International Waters learning Exchange & Resource Network

Coral Reefs Threatened by a Deadly Combination of Changing Ocean Conditions

19 Jan 2015 | by ctknetwork.org
The lowering of the ocean’s pH is making it harder for corals to grow their skeletons and easier for bioeroding organisms to tear them down, according to the journal Geology.
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Coral reefs need to grow just below the sea surface so that the corals’ symbiotic photosynthetic algae can absorb sunlight. If they are submerged too deep, the ecosystem wastes away without solar energy to make food. In a healthy ecosystem, this delicate balance is achieved by a constant and often overlooked tug-of-war. As corals build their skeletons up toward the sea surface, other organisms—mollusks, worms, and sponges—bore into and erode the skeletons to create shelters. (Photo by: Tom DeCarlo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Coral reefs need to grow just below the sea surface so that the corals’ symbiotic photosynthetic algae can absorb sunlight. If they are submerged too deep, the ecosystem wastes away without solar energy to make food. In a healthy ecosystem, this delicate balance is achieved by a constant and often overlooked tug-of-war. As corals build their skeletons up toward the sea surface, other organisms—mollusks, worms, and sponges—bore into and erode the skeletons to create shelters. (Photo by: Tom DeCarlo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)