首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
     检索      


The coral reef crisis: The critical importance of <350 ppm CO2
Authors:JEN Veron  O Hoegh-Guldberg  CRC Sheppard  MG Stafford-Smith
Institution:a Coral Reef Research, 10 Benalla Road, Townsville 4811, Australia
b Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
c School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
d Australian Institute of Marine Science, Private Mail Bag 3, Townsville MSO 4810, Australia
e IUCN Coral Specialist Group, CORDIO East Africa, 8/9 Kibaki Flats, Kenyatta Beach, P.O. Box 10135, Mombasa 80101, Kenya
f Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW14RY, UK
g Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
h The Nature Conservancy, 93 Centre Drive, Newmarket CB8 8AW, UK
i Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK
j International Programme on State of the Ocean and Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW14RY, UK
Abstract:Temperature-induced mass coral bleaching causing mortality on a wide geographic scale started when atmospheric CO2 levels exceeded ∼320 ppm. When CO2 levels reached ∼340 ppm, sporadic but highly destructive mass bleaching occurred in most reefs world-wide, often associated with El Niño events. Recovery was dependent on the vulnerability of individual reef areas and on the reef’s previous history and resilience. At today’s level of ∼387 ppm, allowing a lag-time of 10 years for sea temperatures to respond, most reefs world-wide are committed to an irreversible decline. Mass bleaching will in future become annual, departing from the 4 to 7 years return-time of El Niño events. Bleaching will be exacerbated by the effects of degraded water-quality and increased severe weather events. In addition, the progressive onset of ocean acidification will cause reduction of coral growth and retardation of the growth of high magnesium calcite-secreting coralline algae. If CO2 levels are allowed to reach 450 ppm (due to occur by 2030-2040 at the current rates), reefs will be in rapid and terminal decline world-wide from multiple synergies arising from mass bleaching, ocean acidification, and other environmental impacts. Damage to shallow reef communities will become extensive with consequent reduction of biodiversity followed by extinctions. Reefs will cease to be large-scale nursery grounds for fish and will cease to have most of their current value to humanity. There will be knock-on effects to ecosystems associated with reefs, and to other pelagic and benthic ecosystems. Should CO2 levels reach 600 ppm reefs will be eroding geological structures with populations of surviving biota restricted to refuges. Domino effects will follow, affecting many other marine ecosystems. This is likely to have been the path of great mass extinctions of the past, adding to the case that anthropogenic CO2 emissions could trigger the Earth’s sixth mass extinction.
Keywords:Coral reefs  Global warming  Mass bleaching  Ocean acidification  Corals  Climate change  Mass extinctions
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录!
设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号