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The oceans of the Earth are going to be a lot less hospitable to coral reefs and other marine life by the end of the century. That’s one of the worrying conclusions from a new expert report that summarizes problems from increasing acidity.
The report by an international group of scientists who are experts in their respective fields of research, provides detailed analysis of the state of scientific knowledge on ocean acidification, based on the latest research presented at The Third Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World, held in Monterey, California, in September 2012.
 The Third Symposium convened 540 experts from 37 countries to discuss the results of research into ocean acidification, its impacts on ecosystems, socio-economic consequences and implications for policy. More than twice as many scientists participated in the Monterey symposium compared to the previous symposium four years earlier.
Experts present the projected changes from ocean acidification for ecosystems and the people who rely on them, according to levels of confidence for these outcomes.
The report concludes that marine waters are becoming more acidic as they continue to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This will alter ocean chemistry and make it harder for corals to build their skeletons out of a mineral called aragonite. Corals prefer a saturation state greater than 3 (dark blue on map). Researchers have “high confidence” that coral reefs in the tropics are going to get eroded faster than they will build up, according to the report. But the team admits that in many situations, it’s hard to know exactly the scale or extent of the damage.
The summary document, published by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, is intended to inform negotiations at the meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw, currently taking place, and ending on 22nd November.
The summary document, available for the E-Library Database, includes infographics that illustrate the problems that ecosystems and humans face as ocean acidification increases over the next century. The summary addresses outcomes based on whether humans continue to emit carbon dioxide at current rates to the atmosphere, or what could happen if policymakers take action to mitigate these emissions.
You can download the report here using the search category of 'Climate Change'
Further information can be found at the organisation’s website: http://www.igbp.net/
Source: International Geosphere-Biosphere
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