Marine ecosystems threatened by Acidic oceans

nationmultimedia.com — Sea level rise and coral bleaching are known impacts of climate change on the oceans, but scientists worldwide are increasingly concerned about acidification of seawater, a subtler effect, but one that is much more damaging to the marine ecosystem and the human food chain. "The current level of carbon dioxide [CO2] equivalent accumulation in the atmosphere is 430 parts per million [ppm]. If we allow business as usual at the current rate of CO2 emission over the next eight to ten years, we will exceed 500 ppm of CO2 by 2050 and coral reef ecosystems will be extensively and irreversibly damaged, while carbonate reefs will largely disappear," World Bank marine biologist Marea Hatziolos said. In an attempt to understand ocean acidification and its impact on the marine ecology in Thailand, a team of scientists from Phuket is set to study the problem in preparation to address its effects on the ocean ecology and the human food chain.

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