World's coral reefs could disintegrate by 2100

Source: Guardian (UK)

The world's coral reefs will begin to disintegrate before the end of the century as rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere make the oceans more acidic, scientists warn.

The research points to a looming transition in the health of coral ecosystems during which the ability of reefs to grow is overwhelmed by the rate at which they are dissolving.

More than 9,000 coral reefs around the world are predicted to disintegrate when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reach 560 parts per million.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today stands at around 388ppm, but is expected to reach 560ppm by the end of this century...

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/23/worlds-coral-reefs-disintegrate-2100

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We are reaching the point where there is nothing to be said, much less done.

The article goes on to point out that "Even if we froze emissions today, the planet still has some warming left in it. That's enough to make bleaching dangerously frequent in reefs worldwide..."

The Global Warming debate is about politics, it should be about the planet.

Oh well, there is always "Planet-B" for us to fall back on.

Righto?

nope, it's nothing like good news, especially for the coral.

That worked really well for fossil fuels in the 20th century. :eyes:

:(

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216140309.htm

Diversity of Corals, Algae in Warm Indian Ocean Suggests Resilience to Future Global Warming

ScienceDaily (Feb. 22, 2010) — Penn State researchers and their international collaborators have discovered a diversity of corals harboring unusual species of symbiotic algae in the warm waters of the Andaman Sea in the northeastern Indian Ocean.

"The existence of so many novel coral symbioses thriving in a place that is too warm for most corals gives us hope that coral reefs and the ecosystems they support may persist -- at least in some places -- in the face of global warming," said the team's leader, Penn State Assistant Professor of Biology Todd LaJeunesse. According to LaJeunesse, the comprehensiveness of the team's survey, which also included analysis of the corals and symbiotic algae living in the cooler western Indian Ocean and Great Barrier Reef area of Australia, is unparalleled by any other study.

seeding poses it's own set of problems.