AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
MEDIA RELEASE
AAS 30/10
11 October 2010
Marine ecosystems under stress
The changing chemical composition of oceans is adversely affecting marine ecosystems.
Dr Paul Halloran, from the Meteorology Office Hadley Centre, says that oceans have absorbed a large
amount of carbon dioxide and significantly mitigated climate change.
'But while this benefits society, we know that the carbon dissociates to carbonic acid and reduces the pH,
which in turn has modified the marine chemistry,' he says.
Research showed that ocean carbon dioxide changes had modified the concentration of chemicals
needed by plankton and other marine creatures to produce shells.
'At this stage, it’s very difficult to say what specific changes will occur, but any change within a carefully
balanced ecosystem is likely to have a negative impact on the overall system’s health,' he says.
He will present his overview of the extent of ocean acidification and climate feedback issues to the 2010
UK-Australia Frontiers of Science – Marine Science Meeting being held by the Australian Academy of
Science and the UK Royal Society in Perth, Western Australia, today. The event is part of the world wide
celebrations for the 350th
anniversary of the Royal Society.
'This will be a great meeting because the organisers have realised that by getting scientists from different
fields together, there will be a sharing of knowledge, and the opportunity to look at these pressing
problems from new directions,' Dr Halloran says.
Dr Nick Graham, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in
Townsville, Queensland, will discuss the vulnerability of coral reefs to human induced climate change at
the meeting. He will also assess whether local management could ‘buy time’ for these marine ecosystems
until, and if, the climate is stabilised.
He will also speak about the interactions between coral bleaching and ocean acidification and how this is
likely to impact the long-term maintenance of these complex ecosystems.
'Coral reefs are an indicator of climate change so it’s crucial we understand how they are affected,
especially since it has been predicted that the amount of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere
will exceed thresholds where corals can grow later this century,' he says.
Event: 2010 UK-Australia Frontiers of Science – Marine Science Meeting
Date: 10 to 12 October 2010
Venue: Rendezvous Observation City Hotel, 140 The Esplanade, Scarborough, Perth
Media Contact: Sue McKenna on 0011 61 8 9254 4044 or 0424 196 771
or Kerry Hodson on 0011 61 8 9447 0756 or 0438 565 086
Sue or Kerry at the conference venue on 0011 61 8 9340 5628
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