New research shows ocean warming poses “immediate threat” to keystone reef-building coral in the Caribbean
New research published in The Proceeding of the Royal Society – Biological Sciences provides new insights on the threat ocean warming poses on coral growth in Mesoamerican barrier reefs. The research, partially funded by CPO’s Climate Monitoring program, used laboratory experiments to examine the adverse effects of ocean warming and acidification, and showed that the warming predicted by the IPCC for the end of the 21st century produced a five-fold decrease in coral calcification – the process by which corals produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and build reefs.