located all over the world, including the States, Europe, Argentina, UAE, Malaysia, Australia,and India etc
we are focus on the following fields,and hope we can help you.
C0603X472J4RALTU C0603X472J4RAL7411 C0603X472J3RALTU C0603X472J2RALTU C0603X472J2RAL7411 C0603X472J1RALTU C0603X472J1RAL7411 C0603X472J1GACTU C0603X471M9RALTU C0603X471M9RAL7210 C0603X471M8RALTU C0603X471M8RAL7210 C0603X471M5RALTU C0603X471M5RAL7210 C0603X471M4RALTU C0603X471M4RAL7210 C0603X471M3RALTU C0603X471M3RAL7210 C0603X471M2RALTU C0603X471M2RAL7210 C0603X471M1RALTU C0603X471M1RAL7210 C0603X471K9RALTU C0603X471K9RAL7411 C0603X472M8RAL7210 C0603X472M5RALTU C0603X472M5RAL7210 C0603X472M4RALTU C0603X472M4RAL7210 C0603X472M3RALTU C0603X472M3RAL7210 C0603X472M2RALTU C0603X472M2RAL7210 C0603X472M1RALTU C0603X472M1RAL7210 C0603X472K9RALTU C0603X472K9RAL7411 C0603X472K8RALTU C0603X472K8RAL7411 C0603X472K5RALTU
http://www.suvsystem.com/a/2911.aspx
