New research shows that air pollution diminishes coral growth, Although coral reefs grow under the sea, they have been responding to changes in the concentration of pollution in the atmosphere. A new investigation has found that pollution from fine particles in the air can blind corals from sunlight and cool the surrounding water resulting in reduced growth rates.
The research was published in the online edition of Nature Geoscience on Monday, April 7, by a team of climate scientists from the UK, Australia and Panama. Corals are colonies of simple animal cells but most rely on photosynthetic algae for their energy and nutrients.
This study has been topping environmental news this week as reported by CBS News on Monday, April 8.
"Coral reefs are the most diverse of all ocean ecosystems with up to 25% of ocean species depending on them for food and shelter,” said lead author Lester Kwiatkowski, a PhD student from Mathematics at the University of Exeter. “They are believed to be vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification, but ours is the first study to show a clear link between coral growth and the concentration of particulate pollution in the atmosphere."
Dr Paul Halloran of the Met Office Hadley Centre explained that particulate pollution reflects incoming sunlight and makes clouds brighter. “This can reduce the light available for coral photosynthesis, as well as the temperature of surrounding waters,” he said. “Together these factors are shown to slow down coral growth."
The authors used a combination of records retrieved from within the coral skeletons, observations from ships, climate model simulations and statistical modeling. Their analysis shows that coral growth rates in the Caribbean were affected by volcanic aerosol emissions in the early 20th century and by aerosol emissions caused by humans in the later 20th century.
The researchers hope that this work will lead to a better understanding of how coral growth may change in the future, taking into account not just future carbon dioxide levels, but also localized sources of aerosols such as industry or farming.
"Our study suggests that coral ecosystems are likely to be sensitive to not only the future global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration but also the regional aerosol emissions associated with industrialization and decarbonization, said Professor Peter Mumby of the University of Queensland .
The research was supported by a NERC grant, the University of Exeter and the EU FORCE project.
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The research was published in the online edition of Nature Geoscience on Monday, April 7, by a team of climate scientists from the UK, Australia and Panama. Corals are colonies of simple animal cells but most rely on photosynthetic algae for their energy and nutrients.
This study has been topping environmental news this week as reported by CBS News on Monday, April 8.
"Coral reefs are the most diverse of all ocean ecosystems with up to 25% of ocean species depending on them for food and shelter,” said lead author Lester Kwiatkowski, a PhD student from Mathematics at the University of Exeter. “They are believed to be vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification, but ours is the first study to show a clear link between coral growth and the concentration of particulate pollution in the atmosphere."
Dr Paul Halloran of the Met Office Hadley Centre explained that particulate pollution reflects incoming sunlight and makes clouds brighter. “This can reduce the light available for coral photosynthesis, as well as the temperature of surrounding waters,” he said. “Together these factors are shown to slow down coral growth."
The authors used a combination of records retrieved from within the coral skeletons, observations from ships, climate model simulations and statistical modeling. Their analysis shows that coral growth rates in the Caribbean were affected by volcanic aerosol emissions in the early 20th century and by aerosol emissions caused by humans in the later 20th century.
The researchers hope that this work will lead to a better understanding of how coral growth may change in the future, taking into account not just future carbon dioxide levels, but also localized sources of aerosols such as industry or farming.
"Our study suggests that coral ecosystems are likely to be sensitive to not only the future global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration but also the regional aerosol emissions associated with industrialization and decarbonization, said Professor Peter Mumby of the University of Queensland .
The research was supported by a NERC grant, the University of Exeter and the EU FORCE project.
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