Explain how increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and warmer coastal waters resulting from global climate change may affect coral reefs
What will be an ideal response?
If water temperatures increase, many species of coral will eject their zooxanthellae, subsequently bleaching and dying. Also, rising carbon dioxide levels will increase the amounts of carbon dioxide that will dissolve in ocean waters. This results in the acidification of ocean waters, and increased acidity increases the conversion of limestone, which comprises the corals' skeletal material, into soluble bicarbonate, thus increasing the mortality of corals. On the other hand, corals may be able to colonize waters that were previously too cold for them and also move into low-elevation areas that may become flooded by expanding oceans.
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