Combating ocean acidification boosts coral reef growth

Climate Central : Oceans absorb about a fourth of the carbon dioxide humans keep pumping into the atmosphere, leading to increased acidity of the water. One consequence has been the decline of coral reefs, which support a diversity of life and protect coastal areas from storm surges. To study the problem firsthand, Rebecca Albright of Stanford University and her colleagues traveled to the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system. In an effort to simulate ocean conditions as they were before the Industrial Revolution, the researchers pumped less acidic seawater over a small part of the reef. In the test area, calcification rates improved and the coral grew up to 7% faster. Albright says that rather than trying to geoengineer the entire ocean, it would be better to address climate change head on by cutting carbon emissions.