Coral doctor sounds the alarm about more acidic seas
Picture: This shows a coral reef that has "bleach" on it (notice the white color).
Summary- Besides generating about two thirds of the oxygen we breathe, oceangoing phytoplankton -- those floating microscopic plants that form the base of the aquatic food chain -- absorb about a third of all the carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere. In this way, the oceans have managed to slow the buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and stave off even more dramatic warming of the planet.
But John Guinotte and colleagues are discovering that the critical role of "carbon sink" comes at a potentially devastating cost for the world's oceans: acidification.
Guinotte is a coral specialist at the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue, Wash. The changes he sees in ocean chemistry spell trouble for the coral that he studies closely. If the acidification process continues on its current trajectory, it poses a dire threat to the whole marine ecosystem.
"What I'm really concerned about with ocean acidification is that we are facing the prospect of a crash in marine food webs." says Guinotte. "There is no question that many of my colleagues in marine science are scared about what is happening. We know we need a more precise understanding of the changes and biological responses now under way -- and we need it as quickly as possible, before it is too late to turn things around." Based on some 25 years' worth of measurements scientists know that oceans absorb about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide every day. Guinotte fears that many marine species might be unable to adapt quickly enough to survive these dramatic changes.
As carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater, hydrogen ions are released. This lower the pH, making the water more acidic. Scientists know from the fossil record that reefs which sustained damage from high atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in the geologic past took millions of years to recover. "Given that we need to think in human time scales, it means we're playing for keeps here," says Guinotte. "To me, it sometimes seems like a school bus full of children heading for a cliff. Somehow we have to slow it down enough to find some real solutions."
Because of the very clear potential for ocean acidification to effect everything from the tiniest oxygen-providing phytoplankton to the larger fish that feed in the coral reefs -- or, as Guinotte has written, "from the shallowest waters to the darkest depths of the deep sea" -- the threat to humankind is immense.
To figure out precisely how much acidification many varieties of coral can tolerate, and what we can do to preserve the health of the marine ecosystem, Guinotte argues for a coordinated research effort that tackles every aspect of the problem.
Opinion- In my opinion this article was very interesting, but scary. It is scary to think that we could lose a majority of our marine ecosystem due to acidification. Also, if any of our food webs start to decline, that could effect our ecosytem in a very negative way. I remember when i went to Hawaii and swam with the sea turtles in a coral reef, everything was so beautiful and colorful. I can't imagine our whole ocean turning white and discolored like in the picture. I hope that we can put a stop to acidification and that Guinotte and his crews research works accuratley.
Questions-
When do we hit the maximum limit of acidification?
What food webs are most at jeopardy for endangerement with acidification escalating?
What can we do to help the marine ecosystem, in terms of acidification?
--By: Jordan H.
Guinotte is a coral specialist at the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue, Wash. The changes he sees in ocean chemistry spell trouble for the coral that he studies closely. If the acidification process continues on its current trajectory, it poses a dire threat to the whole marine ecosystem.
"What I'm really concerned about with ocean acidification is that we are facing the prospect of a crash in marine food webs." says Guinotte. "There is no question that many of my colleagues in marine science are scared about what is happening. We know we need a more precise understanding of the changes and biological responses now under way -- and we need it as quickly as possible, before it is too late to turn things around." Based on some 25 years' worth of measurements scientists know that oceans absorb about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide every day. Guinotte fears that many marine species might be unable to adapt quickly enough to survive these dramatic changes.
As carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater, hydrogen ions are released. This lower the pH, making the water more acidic. Scientists know from the fossil record that reefs which sustained damage from high atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in the geologic past took millions of years to recover. "Given that we need to think in human time scales, it means we're playing for keeps here," says Guinotte. "To me, it sometimes seems like a school bus full of children heading for a cliff. Somehow we have to slow it down enough to find some real solutions."
Because of the very clear potential for ocean acidification to effect everything from the tiniest oxygen-providing phytoplankton to the larger fish that feed in the coral reefs -- or, as Guinotte has written, "from the shallowest waters to the darkest depths of the deep sea" -- the threat to humankind is immense.
To figure out precisely how much acidification many varieties of coral can tolerate, and what we can do to preserve the health of the marine ecosystem, Guinotte argues for a coordinated research effort that tackles every aspect of the problem.
Opinion- In my opinion this article was very interesting, but scary. It is scary to think that we could lose a majority of our marine ecosystem due to acidification. Also, if any of our food webs start to decline, that could effect our ecosytem in a very negative way. I remember when i went to Hawaii and swam with the sea turtles in a coral reef, everything was so beautiful and colorful. I can't imagine our whole ocean turning white and discolored like in the picture. I hope that we can put a stop to acidification and that Guinotte and his crews research works accuratley.
Questions-
When do we hit the maximum limit of acidification?
What food webs are most at jeopardy for endangerement with acidification escalating?
What can we do to help the marine ecosystem, in terms of acidification?
--By: Jordan H.
