Coral Reefs Unlikely to Survive in Acid Oceans

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Coral reefs (magenta dots) grow in optimal conditions with aragonite saturation greater than 3.5 (blue colors). Such water is rapidly disappearing and will be gone in several decades if current carbon dioxide emission trends continue. Atmospheric CO2 ...
Coral reefs (magenta dots) grow in optimal conditions with aragonite saturation greater than 3.5 (blue colors). Such water is rapidly disappearing and will be gone in several decades if current carbon dioxide emission trends continue. Atmospheric CO2 levels are 380 ppm and 550 ppm for years 2007 and 2050, respectively. Credit: Carnegie Institution of Washington

Carbon emissions from human activities are not just heating up the globe, they are changing the ocean’s chemistry. This could soon be fatal to coral reefs, which are havens for marine biodiversity and underpin the economies of many coastal communities.


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All News summaries for December 13, 2007

NASA presses ahead for Mars rover launch in 2009

Oct 10, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- NASA has decided to press ahead with plans to launch a big new rover to Mars next year. Friday's decision comes after concerns were raised about the budget and technical progress for the Mars Science ...

Palm oil clearing swathes of forest in Indonesia's Papua: Greenpeace

Oct 10, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Palm oil companies are clearing massive swathes of untouched forest in Indonesia's remote easternmost Papua region, environmental group Greenpeace said Friday.

Researchers Study Coastal Hazards of Increasing Wave Heights, Rising Sea Levels

Oct 10, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- While hurricanes Gustav and Ike were pummeling the Gulf Coast with rains and record flooding, researchers at Oregon State University were studying why wave heights in the Pacific Ocean have been increasing ...

Scientists resolve long-standing puzzle in climate science

Oct 10, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team led by Livermore scientists has helped reconcile the differences between simulated and observed temperature trends in the tropics.

Mars Odyssey Shifting Orbit for Extended Mission

Oct 10, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- The longest-serving of six spacecraft now studying Mars is up to new tricks for a third two-year extension of its mission to examine the most Earthlike of known foreign planets.