A. Often heralded as the 'rainforests of the sea', coral reef ecosystems are among the most biodiverse and economically valuable on the planet. They support an estimated 25% of all marine species, provide livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people, and buffer coastlines from the destructive power of waves and storms. However, these vibrant underwater cities are facing an existential crisis. The twin drivers of anthropogenic climate change – rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification – are pushing reefs to the brink. While the phenomenon of coral bleaching, a direct result of warmer waters, is visually stark and widely reported, the more insidious threat of ocean acidification poses a fundamental challenge to the very existence of coral structures. B. The chemistry underlying ocean acidification is a direct consequence of the prodigious amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) humanity has pumped into the atmosphere. The ocean, acting as a colossal carbon sink, absorbs approximately a quarter of this anthropogenic CO2. When dissolved in seawater, CO2 undergoes a series of chemical reactions, the first of which forms carbonic acid (H2CO3). This weak acid then dissociates, releasing…
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