How does rising atmospheric CO2 affect marine organisms?

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Volume 12 Number 2:  14 January 2009

Major Report
CO2, Global Warming and Coral Reefs: Prospects for the Future: The ongoing rise in the air's CO2 content has been predicted to play havoc with earth's coral reefs in two different ways: (1) by stimulating global warming, which has been predicted to dramatically enhance coral bleaching, and (2) by lowering the calcium carbonate saturation state of seawater, which has been predicted to reduce coral calcification rates. We evaluate the likelihood of such claims in a new major review paper.

Editorial
Old Trees Growing in a CO2-Accreting Atmosphere: They don't just fade away.

Medieval Warm Period Record of the Week
This issue's Medieval Warm Period Record of the Week comes from Northern Icelandic Shelf, North Atlantic Ocean.

Subject Index Summary
Animals (Insects - Moths): Will the ongoing rise in the air's CO2 content induce moth larvae to devour more of the planet's vegetation?

Journal Reviews
A Century and a Half of Atlantic Hurricane Activity: Do the data reveal a warming-induced increase in storm frequency or intensity?

Tropical Cyclones of the North Atlantic: How has their activity varied over the past century and a quarter?

The Impact of Climate Change on Typhoon Activity: What is the story told by paleotempestology?

Growth Enhancement Due to Elevated CO2 in a Semi-Arid Grassland: Did it experience a progressive decline due to nitrogen limitation over a five-year period?

Pokeweed Responses to Elevated Air Temperature and CO2 Concentration: How similar were they to the responses of non-weedy plants?