Coral reefs could stop growing in 80 years unless greenhouse gases are significantly reduced, new study says

The fate of coral reefs around the world remains grim should global warming continues at its current rate, according to the latest research.

The fate of coral reefs around the world remains grim should global warming continue at its current rate, according to new research. Coral reefs will stop growing in 80 years unless a significant reduction in greenhouse gases is achieved, a new study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests. A team of researchers led by Christopher Cornwall, a marine botanist at the University of Wellington in Australia, analyzed data from 183 reefs worldwide to estimate the effects of ocean warming and acidification, which are posing increasing threats to underwater ecosystems. The calcifying coral reef taxa that constructs the calcium carbonate framework of the reef and cements it together are "highly sensitive" to ocean warming and acidification, the scientists said. Climate change affects both the abundance and the calcification rates, while ocean acidification, which is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels, also reduces the calcification rates.