14 DAY TRIAL // Coral reefs are in danger of soon beginning to dissolve completely, a new scientific study to be published on March 13th in the online edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letter shows. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who have been behind the research, say that, if the level of CO2 in the atmosphere doubles as compared to pre-industrial levels, then all of the world's corals will not only stop growing or recovering, but will also start disintegrating, all over the world. Testifying before the US House of Representatives, one of the scientists shared that more carbon in the water equaled more water acidity, and that the statement was not exaggerated in any way.
“Globally, each second, we dump over 1000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and, each second, about 300 tons of that carbon dioxide is going into the oceans. We can say with a high degree of certainty that all of this CO2 will make the oceans more acidic – that is simple chemistry taught to freshman college students,” Ken Caldeira, who is the co-author of the new study, told the Committee on Natural Resources' US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife.
He is also a member of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution. The hearing took place on February 25th, 2009, and was meant to give policy makers an idea about the global state of health in the oceans. Along with colleagues Jacob Silverman and Long Cao, from the Carnegie Institution, as well as Boaz Lazar and Jonathan Erez, from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Caldeira has analyzed numerous data about coral reefs collected from all around the world, and has then plugged them into a computer simulation, so as to observe possible future trends.
Currently, the level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is at 380 ppm (parts per million). The simulations have determined that, if the concentration reaches 750 ppm, then a good portion of that CO2 will end up in the oceans. By that time, the acidification will be so intense that all coral reefs in the world will begin to disintegrate, burnt alive by the acid. “Our fossil-fueled lifestyle is killing off coral reefs. If we don't change our ways soon, in the next few decades we will destroy what took millions of years to create,” the scientist warns.
“Coral reefs may be the canary in the coal mine. Other major pieces of our planet may be similarly threatened because we are using the atmosphere and oceans as dumps for our CO2 pollution. We can save the reefs if we decide to treat our planet with the care it deserves. We need to power our economy with technologies that do not dump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere or oceans,” he concludes.