Ocean acidification

When it comes to climate change, almost all the attention is on the air. What’s happening to the water, however, is just as worrying — although for the moment it may be slightly more manageable.

Here’s the problem in a seashell: As the oceans absorb about a quarter of the carbon dioxide released by fossil-fuel burning, the pH level in the underwater world is falling, creating the marine version of climate change. Ocean acidification is rising at its fastest pace in 300 million years, according to scientists.

Continue reading ‘Climate change goes underwater’

Soft corals are more resilient to changes in oceanic acidity than previously believed, a new study has found.

Coral reefs provide shelter to thousands of marine organisms. Rising levels of carbon dioxide and ocean temperature are threatening the existence of these beautiful “forests of oceans.”

A new study from Tel Aviv University researchers and colleagues has shown that soft corals can resist the harmful effects of decreasing pH in the ocean.

The research is published in the journal PLOS One.

Continue reading ‘Soft corals could help protect reefs’

At a time when just about every issue has polarized the parties in Congress, two Western Washington representatives have found some common ground: Both see a desperate need to find answers to questions about ocean acidification.

Turning back the hands of time is impractical; carbon emissions related to fossil fuel use are already creating acidic conditions in the world’s waters, which absorb carbon dioxide.

That isn’t expected to change in the near future. So U.S. Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, and Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, are proposing legislation that would spur researchers to work on issues surrounding acidification and its impacts, which are already being felt in their congressional districts.

Continue reading ‘Answers on acidification should be prizeworthy’

Coral reefs are home to a rich and diverse ecosystem, providing a habitat for a wide range of marine animals. But the increasing acidification of ocean water is jeopardizing the calcified foundations of these reefs, endangering the survival of thousands upon thousands of resident species.

New research by Prof. Yehuda Benayahu, Dr. Zehava Barkay, Prof. Maoz Fine, and their jointly supervised graduate student Yasmin Gabay of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Zoology, Wolfson Applied Materials Research Center and the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat has uncovered the protective properties of soft coral tissue, which proved resilient when exposed to declining oceanic pH levels. The study, published in PLOS One, provides insight into the changing face of coral reefs threatened by dropping oceanic pH levels and may provide a new approach toward preserving the harder, calcified reef foundations.

Continue reading ‘Can coral save our oceans? Researchers discover soft coral tissue may help protect reefs’