The Great Barrier Reef: Vulnerabilities and solutions in the face of ocean acidification

Type Article
Date 2019-09
Language English
Author(s) Pendleton Linwood1, 2, 3, 4, Hoegh-Guldberg Ove4, 5, 6, Albright Rebecca7, Kaup Anne3, Marshall Paul8, 9, Marshall Nadine10, Fletcher Steve13, Haraldsson Gunnar11, Hansson Lina12
Affiliation(s) 1 : World Wildlife Fund, Global Science, 1250 24th St., NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA
2 : University of Brest, Ifremer, CNRS, UMR 6308, AMURE, IUEM, 29280, Plouzane, France
3 : Duke University, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Durham, NC 90335, USA
4 : University of Queensland, Global Change Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
5 : Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
6 : ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
7 : California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
8 : University of Queensland, Australia
9 : NEOM, Saudi Arabia
10 : CSIRO Land and Water, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
11 : Intellecon, Iceland
12 : International Atomic Energy Agency Environment Laboratories, Monaco
13 : UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Source Regional Studies In Marine Science (2352-4855) (Elsevier BV), 2019-09 , Vol. 31 , P. 100729 (16p.)
DOI 10.1016/j.rsma.2019.100729
WOS© Times Cited 9
Abstract

As living carbonate-based structures, coral reefs are highly vulnerable to ocean acidification. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest continuous coral reef system in the world. Its economic, social, and icon assets are valued at AU$56 billion (Deloitte Access Economics, 2017), owing to its vast biodiversity and services related to commercial and recreational fisheries, shoreline protection, and reef-related tourism and recreation. Ocean acidification poses a significant risk to these ecological and socioeconomic services, threatening not only the structural foundation of the GBR but the livelihoods of reef-dependent sectors of society. To assess the vulnerabilities of the GBR to ocean acidification, we review the characteristics of the GBR and the current valuation and factors affecting potential losses across three major areas of socioeconomic concern: fisheries, shoreline protection, and reef-related tourism and recreation. We then discuss potential solutions, both conventional and unconventional, for mitigating ocean acidification impacts on the GBR and propose a suite of actions that would help assess and increase the region’s preparedness for the effects of ocean acidification.

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How to cite 

Pendleton Linwood, Hoegh-Guldberg Ove, Albright Rebecca, Kaup Anne, Marshall Paul, Marshall Nadine, Fletcher Steve, Haraldsson Gunnar, Hansson Lina (2019). The Great Barrier Reef: Vulnerabilities and solutions in the face of ocean acidification. Regional Studies In Marine Science, 31, 100729 (16p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2019.100729 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00506/61766/