{"id":30175,"date":"2018-09-05T13:05:31","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T17:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=30175"},"modified":"2018-09-07T13:16:01","modified_gmt":"2018-09-07T17:16:01","slug":"nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems.htm","title":{"rendered":"Nutrient Pollution Accelerating Acidification of Coral Reef Ecosystems"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ocean acidification is a hot topic in scientific circles; even for researchers, it is a deceptively complex issue. Recent work from a team of researchers, students, and alumni from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soest.hawaii.edu\/soestwp\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">University of Hawai&#8217;i at Manoa<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reveals that human activities in the form of nutrient pollution can accelerate the harmful effects ocean acidification has on coral reefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Increasingly vulnerable coral reefs<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coral reefs protect coastal communities against some of the rigors of extreme weather and food insecurity. However, these benefits are mostly dependent upon the complex, fragile, three-dimensional structure of coral reefs. To ensure that coral reefs survive and thrive, bioeroding processes and organisms can&#8217;t outpace calcifying organisms, such as corals, which continue to rebuild the reef&#8217;s structures. When they do, the reef dies faster than it can be rebuilt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study&#8217;s lead author, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nyssasilbiger.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nyssa Silbiger<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, now an assistant professor at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/csun.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">California State University, Northridge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is an alumna of the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.himb.hawaii.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UH Manoa Hawai&#8217;i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at SOEST.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn our study, we did not actually try to tease out the effects of ocean acidification and nutrient pollution,\u201d explains Dr. Silbiger. \u201cRather, we showed that nutrient pollution could make coral reefs even more vulnerable to ocean acidification.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30181\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30181\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30181\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_coral_reef-600x450.jpg\" alt=\"acidification\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_coral_reef-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_coral_reef-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_coral_reef-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_coral_reef-940x705.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_coral_reef.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-30181\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Image of a coral reef in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where the experiment was conducted. (Credit: Nyssa Silbiger, https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/multimedia\/pub\/172376.php?from=396271.)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other research indicates that human activities are producing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that are driving processes such as ocean acidification. These processes are pushing coral reefs toward an overall loss, as the calcifying organisms are not able to keep pace with bioeroding organisms and processes, leading to declines in three-dimensional coral reef frameworks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This research confirms that nutrient pollution renders coral reefs even more vulnerable to ocean acidification, accelerating the shift toward overall loss.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe came to this conclusion by looking at the relationship between reef calcification rates (how fast calcifying organisms, such as corals, create the reef skeleton) and the amount dissolved compounds in the water that are the building blocks of coral reefs (calcium and carbonate),\u201d details Dr. Silbiger. \u201cUnder low nutrient conditions, we saw exactly what we expect to see; the reefs grew faster when there more of these dissolved compounds in the water (we use a parameter called aragonite saturation state to measure this). However, when nutrients were high, this relationship completely broke down. The calcification rates were always low, and the corals were not able to capitalize on the important compounds that help them grow. Ocean acidification is driving down the concentrations of the dissolved compounds that are necessary for corals to build their skeletons, so together with nutrient pollution, it is like a one-two punch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Mini-reefs, in distress<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The researchers collected samples of carbonate sand, coral, macroalgae, and rubble from the fringing reef of Coconut Island at the Hawai\u2018i Institute of Marine Biology at a predetermined collection site. The goal was to create mini-reefs under controlled conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30178\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30178\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30178\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_collecting_samples-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"acidification\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_collecting_samples-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_collecting_samples-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_collecting_samples-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_collecting_samples-940x626.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_collecting_samples.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-30178\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Lead author Nyssa Silbiger (CSUN) and co-author Megan Donahue (HIMB) collecting water samples during the experiment at the Hawai&#8217;i Institute of Marine Biology. (Credit: Henry Shiu, https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/multimedia\/pub\/172378.php?from=396271)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe did this experiment in an outdoor aquarium facility so that the mini-reefs experienced natural light,\u201d Dr. Silbiger describes. \u201cIn addition to nutrients, we also controlled the temperature and water flow to make sure that all of the aquariums were the same.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They collected and prepared 36 clonal coral fragments or nubbins of two dominant coral species in the area. The nubbins were allowed to recover for two days, and then weighed and randomly assigned to mini-reefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe collected the two most dominant coral species in Kaneohe Bay, where the experiment was conducted,\u201d remarks Dr. Silbiger. \u201cThese two species were Montipora <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">capitata<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Porites <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">compressa<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We also collected a dominant seaweed, Gracilaria salicornia, dead coral skeleton that contains a community of bioeroding organisms (organisms that natural break down the coral skeleton), and sand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highly fouled pieces algae were removed from the G. salicornia specimens prior to the experiment, which were then wet weighed and randomly assigned to mini-reefs. 36 sand cores of the same size, 7 centimeters in diameter by 2.5 centimeters deep, were collected, analyzed, and placed in the mini-reefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_30179\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30179\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30179\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-600x800.jpg\" alt=\"acidification\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-940x1253.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_nubbins-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-30179\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Montipora capitata coral nubbins from the Kewalo Marine Laboratory. (Credit: By Narrissa Spies [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons)<\/span><\/p><\/div><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team continuously added nitrate and phosphate to the mini-reefs. They then compared the mini-reefs to a control, mimicking natural systems, measuring calcification, dissolution, photosynthesis, and respiration\u2014the four critical ecosystem functions of coral reef communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPhotosynthesis and respiration are important metabolic rates that essentially describe how fast organisms breathe,\u201d Dr. Silbiger states. \u201cOur study showed that nutrients always increased respiration rates in the corals, seaweeds, and rubble and sand communities. It also increased photosynthesis in the coral and sand communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interestingly, the team also found that changes in photosynthesis and respiration rates can also change the pH. CO2 is removed from the water column during photosynthesis and released during respiration. CO2 reacts with seawater, altering pH through a chain of chemical reactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTherefore, if nutrients are changing photosynthesis and respiration rates, they are also indirectly changing local pH,\u201d explains Dr. Silbiger. \u201cTo put this into perspective, what we call &#8216;ocean acidification&#8217; is the global change in ocean pH due to the absorption of CO2 from fossil fuels. As nutrient pollution can indirectly change pH, together with global ocean acidification they could have compounding effects on coral reefs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Intertwined communities: corals and humans<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the team confirmed the existing consensus that nutrients from fertilizers indirectly affect coral reefs by giving an edge to seaweeds and other organisms that can overwhelm reefs, the team also found that nutrient pollution can directly reduce the ability of corals to construct reefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCalcification and dissolution describe how fast the skeletal framework of the reef is being built (calcification) or broken down (dissolution),\u201d details Dr. Silbiger. \u201cBoth are natural processes, but in order for coral reefs to persist, the rate of calcification has to be higher than the rate of dissolution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30183\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30183\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30183\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_experimental_setup-600x374.png\" alt=\"acidification\" width=\"600\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_experimental_setup-600x374.png 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_experimental_setup-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_experimental_setup-768x479.png 768w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_experimental_setup-940x586.png 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_experimental_setup-343x213.png 343w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_experimental_setup.png 1216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-30183\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Experimental set-up for (a) individual reef constituents and (b) mixed communities. (Credit: Silbiger, et al., http:\/\/rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org\/content\/285\/1880\/20172718.figures-only)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Researchers had already proven that ocean acidification increases rates of dissolution. The question that the current study answered in the affirmative was whether nutrient pollution could accelerate this process and make reefs more vulnerable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe framework of the reef provides essential ecosystem services that are important for human health and our economy,\u201d asserts Dr. Silbiger. \u201cFor example, fish and other marine life that we eat use the highly complex skeletons that corals create as shelter. In addition, the coral reef framework has the capacity to absorb up to 90% of wind-driven wave energy from storms, protecting our coastline. If reefs lose their &#8216;function&#8217; to calcify, they will also lose these important &#8216;services&#8217; to protect our coastlines and provide food to local communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In essence, the nutrient pollution from human activities is creating a compounded problem that in the end will affect human settlements in very serious ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur study shows that local stressors like nutrient pollution and global stressors like ocean acidification are interacting and accelerating the breakdown of coral reefs,\u201d states Dr. Silbiger. \u201cOur data indicate that both local management actions such as reducing nutrient runoff and seepage into groundwater, and global management actions such as reducing global CO2 emissions, are required to protect reefs from declining rapidly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30180\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30180\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30180\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_cellecting2-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"acidification\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_cellecting2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_cellecting2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_cellecting2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_cellecting2-940x626.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_cellecting2.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-30180\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Co-author Zach Quinlan (UH) and lead author Nyssa Silbiger (CSUN) collecting water samples during the experiment at the Hawai&#8217;i Institute of Marine Biology. (Credit: Henry Shiu, https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/multimedia\/pub\/172377.php?from=396271.)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The research team will soon be working to determine how other coral reef denizens, such as fishes, impact these processes, the overall function of coral reef ecosystems, and their resilience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCoral reefs are complex networks and many reef processes affect coral reef resilience,\u201d remarks Dr. Silbiger. \u201cWe are excited to incorporate higher trophic levels, which include fishes, into our future experiments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The researchers hope that these findings and their importance are not missed by those in a position to make management decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe hypothesized that nutrients could directly alter how reef organisms balance the chemical cycling of the reef, but the strength of the findings did surprise us,\u201d adds Dr. Silbiger. \u201cNutrients from fertilizers are often thought to impact reefs indirectly. What this work emphasizes is that the nutrients directly compromise how corals and other reef organisms breathe and how their metabolism influences the chemistry of the reef, making the whole system more susceptible to the global threats reefs face from ocean acidification.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Top image: Porites compressa. (Credit: By Philippe Bourjon [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A team has found that nutrient pollution accelerates acidification of coral reefs, directly impacting them and pushing them toward a net loss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":30213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,5,6,8,44,510],"tags":[1003,695,877,60,109,669,1004,962],"class_list":["post-30175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-atmosphere","category-featured-articles","category-monitoring_tech-htm","category-newsfeed","category-oceans-coasts","category-water-quality","tag-acidification","tag-co2","tag-coral-reefs","tag-featured","tag-news-ticker","tag-nutrients","tag-soest","tag-university-of-haifa"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nutrient Pollution Accelerating Acidification of Coral Reef Ecosystems<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A team has found that nutrient pollution accelerates acidification of coral reefs, directly impacting them and pushing them toward a net loss.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nutrient Pollution Accelerating Acidification of Coral Reef Ecosystems\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A team has found that nutrient pollution accelerates acidification of coral reefs, directly impacting them and pushing them toward a net loss.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Environmental Monitor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-09-05T17:05:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-09-07T17:16:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Accel_Acid_Porites_compressa.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Karla Lant\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Karla Lant\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems.htm#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems.htm\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Karla Lant\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/51170f7bfa3a05b94cea6f517ce4e79b\"},\"headline\":\"Nutrient Pollution Accelerating Acidification of Coral Reef Ecosystems\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-09-05T17:05:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-09-07T17:16:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems.htm\"},\"wordCount\":1511,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/nutrient-pollution-accelerating-acidification-of-coral-reef-ecosystems.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/Accel_Acid_Porites_compressa.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"acidification\",\"CO2\",\"coral reefs\",\"featured\",\"news ticker\",\"nutrients\",\"SOEST\",\"University of Haifa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Earth &amp; 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