Modelling effects of geoengineering options in response to climate change and global warming: Implications for coral reefs

Climate change will have serious effects on the planet and on its ecosystems. Currently, mitigation efforts are proving ineffectual in reducing anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. Coral reefs are the most sensitive ecosystems on the planet to climate change, and here we review modelling a number of geoeng...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computational biology and chemistry 2009-12, Vol.33 (6), p.415-420
Main Author: Crabbe, M.J.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
Afforestation
Albedo
Animals
Anthozoa - growth & development
Biochar
Bleaching
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon Dioxide - analysis
Caribbean
CCS
Climate
Computational Biology
Computer Simulation
Coral growth
Downwelling
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
El niño
Engineering - trends
Global Warming
Great Barrier Reef
Interdecadal
IPCC
Satellite
Scleractinian
Small islands
SST
Symbiosis
Tropics
Weather
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Summary:Climate change will have serious effects on the planet and on its ecosystems. Currently, mitigation efforts are proving ineffectual in reducing anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. Coral reefs are the most sensitive ecosystems on the planet to climate change, and here we review modelling a number of geoengineering options, and their potential influence on coral reefs. There are two categories of geoengineering, shortwave solar radiation management and longwave carbon dioxide removal. The first set of techniques only reduce some, but not all, effects of climate change, while possibly creating other problems. They also do not affect CO 2 levels and therefore fail to address the wider effects of rising CO 2, including ocean acidification, important for coral reefs. Solar radiation is important to coral growth and survival, and solar radiation management is not in general appropriate for this ecosystem. Longwave carbon dioxide removal techniques address the root cause of climate change, rising CO 2 concentrations, they have relatively low uncertainties and risks. They are worthy of further research and potential implementation, particularly carbon capture and storage, biochar, and afforestation methods, alongside increased mitigation of atmospheric CO 2 concentrations.
ISSN:1476-9271
1476-928X
DOI:10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2009.09.004