Ocean acidification may make algae flourish

Darkfrog submitted, created time 8 months 2 weeks (www.nytimes.com)

For many of the smallest marine life forms, the biggest issue on the block isn't global warming, it's ocean acidification. Acid in the oceans can dissolve the calcium carbonate that makes up coral's support structure. It was thought that the shells of coccolithophores, a type of algae that forms the base of much of the ocean's ecosystem, would be dissolved as well, and one study says that they will

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Abrupt climate change and collapse of deep-sea ecosystems

davidd submitted, created time 10 months 4 weeks (www.pnas.org)

The article investigated the deep-sea fossil record of benthic ostracodes during periods of rapid climate and oceanographic change over the past 20,000 years in a core from intermediate depth in the northwestern Atlantic. Results show that deep-sea benthic community "collapses" occur with faunal turnover of up to 50% during major climatically driven oceanographic changes.

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Taking the Heat Off Coral

davidd submitted, created time 10 months 4 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

Researchers have found a control mechanism in the western Pacific Ocean that seems to be protecting coral reefs from global warming. The discovery is a welcome bit of good news, the scientists say, because it suggests that some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world might not be in as much jeopardy as previously thought.

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