High acidity levels in oceans harming marine life
December 5th, 2010 - 2:03 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Dec 5 (IANS) With acidity levels of the oceans going up greatly, it could harm marine life and consequently impact billions of people who rely on fish as their main protein source.
The new report, published by the UN Environment Programme during the Climate Change talks in Mexico, warns that ocean acifidication makes it harder for coral reefs and shellfish to form skeletons - threatening larger creatures that depend on them for food.
The decline in creatures with shells could trigger an explosion in jellyfish populations. Since the start of the industrial revolution, acidity levels of the oceans have gone up 30 percent, marine biologists say, reports the Daily Mail.
The report, written by Carol Turley of Plymouth University, UK, said: “Ocean acidification has also been tentatively linked to increased jellyfish numbers and changes in fish abundance.”
Jellyfish are immune to the effects of acidification. As other species decline, jellyfish will move in to fill the ecological niche.
Test on lab fish have found that more acidic water rewires their brains, turning them into fish with a death wish.
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- Coral reefs will survive ravages of warming: Scientists - Apr 17, 2012
- Acidic oceans endangering baby corals - Apr 19, 2012
- Could corals survive more acidic oceans? - Apr 02, 2012
- Oceans acidification peaks in 300 mn years - Mar 04, 2012
- Fish lose ability to smell danger in acidic oceans - Jul 18, 2010
- More warm, acidic oceans will require greater reef care - Feb 15, 2011
- Oysters could disappear in next 100 years due to 'acidic oceans' - Nov 07, 2010
- 'Rising CO2 levels threaten aquatic food webs' - May 08, 2012
- Carbon emissions lead to dangerous changes in oceans - Apr 02, 2010
- Carbon leaks shows what coral reef would be like in future - Jun 01, 2011
- 300 new species found in Philippines - Jul 01, 2011
- 75 percent of world's coral reefs under threat: report - Feb 24, 2011
- Carbon emissions speed up ocean acidification - Jan 23, 2012
- How climate change and pollution affect ocean chemistry - Jun 20, 2010
Tags: acidic water, acidity levels, billions, climate change talks, coral reefs, daily mail, ecological niche, fish abundance, industrial revolution, jellyfish, marine biologists, ocean acidification, oceans, plymouth university, protein source, shellfish, shells, skeletons, species decline, turley