Mapping
the carbon chemistry of the GBR
For the last 23 Million
years the Earth has evolved under low carbon
dioxide conditions that have allowed many
calcium carbonate-based ecosystems (such
as coral reefs) to flourish. The increase
in atmospheric carbon dioxide, due to fossil
fuel emissions and the changes in land
use, is rapidly exposing ecosystems to
a high carbon dioxide world.
Voyage SS09/2008 “Carbon
Chemistry of the Great Barrier Reef” on
the RV Southern Surveyor is the first ever
attempt to map the carbon chemistry of the
waters through the entire Great Barrier Reef
region.
The research is a major
step along the way to establishing how the
chemistry of the reef waters are changing
and sets a benchmark for predicting how the
reef will respond to future carbon dioxide
emissions. This, and research by a number
of groups, is feeding into an effort to assess
the vulnerability of the reef to increasing
acidity. [...more about
this voyage] |
