IMPACTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION on CORAL REEFS

Large limestone reefs have come and gone throughout Earth history, but most were deposited because a few key reef species could produce large volumes of calcium carbonate that accumulated faster than it was removed. Ocean acidification is likely to affect not only the rates of CaCO₃ production on today’s coral reefs but also dissolution rates. Several studies point to a threshold in reef development near the middle of this century, when atmospheric pCO₂ levels reach about double the concentrations of the preindustrial period. At this concentration, predicted net calcification rates suggest that modern day reefs will shift to a net dissolution state. This talk will present the latest science on the role of ocean chemistry in reef-building, both present and past, and at the scales of corals, communities and reef ecosystems.