NOCS: We should be concerned about coral reef damage

Some of the world's most beautiful stretches of coral reefs are being damaged and it is an issue that should be prompting cause for concern, according to one company.

Dr Toby Tyrrell, specialist in ocean acidification at the National Oceanography Centre of Southampton (NOCS), stated that damage is being inflicted on coral reefs that is potentially devastating.

"Potential impacts include loss of most or all coral reefs outside aquaria, a lot fewer shellfish, wider impacts on ocean ecosystems and the ocean's role in the carbon cycle and climate," he warned.

Mr Tyrrell continued that eco structures such as Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef are under threat and "the latest evidence says that they are already being strongly affected by the acidification that has already happened".

A report from the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystem Cooperative Research Centre found that acid levels in the oceans are rising as the world's waters absorb 30 per cent of the planet's annual carbon dioxide emissions.