Coral Reefs Unlikely to Survive in Acid Oceans

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