Nature & Environment
Coral Growth Hampered by Air Pollution from Volcanic Eruptions
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Apr 08, 2013 07:55 AM EDT
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter states that pollution caused by the presence of fine particles in the air that occurs due to coal burning or volcanic eruptions can hamper the growth of corals.
According to the latest finding, these pollution-causing particles prevent sunlight from reaching the corals, thereby cooling the surrounding waters, which leads to the reduced growth of corals.
Though coral reefs thrive in the deep sea, they respond to changes in the concentration of particulate pollution in the atmosphere.
The study was conducted by a team of climate scientists and coral ecologists from the U.K., Australia and Panama.
"Coral reefs are the most diverse of all ocean ecosystems with up to 25% of ocean species depending on them for food and shelter. They are believed to be vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification, but ours is the first study to show a clear link between coral growth and the concentration of particulate pollution in the atmosphere," said lead author Lester Kwiatkowski, a PhD student from Mathematics at the University of Exeter, in a press statement.
For the current study, researchers worked on records that were taken from within coral skeletons, observations made from ships, climate model replications and statistical modeling.
On analyzing the records they learnt that volcanic aerosol emission in the early 20th century and aerosol emission by humans hampered the growth rate of the corals.
Researchers hope that this study leads to a better understanding of corals and the changes they will undergo in the future because of carbon dioxide and aerosol emissions from industries or farming.
The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
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First Posted: Apr 08, 2013 07:55 AM EDT
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter states that pollution caused by the presence of fine particles in the air that occurs due to coal burning or volcanic eruptions can hamper the growth of corals.
According to the latest finding, these pollution-causing particles prevent sunlight from reaching the corals, thereby cooling the surrounding waters, which leads to the reduced growth of corals.
Though coral reefs thrive in the deep sea, they respond to changes in the concentration of particulate pollution in the atmosphere.
The study was conducted by a team of climate scientists and coral ecologists from the U.K., Australia and Panama.
"Coral reefs are the most diverse of all ocean ecosystems with up to 25% of ocean species depending on them for food and shelter. They are believed to be vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification, but ours is the first study to show a clear link between coral growth and the concentration of particulate pollution in the atmosphere," said lead author Lester Kwiatkowski, a PhD student from Mathematics at the University of Exeter, in a press statement.
For the current study, researchers worked on records that were taken from within coral skeletons, observations made from ships, climate model replications and statistical modeling.
On analyzing the records they learnt that volcanic aerosol emission in the early 20th century and aerosol emission by humans hampered the growth rate of the corals.
Researchers hope that this study leads to a better understanding of corals and the changes they will undergo in the future because of carbon dioxide and aerosol emissions from industries or farming.
The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone