Coral Reefs and Ocean Acidification: Effects of an Unsustainable Energy System
Most of the CO2 released when we burn coal, oil or gas is eventually absorbed by the oceans, where it reacts with seawater leading to acidification. Ocean acidification has been shown to harm many marine organisms, including corals, under controlled laboratory conditions.
This talk will describe how Dr. Calderia's team altered seawater chemistry in a natural ecosystem without any artificial confinement, for the first time ever, and measured the biological response in order to better understand ocean acidification and its impacts on corals.
Dr. Caldiera will describe the effects of ocean acidification on corals, his team's research in the great barrier reef, and the need for energy technologies that provide for human systems while protecting the natural environment.