Underwater lab the first to plot impact of climate change on reefs

ON AN idyllic coral atoll just a two-hour boat ride from Queensland's Gladstone Harbour, out past the endless line of tankers queued to load coal for export, a half-dozen scientists work frantically against the tide.

Their objective? To explore the consequences of rising atmospheric carbon - which evidence overwhelmingly attributes to the burning of coal and other fossil fuels - on the delicate chemistry of the reef and the creatures living there.

The project team, led by David Kline, a young scientist from the University of Queensland's Global Change Institute, is completing tests on a new underwater laboratory that will expose living corals on the Great Barrier Reef to the more acidic conditions forecast for oceans by the end of the century.

Read on at:

http://tinyurl.com/327j2mh


Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2010-05-24

Login or become a member to join in with this discussion.

directory

Pelagian Dive YachtPelagian Dive Yacht
Feel like you're on a private yacht charter with just ten guests. Pelagian cruises the outer reaches of the exquisite Wakatobi region.

Articles

What the hell is that noise?What the hell is that noise?
One of the mantras often espoused by Instructors and Dive Masters is know your equipment - and when (if) you become a Rescue Diver - the same words are drilled into you, know your buddies equipment! ...
Underwater Card 2