Coral Reefs By Katharina Fabricus: Article Analysis

The article, “Losers and winners in coral reefs acclimatized to elevated carbon dioxide concentrations” by Katharina Fabricus is about how the acidification of the ocean is affecting marine organisms. Acidification is a chain reaction of what happens when the CO2 in the atmosphere is high. Higher CO2 in the atmosphere leads to higher CO2 levels in oceans, when the CO2 dissolves in the seawater it causes carbonic acid to form, and more carbonic acid leads to lower levels of the waters pH, resulting in harm to the aquatic life that inhabits the waters. This experiment, unlike others, focuses on the long-term effects that ocean acidification will have on the coral reefs. The study took place near cool volcanic seeps near the waters of Papua New Guinea on three tropical coral reefs that housed numerous species and organisms. The most ideal coral reef was the “control sight” that was tested: with low CO2 level and a pH of 8.1: it contained very plush and complex coral reefs. As the scientists moved onto waters that …show more content…
The authors do a good job in educating a person as far as acidification, but when it comes to informing them that there are other factors responsible for the destruction of coral reefs- that is where they fall short. As a reader, the impression that is given is “acidification is killing the coral reefs!” While this is true there are also things responsible that out of societies control: like hurricanes and tsunamis that us, as humans, have no power over. On the other hand humans are known for obliterating nature to use it for their benefit: things like overfishing, costal expansion, and careless tourism is taking a toll on the coral reefs. This information would have given the reader more insight into what can be done, as a civilization, to lengthen the lives of the coral