NSTA Web Seminar: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems Ocean Acidification Presented by Dr. Dwight Gledhill, NOAA LIVE INTERACTIVE YOUR DESKTOP Thursday, April 2, 2009

2 Ocean Acidification What it is and what it means… NSTA Elluminate Web Seminar 2009 Presented by: Dr. Dwight Gledhill Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory Assisted on the chat by: Dr. Mark Eakin (Coral Reef Watch) Tyler Christensen (Coral Reef Watch) Paulo Maurin (Coral Reef Conservation Prog.) Bruce Moravchik (NOAA)

PART I Making the case for a Balanced Budget Amendment 3

The Growing Challenge of Population & Energy 4 er_population2.jpg _growth.jpg

5 Global “Weirding” Slide provided by John Dunne (GFDL)

Global “Weirding” Slide provided by John Dunne (GFDL)

7 Keeping a Balanced Budget 1 Gt = 1,000,000,000 tons UNESCO (2006) Updated from Sabine et al (2004), SCOPE 62 Slide provided by John Dunne (GFDL)

8 Keeping a Balanced Budget Slide provided by John Dunne (GFDL) UNESCO (2006) Updated from Sabine et al (2004), SCOPE 62 1 Gt = 1,000,000,000 tons

9 Let’s Pause for Two Questions.

PART II Ocean Acidification That “Other” CO 2 Problem 10

The Basic Chemistry ≈ 48% of anthropogenic CO 2 taken up by the ocean CO 2

The Basic Chemistry ≈ 48% of anthropogenic CO 2 taken up by the ocean CO 2

The Basic Chemistry ≈ 48% of anthropogenic CO 2 taken up by the ocean CO 2

Poll Question Based on the previous equation, if the CO 2 concentration increases what will happen to the pH? A)pH goes up (become more basic) B)pH goes down (becomes more acidic) C)pH stays the same due to buffering action

The Basic Chemistry pH CO 3 2- CO 2(aq) Wolf-Gladrow et al., 1999

The Basic Chemistry pH CO 3 2- CO 2(aq) Wolf-Gladrow et al., 1999

17 Derived surface (50 m) values obtained using on-line data available at and solved using the Lewis E. and Wallace D.W.R. (1998) Basic program for CO 2 system in seawater. ORNL/CDIAC-105, Oak Ridge National Labhttp://hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/hot-dogs/ NOAA CMDL CCGG CO 2 data at Mauna Loa, HI

Plant/Animal/Mineral 18 Reef Community Slide after of Joan Kleypas, NCAR

Poll Question What is currently considered the primary threat posed to coral reefs by "Ocean Acidification"? A) corals will dissolve B) reef growth will be compromised C) corals will expel their zooxanthellae D) there will be fewer fish E) coral will grow too quickly

A)corals will dissolve B)reef growth will be compromised C)corals will expel their zooxanthellae D)there will be fewer fish E)coral will grow too quickly

21 Let’s Pause for Two Questions.

PART III My Favorite Greek Letter What it means and where it’s going… 22

23 Saturation State (  ) W> 1  precipitation  1  dissolution Saturation state describes the degree to which a solution is saturated with respect to a mineral phase

24 Important Benthic Calcifiers NOAA SW Ross Impacts of Increasing Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs and Other Marine Calcifiers: A Guide for Future Research, 2006

25 Coccolithophores T. Tyrrel Forams Important Planktonic Calcifiers H. Spero C. Farmer Images courtesy of Joan Kleypas, NCAR

26 Carbonate Shells Provide Many Functions D. Lea P. Harrison T Hughes Slide courtesy of Joan Kleypas, NCAR 1.Protection 2.Buoyancy 3.Light modification 4.Reproduction 5.Anchoring to the substrate 6.Extension above the bottom 7.Competition for space

after Feely et al (in press) with Modeled Saturation Levels from Orr et al (2005) Predictions of Ocean Acidification in the Global Oceans Aragonite Saturation State

after Feely et al (in press) with Modeled Saturation Levels from Orr et al (2005) Aragonite Saturation State Predictions of Ocean Acidification in the Global Oceans

PART IV 30

31 Biosphere 2 Aquaria/ Mesocosm s SHARQ Measured responses of marine calcifying organisms to increased pCO2

Ocean Acidification: Impacts on Corals and Reefs

Calcification Bioerosion Dissolution Coral Reef “Growth” in the Balance

Calcification Bioerosion Dissolution

35 Let’s Pause for Two Questions.

PART V 36

37

Fraction Bleached pH 380 ppm 520 – 700 ppm 1000 – 1300 ppm

40

41 The Eastern Tropical Pacific goes Global? Should atmospheric CO 2 levels achieve 550 ppm most tropical coral reefs will reside in waters akin to the Tropical East Pacific

42 Let’s Pause for Two Questions.

PART VI Trouble comes in…. 43

44 Deep-Water Coral Reef Ecosystems Mapped distribution of known deep(cold)-water coral Freiwald, A 2004; environment/destructive/problem_en.htm

45 “ Living on the Edge” of the Aragonite Saturation Horizon 45 Aragonite Saturation Horizon (ASH) Deep-Water Coral Reef Ecosystems

Guinotte et al., 2006  95% of deep-sea coral above ASH surface Aragonite Saturation Horizon (ASH) Deep-Water Coral Reef Ecosystems

Guinotte et al., 2006 surface Aragonite Saturation Horizon (ASH) Deep-Water Coral Reef Ecosystems

Guinotte et al., 2006 surface Aragonite Saturation Horizon (ASH) Deep-Water Coral Reef Ecosystems

Guinotte et al., 2006  25% of deep-sea coral above ASH surface Aragonite Saturation Horizon (ASH) Deep-Water Coral Reef Ecosystems

50 Let’s Pause for Two Questions.

PART VII What we don’t know … 51

52

53 The Big Questions Remain? Effects on Ocean Food Webs? Effect on Coral Reef Ecosystems? Species Adaptation? Climate Feedbacks? Increased Ocean Stratification? Terrestrial Input? Physiological Mechanisms? Carbonate chemistry on reefs?

54 Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-bed: A nexus of monitoring a research OA activities in the Greater Caribbean uniting autonomous and discrete sampling platforms in concert with process and modeling studies. LaParguera/La_Parguera_main.htm. NOAA PMEL MAPCO2 (Jan, 2009) USGS SHARQ Mesocosm (March, 2009) NOAA AOML ICON (Jan, 2006) Columbia Univ. boundary layer flux machine (Feb, 2009)

55 Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-bed: A nexus of monitoring a research OA activities in the Greater Caribbean uniting autonomous and discrete sampling platforms in concert with process and modeling studies. Parguera/La_Parguera_main.htm. NOAA PMEL MAPCO2 (Jan, 2009) USGS SHARQ Mesocosm (March, 2009) NOAA AOML ICON (Jan, 2006) Columbia Univ. boundary layer flux machine (Feb, 2009)

56 NOAA PMEL MAPCO2 (Jan, 2009) USGS SHARQ Mesocosm (March, 2009) NOAA AOML ICON (Jan, 2006) Columbia Univ. boundary layer flux machine (Feb, 2009) Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-bed: A nexus of monitoring a research OA activities in the Greater Caribbean uniting autonomous and discrete sampling platforms in concert with process and modeling studies. Parguera/La_Parguera_main.htm. Respiration Calcification CO 2

57 NOAA PMEL MAPCO2 (Jan, 2009) USGS SHARQ Mesocosm (March, 2009) NOAA AOML ICON (Jan, 2006) Columbia Univ. boundary layer flux machine (Feb, 2009) Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-bed: A nexus of monitoring a research OA activities in the Greater Caribbean uniting autonomous and discrete sampling platforms in concert with process and modeling studies. Parguera/La_Parguera_main.htm. Photosynthesis Dissolution CO 2

58 NOAA PMEL MAPCO2 (Jan, 2009) USGS SHARQ Mesocosm (March, 2009) NOAA AOML ICON (Jan, 2006) Columbia Univ. boundary layer flux machine (Feb, 2009)  arg Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-bed: A nexus of monitoring a research OA activities in the Greater Caribbean uniting autonomous and discrete sampling platforms in concert with process and modeling studies. Parguera/La_Parguera_main.htm.

PART VIII 59 Some Final Thoughts

60

Trajectory of Global Fossil Fuel Emissions Raupach et al. 2007, PNAS

Trajectory of Global Fossil Fuel Emissions Raupach et al. 2007, PNAS

Raupach et al 2007, PNAS World F (emissions) P (population) g = G/P h = F/G Factor (relative to 1990) Emissions Population Drivers of Anthropogenic Emissions

Concluding Remarks Ocean Acidification is a direct chemical response to rising atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 There is mounting evidence that such changes in surface ocean chemistry may challenge marine ecosystems this century. Coral reefs may prove particularly vulnerable through reduced accretion (growth) rages Balance your budget Reduce, reuse, recycle, Act on the best available intel

Special Thanks to for sponsoring this Web Seminar!

NLC screenshot

National Science Teachers Association Dr. Francis Q. Eberle, Executive Director Zipporah Miller, Associate Executive Director Conferences and Programs Al Byers, Assistant Executive Director e-Learning NSTA Web Seminars Paul Tingler, Director Jeff Layman, Technical Coordinator