As CO2 acidifies oceans, scientists develop a way to measure effect on marine ecosystems

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-11/thuo-aca111914.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 19-Nov-2014

Contact: Dov Smith
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
As CO2 acidifies oceans, scientists develop a way to measure effect on marine ecosystems
Hebrew University researchers surveyed a 5,000 km long strip of the sea and measured the calcification rates of coral reefs and open sea plankton over the whole Red Sea area

Following a 5,000 km long ocean survey, research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences presents a new way to measure how the acidification of water is affecting marine ecosystems over an entire oceanic basin.

As a result of man-made emissions, the content of CO2 in the atmosphere and oceans has increased dramatically during recent decades. In the ocean, the accumulating CO2 is gradually acidifying the surface waters, making it harder for shelled organisms like corals (Figure 1) and certain open sea plankton to build their calcium carbonate skeletons.

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