One of the factors threatening a number of ocean-dwelling creatures is the growing acidity of the world’s saltwater. This specifically affects the coral reef systems and all the life that depends on them. It’s for this reason that the Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the United States government to protect eight species of fish that depend on coral. This list includes the orange clownfish, the star of Disney’s Finding Nemo.
A great deal of carbon pollution is absorbed by the oceans of the world, which leads to rising acidity levels. With rising acidity, much of the oceanic ecosystem is put at peril, but it hits coral reefs particularly hard. Even if they do get the orange clownfish protected, chances are that the attempts to preserve its habitat won’t deal with carbon emissions.
Phys.Org explains why this whole “acidity” thing is bad news:
Over the past seven or eight years, ocean acidification has resulted in visible, declining yields in the shellfish industry in the Pacific Northwest, said John Guinotte, a marine biogeographer from the Marine Conservation Institute, an advocacy organization in Washington state. The change in ocean chemistry makes it difficult for creatures that make use of calcium carbonate construction, which include corals and shellfish.
“There’s no silver-bullet quick fix for this,” Guinotte said.
(via Phys.Org)
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Published: Sep 17, 2012 04:10 pm