Deep sea corals in danger

[n2doc]

Deep-sea corals in danger
Study finds reefs could turn brittle from global warming

By LISA STIFFLER
P-I REPORTER

Even the coldest, darkest depths of the world's oceans can't escape the harmful effects of global warming -- and that includes deep-sea corals, local researchers have found.

The scientists are connecting the ocean's increasing absorption of carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels -- with changes in the chemistry of seawater. More carbon dioxide leads to a reduced supply of calcium compounds used by corals and other marine creatures to build their shells.

That could result in osteoporosislike conditions that cause stony coral reefs to become brittle. It could slow their growth and even limit the areas where the corals can grow.

Corals play an important role in the marine web of life, providing food and shelter for fish and invertebrates. Researchers have found sea sponges that contain anti-cancer agents among the corals as well.

"A lot of these corals will be in conditions that will be detrimental," said John Guinotte, lead author of the research paper published today in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

Guinotte, a marine scientist at the Bellevue-based Marine Conservation Biology Institute, found that the majority of deep, rocky corals are found in areas "supersaturated" with calcium-carbonate compounds used to build their shells.

By the end of this century, as more carbon dioxide is released and the oceans become more acidic, only 30 percent of those waters are expected to still be supersaturated.

"Corals have been around for millions of years ... but corals as we know them today, the reefs we know today, have no experience with these conditions," Guinotte said in an interview.

The study pulled together earlier research on the location of the corals and current and future ocean conditions.

More:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/265241_coral03.html

Comment: No place on Earth is safe from our environmental F**k ups...