Growth rates among coral reefs slowing down due to Ocean acidification

Coral reefs host one-fourth of all marine life, but sadly they have been increasingly facing tough times due to increase in ocean acidification. The calcium-carbonate-based structures are among the latest victims of change in climate and acidification of oceans.

Earlier, researchers discovered that in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, coral growth rates have fallen nearly 40% during the last 30 years.

The reefs are colorful bright marine ecosystems facing many issues due to overfishing, pollution, rising water temperatures and ocean chemistry alteration. For better understanding of how the damage can be reversed, scientists have been putting in efforts to isolate the impact of a stressor in particular, ocean acidification, on coral reefs.

Since long, scientists have estimated that ocean acidification would slowdown growth rates of coral reefs, a latest study suggested that it could already be taking place. In a latest study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, researchers have discovered that a kind of antacid treatment boosted growth of a coral reef flat in Australia.

In an interview with the Monitor, study lead author Rebecca Albright said that of course you can effectively offset ocean acidification for sometime on a quite small scale. Though such a step could help small, isolated reefs, such kind of geo-engineering solutions won’t be possible on a global scale.

Dr. Albright said that changing the ocean water chemistry would only work as a band-aid, and won’t solve the root of the issue.

Like a number of environmental challenges prevailing in the present era, it ultimately bounces back to increased carbon dioxide emissions.

Generally carbon dioxide emissions end up in the Earth's atmosphere, however, also nearly one-fourth is absorbed by the oceans worldwide. Once carbon dioxide mixes into the seawater, it alters the chemistry of that water, making it less alkaline. The method uses the carbonate ions that are also used by marine organisms in creating shells and skeletons of calcium carbonate.