紅海中的珊瑚無法承受高溫: 紅海表面溫度的不斷上升正在威脅居住在珊瑚礁內(nèi)并制造珊瑚礁的珊瑚蟲,。研究人員說,，如果目前的暖化趨勢繼續(xù)下去的話，那么,，到2070年的時候,，紅海中所有珊瑚的生長都會停止。 Neal Cantin及其同知道,，自1970年代中期開始,，熱帶海水溫度已經(jīng)上升了0.4至1.0攝氏度,。 因此,，研究人員應(yīng)用3D影像技術(shù)來監(jiān)控紅海中的珊瑚（Diploastrea heliopora）的生長。他們發(fā)現(xiàn),，自1998年以來,，那些表觀健康的珊瑚群落的骨架延伸或增長已經(jīng)衰減了30%。
他們還觀察到,，自那時起,，這些珊瑚礁的鈣化率也已經(jīng)下降了約18%。 Cantin及其同僚將他們的數(shù)據(jù)與來自Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change的氣候模擬進行結(jié)合后意識到,，紅海中的珊瑚生長有可能在本世紀(jì)末的時候最終走向停止,。 不過，他們還注意到,，這種珊瑚同樣能夠從1940年代初的某一短暫的溫暖事件中快速地恢復(fù),，從而提示，如果該地區(qū)的氣溫暖化能夠放緩的話,，人們?nèi)匀挥邢Ｍ梢酝炀冗@些紅海的珊瑚礁,。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1190182
Ocean Warming Slows Coral Growth in the Central Red Sea
Neal E. Cantin,* Anne L. Cohen,* Kristopher B. Karnauskas, Ann M. Tarrant, Daniel C. McCorkle
Sea surface temperature (SST) across much of the tropics has increased by 0.4° to 1°C since the mid-1970s. A parallel increase in the frequency and extent of coral bleaching and mortality has fueled concern that climate change poses a major threat to the survival of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Here we show that steadily rising SSTs, not ocean acidification, are already driving dramatic changes in the growth of an important reef-building coral in the central Red Sea. Three-dimensional computed tomography analyses of the massive coral Diploastrea heliopora reveal that skeletal growth of apparently healthy colonies has declined by 30% since 1998. The same corals responded to a short-lived warm event in 1941/1942, but recovered within 3 years as the ocean cooled. Combining our data with climate model simulations by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we predict that should the current warming trend continue, this coral could cease growing altogether by 2070.
