Increasing impacts of ocean acidification on coral reefs under global warming

Abstract

The rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration in recent decades has influenced the marine system to a great extent with ocean acidification being one of the consequences. Ocean acidifications impact on calcifying marine organisms has long been the subject of scientific studies. To determine the effect of ocean acidification on hard coral reefs, we analyzed five ocean coastal regions, comparing the trend in regional surface hydrogen ion activity with the change in hard coral coverage. In each region, we included both historical measured data and predicted data using RCP models as an implication of the potential future. The outcome does not provide substantial evidence to confirm the hypothesis linking the two variables. Additionally, the direct association between these variables cannot be ascertained due to the influence of uncontrolled factors such as local pollution, ocean warming, and ocean currents.