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Altered States: What Will Coral Reefs Look Like in the Future?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2017

Joanie A. Kleypas
Joanie A. Kleypas*
Affiliation:
Climate & Global Dynamics/Integrated Science Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research, PO Box 3000, Boulder CO 80307-3000
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Abstract

Future environmental conditions for coral reefs are rapidly approaching states outside the ranges reefs have experienced for thousands to millions of years. Coral reef ecosystems, once thought to be robust to climate change because of their ability to bounce back after large scale physical impacts, have proven to be sensitive to both temperature rise and ocean acidification. Predicting what coral reefs will look like in the future is not an easy task, and one that is likely to be proven flawed. The discussion presented here is a starting point for those predictions, mostly from the perspective of reef building and ocean acidification.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Paleontological Society Papers , Volume 17: Corals and Reefs: Crises, Collapse and Change , October 2011 , pp. 131 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by The Paleontological Society 

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