The exposure of the Great Barrier Reef to ocean acidification

Mongin, Mathieu; Baird, Mark E.; Tilbrook, Bronte; Matear, Richard J.; Lenton, Andrew; Herzfeld, Mike; Wild-Allen, Karen; Skerratt, Jennifer; Margvelashvili, Nugzar; Robson, Barbara; Duarte, Carlos M.; Gustafsson, Malin; Ralph, Peter J.; Steven, Andrew D. L.

doi:10.1038/ncomms10732

Cited by 73 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Model projections about OA in coastal areas, where most coral reefs exist, require data on a large number of local factors (including strong primary production, upwelling, fresh water input, and nutrient overloading [36]). Collecting data everywhere would be infeasible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coral Reefs and People in a High-CO2 World: Where Can Science Make a Difference to People?

et al. 2016

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Reefs and People at RiskIncreasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere put shallow, warm-water coral reef ecosystems, and the people who depend upon them at risk from two key global environmental stresses: 1) elevated sea surface temperature (that can cause coral bleaching and related mortality), and 2) ocean acidification. These global stressors: cannot be avoided by local management, compound local stressors, and hasten the loss of ecosystem services. Impacts to people will be most grave where a) human dependence on coral reef ecosystems is high, b) sea surface temperature reaches critical levels soonest, and c) ocean acidification levels are most severe. Where these elements align, swift action will be needed to protect people’s lives and livelihoods, but such action must be informed by data and science.An Indicator ApproachDesigning policies to offset potential harm to coral reef ecosystems and people requires a better understanding of where CO2-related global environmental stresses could cause the most severe impacts. Mapping indicators has been proposed as a way of combining natural and social science data to identify policy actions even when the needed science is relatively nascent. To identify where people are at risk and where more science is needed, we map indicators of biological, physical and social science factors to understand how human dependence on coral reef ecosystems will be affected by globally-driven threats to corals expected in a high-CO2 world. Western Mexico, Micronesia, Indonesia and parts of Australia have high human dependence and will likely face severe combined threats. As a region, Southeast Asia is particularly at risk. Many of the countries most dependent upon coral reef ecosystems are places for which we have the least robust data on ocean acidification. These areas require new data and interdisciplinary scientific research to help coral reef-dependent human communities better prepare for a high CO2 world.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies show that the precise role that increased sea surface temperature and OA have on coral reef ecosystem conditions and health is complicated [27,35,36] and may vary regionally [37]. With that in mind, these indicators are not intended to be predictive of coral reef death.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral Reefs and People in a High-CO2 World: Where Can Science Make a Difference to People?

et al. 2016

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“…The >2,000 km long Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in Australia is the largest coral reef system in the world, and a World Heritage Area. Its location on a shallow and wide continental shelf, and high nutrient and sediment discharges from agricultural areas make the GBR particularly susceptible to poor water quality and CA (Bell, , ; Mongin et al, ; Uthicke, Furnas, & Lønborg, ). Thirty‐five major rivers discharge on average five‐ to eightfold higher loads of nutrients and sediments from a 423,000 km 2 catchment area into the GBR than prior to European settlement (Bell, , ; Kroon et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifts in coralline algae, macroalgae, and coral juveniles in the Great Barrier Reef associated with present‐day ocean acidification

Smith

Mongin

Thompson

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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Seawater acidification from increasing CO2 is often enhanced in coastal waters due to elevated nutrients and sedimentation. Our understanding of the effects of ocean and coastal acidification on present‐day ecosystems is limited. Here we use data from three independent large‐scale reef monitoring programs to assess coral reef responses associated with changes in mean aragonite saturation state (Ωar) in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBR). Spatial declines in mean Ωar are associated with monotonic declines in crustose coralline algae (up to 3.1‐fold) and coral juvenile densities (1.3‐fold), while non‐calcifying macroalgae greatly increase (up to 3.2‐fold), additionally to their natural changes across and along the GBR. These three key groups of organisms are important proxies for coral reef health. Our data suggest a tipping point at Ωar 3.5–3.6 for these coral reef health indicators. Suspended sediments acted as an additive stressor. The latter suggests that effective water quality management to reduce suspended sediments might locally and temporarily reduce the pressure from ocean acidification on these organisms.

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“…These distinctions are vital for ecologists and biologists addressing the consequences of CO 2 and O 2 syndromes for marine ecosystems but may also be especially relevant for modelling studies that assess the influence of global climate change on local and regional processes contributing to CA and CD. Sophisticated modelling studies have already provided insight into how CA and CD may manifest alongside global climate change (e.g., Mongin et al, ; Shaw, McNeil, Tilbrook, Matear, & Bates, ; Sunda & Cai, ) and will be central to understanding the future form and function of marine ecosystems in the Anthropocene. Ultimately, we hope the clarification provided here will improve communication and reduce semantic discussions to help focus and guide research into the rates and impacts of changing CO 2 and O 2 levels across the global and coastal ocean.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining CO₂ and O₂ syndromes of marine biomes in the Anthropocene

Klein

Steckbauer

Duarte

2019

Global Change Biology

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Research efforts have intensified to foresee the prospects for marine biomes under climate change and anthropogenic drivers over varying temporal and spatial scales. Parallel with these efforts is the utilization of terminology, such as ‘ocean acidification’ (OA) and ‘ocean deoxygenation’ (OD), that can foster rapid comprehension of complex processes driving carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) concentrations in the global ocean and thus, are now widely used in discussions within and beyond academia. However, common usage of the terms ‘acidification’ and ‘deoxygenation’ alone are subjective and, without adequate contextualization, have the potential to mislead inferences over drivers that may ultimately shape the future state of marine ecosystems. Here we clarify the usage of the terms OA and OD as global, climate change‐driven processes and discuss the various attributes of elevated CO2 and reduced O2 syndromes common to coastal ecosystems. We support the use of the existing terms ‘coastal acidification’ and ‘coastal deoxygenation’ because they help differentiate the sometimes rapid and extreme nature of CO2 and O2 syndromes in coastal ecosystems from the global, climate change‐driven processes of OA and OD. Given the complexity and breadth of the processes involved in altering CO2 and O2 concentrations across marine ecosystems, we provide a workflow to enable contextualization and clarification of the usage of existing terms and highlight the close link between these two gases across spatial and temporal scales in the ocean. These distinctions are crucial to guide effective communication of research within the scientific community and guide policymakers responsible for intervening on the drivers to secure desirable future ocean states.

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The exposure of the Great Barrier Reef to ocean acidification

Cited by 73 publications

References 44 publications

Coral Reefs and People in a High-CO2 World: Where Can Science Make a Difference to People?

Coral Reefs and People in a High-CO2 World: Where Can Science Make a Difference to People?

Shifts in coralline algae, macroalgae, and coral juveniles in the Great Barrier Reef associated with present‐day ocean acidification

Defining CO₂ and O₂ syndromes of marine biomes in the Anthropocene

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The exposure of the Great Barrier Reef to ocean acidification

Cited by 73 publications

References 44 publications

Coral Reefs and People in a High-CO2 World: Where Can Science Make a Difference to People?

Coral Reefs and People in a High-CO2 World: Where Can Science Make a Difference to People?

Shifts in coralline algae, macroalgae, and coral juveniles in the Great Barrier Reef associated with present‐day ocean acidification

Defining CO2 and O2 syndromes of marine biomes in the Anthropocene

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Defining CO₂ and O₂ syndromes of marine biomes in the Anthropocene