Scientists Issue Dire Warning on Marine Life

Wed Jul 5, 11:00 AM ET

Global carbon dioxide emissions are dramatically altering ocean chemistry and threatening marine organisms, a group of researchers warned today.

Already, damage to fragile coral reefs has been documented. Coral supports a range of other organisms, from the microscopic to small fish and the larger predators that feed on them.

Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels could overload the seas, researchers say in a new report designed to document what's known about the problem. The report echoes earlier warnings from individual scientists.

“It is clear that seawater chemistry will change in coming decades and centuries in ways that will dramatically alter marine life,” said Joan Kleypas, the report’s lead author and a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. “But we are only beginning to understand the complex interactions between large-scale chemistry changes and marine ecology. It is vital to develop research strategies to better understand the long-term vulnerabilities of sensitive marine organisms to these changes.”