Preindustrial to modern interdecadal variability in coral reef pH

Date

2005

Authors

Pelejero, Carles
Calvo, Eva
McCulloch, Malcolm
Marshall, Jerry
Gagan, Michael
Lough, Janice
Opdyke, Bradley

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Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Abstract

The oceans are becoming more acidic due to absorption of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems is unclear, but it will likely depend on species adaptability and the rate of change of seawater pH relative to its natural variability. To constrain the natural variability in reef-water pH, we measured boron isotopic compositions in a ≃300-year-old massive Porites coral from the southwestern Pacific. Large variations in pH are found over ≃50-year cycles that covary with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation of ocean-atmosphere anomalies, suggesting that natural pH cycles can modulate the impact of ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems.

Description

Keywords

Keywords: Carbon dioxide; Earth atmosphere; Ecosystems; Oscillations; pH effects; Seawater; Acidification; Coral reef; Marine ecosystems; Absorption; boron; carbon dioxide; isotope; boron; carbon dioxide; isotope; sea water; acidification; coral reef; marine ecosys

Citation

Source

Science

Type

Journal article

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