Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Response of Coral Reefs to Global Warming

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Coral Reef Science

Part of the book series: Coral Reefs of the World ((CORW,volume 5))

Abstract

The atmospheric CO2 crossed over 400 ppm and we must prepare for a “+2 °C world” during this century. Coral reefs are directly related to each scenario of global warming: increase in CO2 results in ocean acidification and suppresses calcification, rise in sea surface temperature leads to severe bleaching, and sea level rise causes submergence of coral reefs and atoll islands. They are the most sensitive ecosystem and act as an early warning system to examine and predict response of ecosystem to the global warming. Records of bleaching events and SST for the last 17 years in the northwest Pacific show that 2 °C SST rise would induce severe bleaching of coral reefs. Reduction of ocean surface water pH by 0.3 would cause shift from hard coral to non-calcifying macroalgae or soft coral populations in coral reefs. Submergence of coral reefs by sea level rise of up to one meter results in a loss of their breakwater function and in atoll islands submergence of national land. “+2 °C world” is the threshold to maintain coral reefs. Factors of global warming and responses of coral reefs are coupled to form feedback loops, which enhance or stabilize the changes within a system.

The original version of this chapter was revised. An erratum to this chapter can be found at DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54364-0_9.

An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54364-0_9

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anthony KRN, Kline DI, Diaz-Pulido G, Dove S, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2008) Ocean acidification causes bleaching and productivity loss in coral reef builders. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105:17442–17446

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anthony KRN, Kleypas JA, Gattuso JP (2011) Coral reefs modify their seawater carbon chemistry – implications for impacts of ocean acidification. Glob Change Biol 17:3655–3666

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker AC, Glynn PW, Riegl B (2008) Climate change and coral reef bleaching: an ecological assessment of long-term impacts, recovery trends and future outlook. Estuar Coast Shelf S 80:435–471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burrows MT, Schoeman DS, Buckley LB, Moore P, Poloczanska ES, Brander KM, Brown C, Bruno JF, Duarte CM, Halpern BS, Holding J, Kappel CV, Kiessling W, O’Connor MI, Pandolfi JM, Parmesan C, Schwing FB, Sydeman WJ, Richardson AJ (2011) The pace of shifting climate in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Science 334:652–655

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crook ED, Potts D, Rebolledo-Vieyra M, Hernandez L, Paytan A (2012) Calcifying coral abundance near low-pH springs: implications for future ocean acidification. Coral Reefs 31:239–245

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dadhich AP, Nadaoka K, Yamamoto T, Kayanne H (2012) Detecting coral bleaching using high-resolution satellite data analysis and 2-dimensional thermal model simulation in the Ishigaki fringing reef, Japan. Coral Reefs 31:425–439

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doney SC, Balch WM, Fabry VJ, Feely RA (2009) Ocean acidification: a critical emerging problem for the ocean sciences. Oceanography 22:16–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fabricius KE, Langdon C, Uthicke S, Humphrey C, Noonan S, De’ath G, Okazaki R, Muehllehner N, Glas MS, Lough JM (2011) Losers and winners in coral reefs acclimatized to elevated carbon dioxide concentrations. Nat Clim Chang 1:165–169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frieler K, Meinshausen M, Golly A, Mengel M, Lebek K, Donner SD, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2013) Limiting global warming to 2°C is unlikely to save most coral reefs. Nat Clim Chang 3:165–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujita M, Suzuki J, Sato D, Kuwahara Y, Yokoki H, Kayanne H (2013) Anthropogenic impacts on water quality of the lagoonal coast of Fongafale Islet, Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu. Sustain Sci 8:381–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glynn PW (1993) Coral-reef bleaching – ecological perspectives. Coral Reefs 12:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall-Spencer JM, Rodolfo-Metalpa R, Martin S, Ransome E, Fine M, Turner SM, Rowley SJ, Tedesco D, Buia MC (2008) Volcanic carbon dioxide vents show ecosystem effects of ocean acidification. Nature 454:96–99

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hamanaka N, Kan H, Yokoyama Y, Okamoto T, Nakashima Y, Kawana T (2012) Disturbances with hiatuses in high-latitude coral reef growth during the Holocene: correlation with millennial-scale global climate change. Glob Planet Chang 80–81:21–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harii S, Hongo C, Ishihara M, Ide Y, Kayanne H (2014) Impacts of multiple disturbances on coral communities at Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, during a 15 year survey. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 509:171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Bruno JF (2010) The impact of climate change on the world’s marine ecosystems. Science 328:1523–1528

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A, Hatziolos ME (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318:1737–1742

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hongo C (2012) Holocene key coral species in the Northwest Pacific: indicators of reef formation and reef ecosystem responses to global climate change and anthropogenic stresses in the near future. Quat Sci Rev 35:82–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hongo C, Kayanne H (2010) Relationship between species diversity and reef growth in the Holocene at Ishigaki Island, Pacific Ocean. Sediment Geol 223:86–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hongo C, Kayanne H (2011) Key species of hermatypic coral for reef formation in the Northwest Pacific during Holocene sea-level change. Mar Geol 279:162–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hongo C, Yamano H (2013) Species-specific responses of corals to bleaching events on anthropogenically turbid reefs on Okinawa island, Japan, over a 15-year period (1995–2009). Plos One 8:e60952

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hongo C, Kawamata H, Goto K (2012) Catastrophic impact of typhoon waves on coral communities in the Ryukyu Islands under global warming. J Geophys Res Biogeol 117:G02029

    Google Scholar 

  • Inoue S, Kayanne H, Yamamoto S, Kurihara H (2013) Spatial community shift from hard to soft corals in acidified water. Nat Clim Chang 3:683–687

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jokiel PL, Coles SL (1990) Response of Hawaiian and other Indo-Pacific reef corals to elevated-temperature. Coral Reefs 8:155–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kayanne H (1992) Deposition of calcium carbonate into Holocene reefs and its relation to sea-level rise and atmospheric CO2. In: Proceedings of the 7th international coral reef symposium 1:50–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Kayanne H, Harii S, Ide Y, Akimoto F (2002) Recovery of coral populations after the 1998 bleaching on Shiraho Reef, in the Southern Ryukyus, NW Pacific. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 239:93–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kayanne H, Hata H, Kudo S, Yamano H, Watanabe A, Ikeda Y, Nozaki K, Kato K, Negishi A, Saito H (2005) Seasonal and bleaching-induced changes in coral reef metabolism and CO2 flux. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 19

    Google Scholar 

  • Kayanne H, Yasukochi T, Yamaguchi T, Yamano H, Yoneda M (2011) Rapid settlement of Majuro Atoll, central Pacific, following its emergence at 2000 years CalBP. Geophysical Research Letters 38:L20405

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleypas JA, Anthony KRN, Gattuso JP (2011) Coral reefs modify their seawater carbon chemistry – case study from a barrier reef (Moorea, French Polynesia). Glob Chang Biol 17:3667–3678

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu G, Skirving WJ, Strong AE (2003) Remote sensing of sea surface temperatures during 2002 barrier reef coral bleaching. Eos Trans AGU 84:137–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu G, Strong AE, Skirving WJ, Arzayus LF (2006) Overview of NOAA coral reef watch program’s near-real-time satellite global coral bleaching monitoring activities. In: Proc 10th Int Coral Reef Symp 2, pp 1783–1793

    Google Scholar 

  • McLean RF, Woodroffe CD (1994) Coral atolls. In: Carter B, Woodroffe CD (eds) Coastal evolution: late quaternary shoreline morphodynamics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 267–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Monastersky R (2013) Global carbon dioxide levels near worrisome milestone. Nature 497:13–14

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Montaggioni LF (2005) History of Indo-Pacific coral reef systems since the last glaciation: development patterns and controlling factors. Earth-Sci Rev 71:1–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morse JW, Andersson AJ, Mackenzie FT (2006) Initial responses of carbonate-rich shelf sediments to rising atmospheric pCO(2) and “ocean acidification”: role of high Mg-calcites. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 70:5814–5830

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moss RH, Edmonds JA, Hibbard KA, Manning MR, Rose SK, van Vuuren DP, Carter TR, Emori S, Kainuma M, Kram T, Meehl GA, Mitchell JFB, Nakicenovic N, Riahi K, Smith SJ, Stouffer RJ, Thomson AM, Weyant JP, Wilbanks TJ (2010) The next generation of scenarios for climate change research and assessment. Nature 463:747–756

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ (2009) Phase shifts and the stability of macroalgal communities on Caribbean coral reefs. Coral Reefs 28:761–773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Steneck RS (2008) Coral reef management and conservation in light of rapidly evolving ecological paradigms. Trends Ecol Evol 23:555–563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Hastings A, Edwards HJ (2007) Thresholds and the resilience of Caribbean coral reefs. Nature 450:98–101

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura R, Ando W, Yamamoto H, Kitano M, Sato A, Nakamura M, Kayanne H, Omori M (2011) Corals mass-cultured from eggs and transplanted as juveniles to their native, remote coral reef. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 436:161–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakano Y (2004) Global environmental change and coral bleaching. In: Environment TJCRSaMot (ed) Coral reefs of Japan. Ministry of the Environment, Japan, pp 42–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Nojima S, Okamoto M (2008) Enlargement of habitats of scleractinian corals to north and coral bleaching events. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 74:884–888

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osawa Y, Fujita K, Umezawa Y, Kayanne H, Ide Y, Nagaoka T, Miyajima T, Yamano H (2010) Human impacts on large benthic foraminifers near a densely populated area of Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands. Mar Pollut Bull 60:1279–1287

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parmesan C, Yohe G (2003) A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature 421:37–42

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Patel SS (2006) A sinking feeling. Nature 440:734–736

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paulay G, Benayahu Y (1999) Patterns and consequences of coral bleaching in Micronesia (Majuro and Guam) in 1992–1994. Micronesica 31:109–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Plummer LN, Mackenzie FT (1974) Predicting mineral solubility from rate data – application to dissolution of magnesian calcites. Am J Sci 274:61–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poloczanska ES, Brown CJ, Sydeman WJ, Kiessling W, Schoeman DS, Moore PJ, Brander K, Bruno JF, Buckley LB, Burrows MT, Duarte CM, Halpern BS, Holding J, Kappel CV, O’Connor MI, Pandolfi JM, Parmesan C, Schwing F, Thompson SA, Richardson AJ (2013) Global imprint of climate change on marine life. Nat Clim Chang 3:919–925

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter V, Leberer T, Gawel M, Gutierrez J, Burdick D, Torres V, Lujan E (2005) Status of the coral reef ecosystems of Guam University of Guam Marine Laboratory Technical Report, Guam 68p

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheffer M, Carpenter S, Foley JA, Folke C, Walker B (2001) Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature 413:591–596

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schofield JC (1977) Effect of late Holocene sea-level fall on atoll development. N Z J Geol Geophys 20:531–536

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman J, Lazar B, Cao L, Caldeira K, Erez J (2009) Coral reefs may start dissolving when atmospheric CO2 doubles. Geophys Res Lett 36:GL036282

    Google Scholar 

  • Sugihara K, Sonoda N, Imafuku T, Nagata S, Ibusuki T, Yamano H (2009) Latitudinal changes in hermatypic coral communities from West Kyushu to Oki Islands in Japan. J Jpn Coral Reef Soc 11:51–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi A, Kurihara H (2013) Ocean acidification does not affect the physiology of the tropical coral Acropora digitifera during a 5-week experiment. Coral Reefs 32:305–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Woesik R, Sakai K, Ganase A, Loya Y (2011) Revisiting the winners and the losers a decade after coral bleaching. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 434:67–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Woesik R, Houk P, Isechal AL, Idechong JW, Victor S, Golbuu Y (2012) Climate-change refugia in the sheltered bays of Palau: analogs of future reefs. Ecol Evol 2:2474–2484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veron JEN, Minchin PR (1992) Correlations between sea-surface temperature, circulation patterns and the distribution of hermatypic corals of Japan. Cont Shelf Res 12:835–857

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veron JEN, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Lenton TM, Lough JM, Obura DO, Pearce-Kelly P, Sheppard CRC, Spalding M, Stafford-Smith MG, Rogers AD (2009) The coral reef crisis: the critical importance of < 350 ppm CO2. Mar Pollut Bull 58:1428–1436

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe A, Yamamoto T, Nadaoka K, Maeda Y, Miyajima T, Tanaka Y, Blanco AC (2013) Spatiotemporal variations in CO2 flux in a fringing reef simulated using a novel carbonate system dynamics model. Coral Reefs 32:239–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson C (2002) Status of coral reefs of the world 2002. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson C, Linden O, Cesar H, Hodgson G, Rubens J, Strong AE (1999) Ecological and socioeconomic impacts of 1998 coral mortality in the Indian Ocean: an ENSO impact and a warning of future change? Ambio 28:188–196

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodroffe CD, McLean RF, Smithers SG, Lawson EM (1999) Atoll reef-island formation and response to sea-level change: West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Mar Geol 160:85–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamaguchi T, Kayanne H, Yamano H (2009) Archaeological investigation of the landscape history of an oceanic atoll: Majuro, Marshall islands. Pac Sci 63:537–565

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto S, Kayanne H, Terai M, Watanabe A, Kato K, Negishi A, Nozaki K (2012) Threshold of carbonate saturation state determined by CO2 control experiment. Biogeosciences 9:1441–1450

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto S, Kayanne H, Tokoro T, Kuwae T, Watanabe A (2015) Total alkalinity flux in coral reefs estimated from eddy covariance and sediment pore-water profiles. Limnol Oceanogr 60:229–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamano H, Kayanne H, Yamaguchi T, Kuwahara Y, Yokoki H, Shimazaki H, Chikamori M (2007) Atoll island vulnerability to flooding and inundation revealed by historical reconstruction: Fongafale Islet, Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu. Glob Planet Chang 57:407–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamano H, Sugihara K, Nomura K (2011) Rapid poleward range expansion of tropical reef corals in response to rising sea surface temperatures. Geophys Res Lett 38:GL046474

    Google Scholar 

  • Yara Y, Oshima K, Fujii M, Yamano H, Yamanaka Y, Okada N (2011) Projection and uncertainty of the poleward range expansion of coral habitats in response to sea surface temperature warming: a multiple climate model study. Galaxea J Coral Reef Stud 13:11–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yara Y, Vogt M, Fujii M, Yamano H, Hauri C, Steinacher M, Gruber N, Yamanaka Y (2012) Ocean acidification limits temperature-induced poleward expansion of coral habitats around Japan. Biogeosciences 9:4955–4968

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoneyama S, Seno K, Yamamoto T (2008) Coral bleaching in Hahajima Island, Ogasawara Island chain in 2003. Tokyo Metrop Res Fish Sci 2:81–93

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Hajime Kayanne

Authors
  1. Hajime Kayanne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hajime Kayanne .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo , Tokyo, Japan

    Hajime Kayanne

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Japan

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Kayanne, H. (2016). Response of Coral Reefs to Global Warming. In: Kayanne, H. (eds) Coral Reef Science. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 5. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54364-0_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation