Acidification warning
SPANISH scientists have warned of an urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to halt the acidification of the world’s oceans.
Acidification harms many marine life forms and interferes with the development of shell-building species and those with calcium-carbonate skeletons, such as corals and molluscs.
It also can affect phytoplankton species, which are an essential part of the food chain for fish, crustaceans and other species.
Research published in the journal Science by a team for Spanish academics compares current levels of marine acidification with periods from millions of years ago, when large amounts of carbon were released into the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions, the release of frozen methane hydrates and asteroid impact.
“Large extinctions took place during that period, especially of benthic fauna. Nevertheless, CO2 injections were at least ten times slower than those occurring now, which augurs more catastrophic consequences caused by current anthropogenic changes,” said Carles Pelejero, researcher at the CSIC Institute of Marine Sciences and ICREA.
“Considering the effects we detect through fossil records, there is no doubt that we must tackle the problem at its roots as soon as possible, adopting measures to immediately reduce our CO2 emissions into the atmosphere,” added Patrizia Ziveri, researcher at ICTA.
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