Page 279 - The Virgin Islands

Dangers to Coral Reefs

S ince the beginning of the Industrial experienced on Earth for at least the last
Revolution, the release of carbon diox- 800,000 years and probably over 20 million
ide (CO2) from human activities has result- years, and is expected to continue to rise
ed in atmospheric CO2 concentrations that at an increasing rate, leading to significant
have increased from approximately 280 temperature increases in the atmosphere
to 385 parts per million. The atmospheric and oceans in the coming decades.
concentration of CO2 is now higher than