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Climate change

Acid test for marine biodiversity

Nature volume 454, pages 46–47 (2008)Cite this article

Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide lead to acidification of the oceans. A site in the Mediterranean, naturally carbonated by under-sea volcanoes, provides clues to the possible effects on marine ecosystems.

Much of the carbon dioxide released into Earth's atmosphere by human activities is absorbed by the oceans1. When dissolved in water, CO2 forms carbonic acid. Anthropogenic carbon emissions are therefore leading to global acidification of the surface ocean2, with uncertain consequences for marine life.

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Figure 1: Sparkling sea water.

R. RODOLFO-METALPA

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ulf Riebesell is at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR), 24105 Kiel, Germany. uriebesell@ifm-geomar.de ,

    Ulf Riebesell

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  1. Ulf Riebesell
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See also page 16 .

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Riebesell, U. Acid test for marine biodiversity. Nature 454, 46–47 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/454046a

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