Articles | Volume 15, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-671-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-671-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Review
| 
03 Jun 2024
Review |
| 03 Jun 2024
| 03 Jun 2024
Are physiological and ecosystem-level tipping points caused by ocean acidification? A critical evaluation
Christopher E. Cornwall
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Biological Sciences and Coastal People: Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand
Steeve Comeau
Sorbonne Université, CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Ben P. Harvey
Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan
Labex ICONA International CO2 Natural Analogues Network, Shimoda, Japan
Related authors
Paul Pearce-Kelly, Andrew H. Altieri, John F. Bruno, Christopher E. Cornwall, Melanie McField, Aarón Israel Muñiz-Castillo, Juan Rocha, Renee O. Setter, Charles Sheppard, Rosa Maria Roman-Cuesta, and Chris Yesson
Earth Syst. Dynam., 16, 275–292, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-275-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-275-2025, 2025
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Coral reefs face unprecedented threats from multiple stressors, many of which are linked to human activities. Some stressors have tipping points that, if exceeded, could cause coral collapse. These include temperatures rising 1.2 °C above pre-industrial levels and atmospheric CO2 above 350 parts per million. Uncertainty remains for these thresholds; many stressors interact in ways we do not understand. It is important to study these and employ a precautionary principle when planning our actions.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Paul Pearce-Kelly, Andrew H. Altieri, John F. Bruno, Christopher E. Cornwall, Melanie McField, Aarón Israel Muñiz-Castillo, Juan Rocha, Renee O. Setter, Charles Sheppard, Rosa Maria Roman-Cuesta, and Chris Yesson
Earth Syst. Dynam., 16, 275–292, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-275-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-275-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Coral reefs face unprecedented threats from multiple stressors, many of which are linked to human activities. Some stressors have tipping points that, if exceeded, could cause coral collapse. These include temperatures rising 1.2 °C above pre-industrial levels and atmospheric CO2 above 350 parts per million. Uncertainty remains for these thresholds; many stressors interact in ways we do not understand. It is important to study these and employ a precautionary principle when planning our actions.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Nicolas Metzl, Jonathan Fin, Claire Lo Monaco, Claude Mignon, Samir Alliouane, Bruno Bombled, Jacqueline Boutin, Yann Bozec, Steeve Comeau, Pascal Conan, Laurent Coppola, Pascale Cuet, Eva Ferreira, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Frédéric Gazeau, Catherine Goyet, Emilie Grossteffan, Bruno Lansard, Dominique Lefèvre, Nathalie Lefèvre, Coraline Leseurre, Sébastien Petton, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Christophe Rabouille, Gilles Reverdin, Céline Ridame, Peggy Rimmelin-Maury, Jean-François Ternon, Franck Touratier, Aline Tribollet, Thibaut Wagener, and Cathy Wimart-Rousseau
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-464, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-464, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
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This work presents a new synthesis of 67 000 total alkalinity and total dissolved inorganic carbon observations obtained between 1993 and 2023 in the global ocean, coastal zones and the Mediterranean Sea. We describe the data assemblage and associated quality control and discuss some potential uses of this dataset. The dataset is provided in a single format and include the quality flag for each sample.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Anaïs Lebrun, Cale A. Miller, Marc Meynadier, Steeve Comeau, Pierre Urrutti, Samir Alliouane, Robert Schlegel, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, and Frédéric Gazeau
Biogeosciences, 21, 4605–4620, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4605-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4605-2024, 2024
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We tested the effects of warming, low salinity, and low irradiance on Arctic kelps. We show that growth rates were similar across species and treatments. Alaria esculenta is adapted to low-light conditions. Saccharina latissima exhibited nitrogen limitation, suggesting coastal erosion and permafrost thawing could be beneficial. Laminaria digitata did not respond to the treatments. Gene expression of Hedophyllum nigripes and S. latissima indicated acclimation to the experimental treatments.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Cale A. Miller, Pierre Urrutti, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Steeve Comeau, Anaïs Lebrun, Samir Alliouane, Robert W. Schlegel, and Frédéric Gazeau
Biogeosciences, 21, 315–333, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-315-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-315-2024, 2024
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This work describes an experimental system that can replicate and manipulate environmental conditions in marine or aquatic systems. Here, we show how the temperature and salinity of seawater delivered from a fjord is manipulated to experimental tanks on land. By constantly monitoring temperature and salinity in each tank via a computer program, the system continuously adjusts automated flow valves to ensure the seawater in each tank matches the targeted experimental conditions.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Chloe Carbonne, Steeve Comeau, Phoebe T. W. Chan, Keyla Plichon, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, and Núria Teixidó
Biogeosciences, 19, 4767–4777, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4767-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4767-2022, 2022
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For the first time, our study highlights the synergistic effects of a 9-month warming and acidification combined stress on the early life stages of a Mediterranean azooxanthellate coral, Astroides calycularis. Our results predict a decrease in dispersion, settlement, post-settlement linear extention, budding and survival under future global change and that larvae and recruits of A. calycularis are stages of interest for this Mediterranean coral resistance, resilience and conservation.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Caitlyn R. Witkowski, Sylvain Agostini, Ben P. Harvey, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 16, 4451–4461, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4451-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4451-2019, 2019
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Carbon dioxide concentrations (pCO2) in the atmosphere play an integral role in Earth system dynamics, especially climate. Past climates help us understand future ones, but reconstructing pCO2 over the geologic record remains a challenge. This research demonstrates new approaches for exploring past pCO2 via the carbon isotope fractionation in general algal lipids, which we test over a high CO2 gradient from a naturally occurring CO2 seep.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Steeve Comeau, Peter J. Edmunds, Coulson A. Lantz, and Robert C. Carpenter
Biogeosciences, 14, 3549–3560, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3549-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3549-2017, 2017
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Here we investigate how CO2 enrichment affects the relationships light–production and light–calcification in coral reef communities. For the three communities tested, CO2 did not affect the light–production relationships, while calcification was lower at elevated CO2 for all light levels. Our result indicates that CO2 can modify the balance between net calcification and net photosynthesis of reef communities by depressing community calcification without affecting community photosynthesis.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
Related subject area
Topics: Climate change | Interactions: Ocean/atmosphere interactions | Methods: Other methods
Changes in extreme precipitation patterns over the greater Caribbean and teleconnection with large-scale sea surface temperature
Carlo Destouches, Arona Diedhiou, Sandrine Anquetin, Benoit Hingray, Armand Pierre, Dominique Boisson, and Adermus Joseph
Earth Syst. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2024-15, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2024-15, 2024
Preprint under review for ESD
Short summary
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This work provides a relevant analysis of changes in extreme precipitation over the Caribbean and their link with warming in different ocean basins. It also improves our understanding of the impact of warming on extreme precipitation events, which can cause devastating damage to economic sectors such as agriculture, biodiversity, health, and energy.
This article is included in the Encyclopedia of Geosciences
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Ocean acidification will cause profound shifts in many marine ecosystems by impairing the ability of calcareous taxa to grow and by influencing the photophysiology of many others. Physiological tipping points will likely be reached in the next 20 years. Small changes in organism physiology result in larger ecological tipping points being crossed. Ecosystems will shift from having higher abundances of calcifying taxa and towards increased abundances of non-calcareous species under elevated CO2.
Ocean acidification will cause profound shifts in many marine ecosystems by impairing the...
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