Ocean Acidification Has Impacted Coral Growth on the Great Barrier Reef
Ocean Acidification Has Impacted Coral Growth on the Great Barrier Reef
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DOI：
10.1029/2019gl086761
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发表时间：
2020-10-16
影响因子：
5.2
通讯作者：
Brainard, Russell E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Guo, Weifu;Bokade, Rohit;Brainard, Russell E.
海洋酸化降低了石珊瑚产生碳酸钙骨架所需的海水碳酸盐离子的浓度，被认为是对珊瑚礁生态系统功能完整性的重大威胁。然而，包括海洋变暖在内的同时环境变化对自然界中珊瑚的影响的检测和归属是混乱的。在这里，我们使用一个数值模式来隔离OA和温度的影响，并表明自1950年以来，仅OA一项就导致大堡礁上的大堡礁护送人员的骨骼密度下降了13+/-3%。这种由OA引起的珊瑚骨骼变薄，在南中国海也很明显，但在中太平洋不明显，反映了相对于周围开阔海域，珊瑚礁水的酸化加剧。我们的发现强化了人们的担忧，即即使是可能在多次热浪中幸存下来的珊瑚，结构上也变得脆弱，越来越容易受到气候变化的综合影响。
Ocean acidification (OA) reduces the concentration of seawater carbonate ions that stony corals need to produce their calcium carbonate skeletons and is considered a significant threat to the functional integrity of coral reef ecosystems. However, detection and attribution of OA impact on corals in nature are confounded by concurrent environmental changes, including ocean warming. Here we use a numerical model to isolate the effects of OA and temperature and show that OA alone has caused 13 +/- 3% decline in the skeletal density of massivePoritescorals on the Great Barrier Reef since 1950. This OA-induced thinning of coral skeletons, also evident inPoritesfrom the South China Sea but not in the central Pacific, reflects enhanced acidification of reef water relative to the surrounding open ocean. Our finding reinforces concerns that even corals that might survive multiple heatwaves are structurally weakened and increasingly vulnerable to the compounding effects of climate change