Enter the Dead Zone

Mankind's carbon emissions are making it hard for marine life to breathe

Around a third of our carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning fossil fuels ends up dissolved in the oceans. One result of this is the acidification of seawater, which is harming marine organisms. One third of the planet's reef-building corals face extinction due to this changing chemistry.

But there is another negative effect: The more the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, the less oxygen there is, making it harder for marine animals to respire. The end result: dead zones.

Now, according to a recent report on ScienceDaily.com, a new study by scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) shows that these dead zones, "devoid of aerobic life," will likely increase dramatically over the next century.

GET INVOLVED

• Sign the International Declaration of Reef Rights
• Analyze and reduce your impact on the environment with the National Grid Floe
• Sign the "We Can Solve It" petition for a global treaty on climate change

RELATED POSTS

• Coral Reefs: Here Now, Gone Tomorrow? (April 3, 2009)
• 13.7 BILLION YEARS EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Philip Renaud, Executive Director, Living Oceans Foundation (Part 1 of 5) (March 15, 2009)
• Oceanic Acid Trip (March 10, 2009)
• Google Earth Goes Deep (February 5, 2009)
• Indonesia Creates Asian Reef Conservation Group (November 24, 2008)
• Hundreds of Species Discovered on Great Barrier Reef (September 21, 2008)
• One-Third of Coral Reefs Face Extinction (July 11, 2009)

image: map of the Mississippi River basin, showing sub-basins and the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico (Environmental Protection Agency)