Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are having a
catastrophic effect on microscopic marine life, according to marine
scientists in the
School of Biology. Experiments show microscopic organisms, called
foraminifera (‘forams’), suffer the equivalent of tooth-decay as
seawater becomes more acidic. Since ‘forams’ may number 500,000 in a square meter of sediment, other
organisms further up the food chain are also likely to be affected by
these changes. The findings will be presented at the 3rd annual meeting of the
UK Ocean Acidification Research programme being hosted by the University of
St Andrews, Scotland on 24 July 2013. [
press release]
Full progamme of the
Live webcast of joint UKOA / GOA-ON session
