Thermal stress jeopardizes carbonate production of coral reefs across the western and central Pacific Ocean.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs protect islands, coastal areas, and their inhabitants from storm waves and provide essential goods and services to millions of people worldwide. Yet contemporary rates of ocean warming and local disturbances are jeopardizing the reef-building capacity of coral reefs to keep up with rapid rates of sea-level rise. This study compared the reef-building capacity of shallow-water habitats at 142 sites across a potential thermal-stress gradient in the tropical Pacific Ocean. We sought to determine the extent to which habitat differences and environmental variables potentially affect rates of net carbonate production. In general, outer-exposed reefs and lagoonal-patch reefs had higher rates of net carbonate production than nearshore reefs. The study found that thermal anomalies, parti

SUBMITTER: van Woesik R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8075252 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature