(Miller, Shishido, Antrim, and Bowlby, 2013, p. 99).
Acidification affects cold-water corals earlier and more
vigorously than warm-water reefs because at deeper depths
seawater is less saturated with carbonate. Cold-water reef
systems are enormous havens of biodiversity for hundreds of
marine species, so maintaining healthy coral reefs provides
beneficial habitat for coral-dependent organisms and helps
create complex reef habitats. Chronic exposure to high CO2
leads to diminished complex coral structures, with long-term
consequences resulting in coral die- off, habitat loss, and
decreased diversity of coral species and the symbiotic
organisms that depend on them (Fabricius, De’ath, Noonan
and Uthicke, 2013, p. 2).
Rising tides from the effects of polar ice-melt due to global
warming will flood coastal environments, impacting marine
ecosystems, gradually weakening susceptible shorelines, and
displacing indigenous communities that depend on the sea for
their survival. The impact of rising sea levels will put stress on
coastal estuaries and mangroves, causing habitat destruction
that affects many species living within these ecosystems. Some
of the animal life would be lost due to habitat destruction
where there would be no alternative habitat for them to use.