Published

Credit: MCR LTER

Credit: MCR LTER

Researchers at MCR LTER have been at the forefront of evaluating how OA will affect the structure and function of future reefs. The ecosystem engineers that structure coral reefs – stony corals and calcified algae – are uniquely threatened by low seawater pH. Using time series data to determine experimental conditions, researchers have tested for coral susceptibility to low seawater pH, the dependence of these responses on space, time, and functionality scales, and the implications for future coral reefs.

Learn more

  1. Comeau, S et al. 2015. Ocean acidification accelerates dissolution of experimental coral reef communities. Biogeosciences. doi: 10.5194/bg12-365-2015
  2. Comeau, S et al. 2016. Framework of barrier reefs threatened by ocean acidification. Global Change Biology. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13023

Contact

Russell Schmitt
schmitt@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Posted:  July 10, 2020