The lowering of the ocean’s pH is making it harder for
corals to grow their skeletons and easier for bioeroding organisms to tear them
down. Erosion rates increase tenfold in areas where corals are also exposed to
high levels of nutrients, according to a study published January 2015 in the
journal Geology. As sea level rises, these reefs may have a harder time growing
toward the ocean surface, where they get sunlight they need to survive.