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The exposure of the Great Barrier Reef to ocean acidification

Author

Listed:
  • Mathieu Mongin

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Mark E. Baird

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Bronte Tilbrook

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere
    Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre)

  • Richard J. Matear

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Andrew Lenton

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Mike Herzfeld

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Karen Wild-Allen

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Jenny Skerratt

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Nugzar Margvelashvili

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

  • Barbara J. Robson

    (CSIRO Land and Water)

  • Carlos M. Duarte

    (Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

  • Malin S. M. Gustafsson

    (Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster (C3), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney)

  • Peter J. Ralph

    (Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster (C3), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney)

  • Andrew D. L. Steven

    (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere)

Abstract

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is founded on reef-building corals. Corals build their exoskeleton with aragonite, but ocean acidification is lowering the aragonite saturation state of seawater (Ωa). The downscaling of ocean acidification projections from global to GBR scales requires the set of regional drivers controlling Ωa to be resolved. Here we use a regional coupled circulation–biogeochemical model and observations to estimate the Ωa experienced by the 3,581 reefs of the GBR, and to apportion the contributions of the hydrological cycle, regional hydrodynamics and metabolism on Ωa variability. We find more detail, and a greater range (1.43), than previously compiled coarse maps of Ωa of the region (0.4), or in observations (1.0). Most of the variability in Ωa is due to processes upstream of the reef in question. As a result, future decline in Ωa is likely to be steeper on the GBR than currently projected by the IPCC assessment report.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Mongin & Mark E. Baird & Bronte Tilbrook & Richard J. Matear & Andrew Lenton & Mike Herzfeld & Karen Wild-Allen & Jenny Skerratt & Nugzar Margvelashvili & Barbara J. Robson & Carlos M. Duarte , 2016. "The exposure of the Great Barrier Reef to ocean acidification," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-8, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms10732
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10732
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    Cited by:

    1. Baird, Mark E. & Mongin, Mathieu & Rizwi, Farhan & Bay, Line K. & Cantin, Neal E. & Soja-Woźniak, Monika & Skerratt, Jennifer, 2018. "A mechanistic model of coral bleaching due to temperature-mediated light-driven reactive oxygen build-up in zooxanthellae," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 386(C), pages 20-37.

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