Basin-scale estimates of pelagic and coral reef calcification in the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• Main Authors: Steiner, Zvi, Erez, Jonathan, Shemesh, Aldo, Yam, Ruth, Katz, Amitai, Lazar, Boaz
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences 2014
• Subjects: Physical Sciences; Indian; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4246267; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25368148; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414323111

This approach of estimating basin-scale calcification rates and the relative role of margins (reefs) versus pelagic carbonate deposition can be applied as a long-term monitoring scheme for the effects of ocean acidification. The database for the response of individual organisms to elevated CO2 levels is growing steadily, but in situ measurements assessing this response are very local. The study demonstrates the feasibility of estimating the relative calcification rates of planktonic and benthic populations over a whole basin and provides a tool for the monitoring of these complex systems on large spatial scales.