The Effects Of Ocean Acidification On Coral Reefs

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stay higher than usual for many weeks, the zooxanthellae they depend on for some of their food leave their tissue (2). Without zooxanthellae, corals turn white because zooxanthellae give corals their color (2). The zooxanthellae contain chlorophyll that absorbs the light around the coral and if the intensity is too much or too little the coral will expel zooxanthellae or the amount of chlorophyll will be reduced (2). White, unhealthy corals are called bleached (2). Bleached corals are weak and less able to combat disease. Bleaching events on coral reefs around the globe were observed in 1998(2). As climate change continues, bleaching will become more common, and the overall health of coral reefs will decline.
Much of the carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean(5). In fact, the oceans have absorbed about 1/3 of the carbon dioxide produced from human activities since 1800 and about 1/2 of the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels(1). As ...

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