Report Finds Carbon Dioxide Emissions Increase Acidity in Oceans, Damage Reefs

摘要

Washington, D.C.—Emissions from the burning of fossil fuels worldwide are altering ocean chemistry and threatening marine organisms, such as corals, that support ocean biodiversity, according to a report released by U.S. government and university scientists July 5.rnBetween 1800 and 1994, oceans across the world absorbed approximately 118 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to the report, Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs and Other Marine Calcifi-ers.rnThe carbon dioxide is making normally alkaline oceans more acidic, which is harmful to marine life, according to the report by researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Miami, and California State University at San Marcos.