CO2 disrupts coral formation
The genetic study found that ocean acidification has complex and disturbing affects on the early development of corals. Image: EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER/iStockphoto An international scientific team has carried out the world’s first analysis of the impact of ocean acidification on every gene in the coral genome, throwing new light on the likely fate of corals under climate change.This prodigious research undertaking, involving more than 250 million ‘reads’ of genetic material and their detailed interpretation, was carried out by researchers from Australia, France, Netherlands and South Korea using powerful new genetic analysis tools.In recent years declines in coral calcification have been reported around the world, matching the steady rise in carbon emissions to the atmosphere from human activity.“Every time we release CO2, it turns the oceans imperceptibly more acidic – and previous research has shown this to have a harmful effect on corals, plankton and other marine organisms which form their skeletons from calcium and...