Pat Shingleton for July 10, 2008
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A bleached-white section of coral reef is dead. A recent government report indicates half the coral reefs in the United States are in either poor or fair condition. “ABC World News Tonight” reports coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean, and experts say many are dying. As a home to thousands of species, the reefs provide recreational viewing, spawning grounds for fish and a source of medicine. A painkiller has been extracted from one reef inhabitant, the cone snail; and reefs can absorb the waves of a tsunami. The cause is the sea absorbing increasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is acidic and corrosive to coral.
Fastcast: More showers.
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