Collaborative Research: Identifying the Role of Basin-scale Climate Variability in the Decline of Atlantic Corals

合作研究：确定盆地规模的气候变化在大西洋珊瑚减少中的作用

• 批准号: 1536368
• 负责人: Daniel Sigman
• 金额: $ 26.48万
• 依托单位: Princeton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2018-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1536368&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Identifying; Role; Basin

Human carbon dioxide emissions are causing measureable changes in ocean conditions. Many of these changes negatively affect coral reef ecosystems, reducing their ability to provide food, arable land, tourist destinations and coastline protection for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. This project focuses on the effects of enhanced stratification, caused by ocean warming, on the growth of reef-building corals across the Caribbean and Bermuda. Enhanced stratification impacts primary productivity which generates food for corals. Initial data generated by the investigators suggest that Atlantic coral growth has declined in the last 5 decades in response to these changes. A laboratory-based experiment is designed to test this hypothesis. If verified, the projected decline in Atlantic primary productivity through the 21st century could potentially rival and will certainly exacerbate the effects of warming and ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems across the North Atlantic. Support is provided for graduate research, and undergraduate participation is facilitated through the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Summer Fellowship and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences-Princeton Environmental Institute Summer Internship Programs. The results will be presented at national and international meetings and disseminated in a timely manner through peer-reviewed publications. All data produced through this program will be archived in the Biological and Chemical Oceanographic Data Management Office.Anthropogenic climate change has emerged as a principle threat to coral reef survival in the 21st century. In addition to ocean warming and acidification, global climate models project enhanced stratification of the upper oceans through the 21st century and a consequent decline in productivity, by up to 50%, in the North Atlantic. This project employs controlled laboratory manipulation experiments to test the link between productivity and growth of the dominant reef-building corals across the Caribbean and Bermuda. Preliminary data generated by the investigators, including multi-decade long coral growth histories and nitrogen isotope ratios of coral tissue and skeleton, suggest that coral growth across the region has declined over the past 50 years in response to productivity changes already underway. If the link between ocean circulation, productivity decline, and coral growth is verified, the projected 21st century decline in productivity could rival and will certainly exacerbate the effects of warming and ocean acidification on North Atlantic coral reef ecosystems.

人类二氧化碳排放正在导致海洋状况发生明显变化。其中许多变化对珊瑚礁生态系统产生负面影响，降低了珊瑚礁为全世界数亿人提供食物、耕地、旅游目的地和海岸线保护的能力。该项目的重点是海洋变暖引起的分层增强对加勒比海和百慕大造礁珊瑚生长的影响。分层的增强会影响为珊瑚提供食物的初级生产力。 研究人员生成的初步数据表明，由于这些变化，过去 5 年来大西洋珊瑚的生长有所下降。一项基于实验室的实验旨在检验这一假设。如果得到证实，预计到 21 世纪大西洋初级生产力的下降可能会与变暖和海洋酸化对整个北大西洋珊瑚礁生态系统的影响相媲美，并且肯定会加剧。通过伍兹霍尔海洋研究所夏季奖学金和百慕大海洋科学研究所-普林斯顿环境研究所夏季实习计划为研究生研究提供支持，并促进本科生的参与。研究结果将在国家和国际会议上公布，并通过同行评审出版物及时传播。通过该计划产生的所有数据都将存档在生物和化学海洋学数据管理办公室。人为气候变化已成为 21 世纪珊瑚礁生存的主要威胁。除了海洋变暖和酸化之外，全球气候模型还预测，到 21 世纪，上层海洋的分层现象将会加剧，北大西洋的生产力将随之下降 50%。该项目采用受控实验室操作实验来测试加勒比海和百慕大主要造礁珊瑚的生产力和生长之间的联系。研究人员生成的初步数据，包括数十年的珊瑚生长历史以及珊瑚组织和骨骼的氮同位素比率，表明在过去 50 年中，由于生产力已经发生变化，整个地区的珊瑚生长有所下降。如果海洋环流、生产力下降和珊瑚生长之间的联系得到证实，预计 21 世纪生产力的下降可能会与变暖和海洋酸化对北大西洋珊瑚礁生态系统的影响相媲美，并且肯定会加剧。