title: Acceleration of modern acidification in the South China Sea driven by anthropogenic CO₂.
abstract: Modern acidification by the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 can profoundly affect the physiology of marine organisms and the structure of ocean ecosystems. Centennial-scale global and regional influences of anthropogenic CO2 remain largely unknown due to limited instrumental pH records. Here we present coral boron isotope-inferred pH records for two periods from the South China Sea: AD 1048-1079 and AD 1838-2001. There are no significant pH differences between the first period at the Medieval Warm Period and AD 1830-1870. However, we find anomalous and unprecedented acidification during the 20th century, pacing the observed increase in atmospheric CO2. Moreover, pH value also varies in phase with inter-decadal changes in Asian Winter Monsoon intensity. As the level of atmospheric CO2 keeps rising, the coupling global warming via weakening the winter monsoon intensity could exacerbate acidification of the South China Sea and threaten this expansive shallow water marine ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: 1] CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Material and Environment, School of Earth and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China [2] State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Material and Environment, School of Earth and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
authors.forename: Zicheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: 1] CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Material and Environment, School of Earth and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China [2] CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
authors.forename: Renjun
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China.
authors.forename: Shaohua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China.
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Earth Dynamic System Research Center (EDSRC), National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: Earth Dynamic System Research Center (EDSRC), National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Po
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China.
authors.forename: Kefu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environment Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chung-Che
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochronology and Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Gangjian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochronology and Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Luhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environment Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
authors.forename: George S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Burr
authors.affiliation: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environment Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chuan-Chou
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000737:chemistry*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D002681:China; D057894:Coral Reefs; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D057232:Global Warming; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide