NOAA and its international partners funded and conducted a new study of the most acidified reefs to date, finding deep sea corals face the same challenges their shallower water relatives are dealing with in reefs around the world. Submersibles were used to record video off the ocean in Southern California, where scientists measured the most acidified water ever recorded on living reefs.
While scientists were already aware that some areas of the global ocean are acidifying due to the absorption of increased fossil fuel emissions, this new study unlocked more information about the porosity of corals, leading to the weakening of the structures at critical locations.
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Image via NOAA.