Coastal ecosystems being ‘burned’ by double whammy of rising temperatures and ocean acidification

Shellfish wiped out and complex habitats reduced to slime-covered barren grounds

High carbon dioxide levels turn seabeds into a mat of slimy algae that smothers life (Nicolas Floc’h)

Coastal ecosystems are being “burned” by rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification, stripping them of life including shellfish and kelp habitats for dolphins, scientists have found.

The deadly combination is stripping complex coastal habitats of their biodiversity and reducing them slime-covered barren grounds, they are warning.

A changing climate is heating the seas, causing ocean “tropicalisation”, while rising levels of carbon dioxide in the water increase acidity.