The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) report card said the increasing acidity of the oceans caused by carbon dioxide could affect the climate further and hit wildlife, says the Telegraph.
According to the news organisation, the oceans are a huge store of carbon dioxide, which dissolves in the water, and therefore play a significant role in maintaining stability in the climate.
The absorption of more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a result of higher emissions makes the seas more acidic, and in the last 200 years ocean acidity has increased by 30 per cent.
Rising acidity will also hit marine creatures including plankton and shellfish, damaging their ability to grow and reproduce, and in the cases of organisms such as corals reduce their capacity to build shells.
The report said that in the UK, the growing acidity could hit multi-million pound fisheries and aquaculture, while the global value of corals - through food, tourism and shore protection - has been estimated at some 30 billion US dollars (£21 billion).
Climate Change: Acidic Oceans Pose Threat to Fish
UK - The oceans are becoming more acidic at a faster rate than for 65 million years as a result of climate change, a report warns.
