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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Acid Oceans Threatening Marine Food Chain, Experts Warn


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A healthy coral reef teams with colorful life off the coast of Vatu-i-Ra in the Fiji Islands.

Scenes like this may vanish by 2100, marine experts warn, as the oceans become more acidic from absorbing carbon dioxide that has been building up in the atmosphere.

If carbon emissions are left unchecked, corrosive seawater will dissolve the shells of tiny marine snails and reduce coral reefs to rubble, the researchers announced yesterday at a scientific conference.

Photograph by Tim Laman/NGS