Alarm bells as evidence of slowed coral growth on the GBR emerges

Worrying signs that warmer seawater combined with a possible change in the ocean’s acid balance may be curtailing the growth of an important reef-building coral species have been documented by a research team from AIMS in Townsville.

The paper, published in the journal Global Change Biology*, points to a 21 per cent decline in the rate at which Porites corals in two regions of the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) have added to their calcium carbonate skeletons over the past 16 years.

Ocean acidification: double trouble for nature and man (session at EGU 2008, Vienna)

The impacts of “Ocean Acidification” (OA) are probably just as dramatic as those of “Global Warming” and the combination of the two even more so. Despite this threat, has “Ocean Acidification” only recently been put on the research agendas. Contrary to “Global (regional) Warming”, can the change in ocean carbonate chemistry, due to CO2 emissions, be predicted with very high confidence. However, the impact of OA on biota and ecosystems is largely unknown. Therefore, there is a broad scientific consensus that the topic of Ocean Acidification needs serious and immediate attention, and should be addressed at the European level and beyond.

One important lesson learned from decades of “Climate Change” or “Global Warming” research is that the political response largely depends on our ability to estimate possible socio-economic costs (the “Stern report”). It is therefore of high priority to stimulate a discussion at the interface between biological research, economy, social sciences and politics as soon as possible.
The Peace Nobel prize, recently awarded to the IPCC and Al Gore signals that the timing is right and provides momentum to address these interdisciplinary issues. This session will consist of invited speakers addressing the impact of Ocean Acidification from the different angles mentioned above trying to bridge the gap between disciplines.

Ocean acidification: double trouble for nature and man (session at EGU 2008, Vienna)

The impacts of “Ocean Acidification” (OA) are probably just as dramatic as those of “Global Warming” and the combination of the two even more so. Despite this threat, has “Ocean Acidification” only recently been put on the research agendas. Contrary to “Global (regional) Warming”, can the change in ocean carbonate chemistry, due to CO2 emissions, be predicted with very high confidence. However, the impact of OA on biota and ecosystems is largely unknown. Therefore, there is a broad scientific consensus that the topic of Ocean Acidification needs serious and immediate attention, and should be addressed at the European level and beyond.

One important lesson learned from decades of “Climate Change” or “Global Warming” research is that the political response largely depends on our ability to estimate possible socio-economic costs (the “Stern report”). It is therefore of high priority to stimulate a discussion at the interface between biological research, economy, social sciences and politics as soon as possible.
The Peace Nobel prize, recently awarded to the IPCC and Al Gore signals that the timing is right and provides momentum to address these interdisciplinary issues. This session will consist of invited speakers addressing the impact of Ocean Acidification from the different angles mentioned above trying to bridge the gap between disciplines.

Reef coral expert fears ocean acidifying

A slowing in the growth of an important reef-building coral in the Great Barrier Reef may point to a disastrous phenomenon that will one day affect all sea creatures, a new report says.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) study examined two regions at the northern end of the reef and found a 21 per cent decline in the rate at which Porites corals, also known as finger corals, had grown in the past 16 years.