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GEOMAR scientist Armin Form works at his lab during a long-term experiment on the effects of lower pH, higher temperatures and "food stress" on the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.
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Deep-water Corals and Acidification

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Researchers can study ocean acidification in the lab by rearing organisms (here, Lophelia deep-sea corals) in seawater with variable pH and measuring if they grow, eat, breathe, reproduce, or develop differently.
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Studying Acidification in the Lab

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A graph showing rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere over time.
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Ocean Acidification Graph

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By pumping enormous test tubes that are 60-feet deep and hold almost 15,000 gallons of water with carbon dioxide to make the water inside more acidic, researchers can study how zooplankton, phytoplankton and other small organisms will adapt in the wild.
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Studying Acidification in the Field

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Where the pH is the lowest, corals can no longer grow - sand, rubble and seagrasses replace the reef.
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Lonely Seagrass in Acidic Waters

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When we use fossil fuels to power our cars, homes, and businesses, we put heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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Tracking Ocean Acidification

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Photo of coral polyp, with a single bleach polyp.
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Corals Threatened by Acid Seas

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Branching coral in naturally acidic water.
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Fragile Branching Corals in Acidic Water

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But closer to the CO2 seeps, the complex reef has been replaced by a “monoculture” of boulder corals.
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Monoculture of Boulder Corals

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A healthy and vibrant coral reef in Papua New Guinea.
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A Healthy Coral Reef

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Acidic waters are also able to completely dissolve coral skeletons.
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Dissolving Coral Skeleton in Acidic Waters

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The acidic waters from the CO2 seeps can dissolve shells and also make it harder for shells to grow in the first place.
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Dissolving Shell

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