Chapter 7 : Dropping Acid (Angel Jorge)

In Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction, readers are introduced to the One Tree Island on the southernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. On the island, there's a small research station affiliated with the University of Sydney. In the station, teams of scientists from around the world study the chemical composition of the nearby coral reefs. Coral reefs are enormously complex structures: they’re composed of minerals, but also plants and animals. Furthermore, coral reefs can grow over time, meaning that Darwin was wrong to think that they were “fixed” geological structures that had become submerged over time. Kolbert contrasts the elegance and inclusiveness of the coral reefs with the destruction and ground-clearing inherent to the building of a human city. In doing so, Kolbert reinforces one of the book’s most important themes, for most of human history, civilization has flourished at the price of environmental destruction. The impending destruction of the Great Barrier Reef reconfirms the sacrificial relationship between civilization and the environment. During her time on One Tree Island, Kolbert meets a scientist named Ken Caldeira. Caldeira’s research focuses on the impact of carbon dioxide on ocean acidity, but he has also studied the chemical composition of forests and the recent changes in global temperature. Kolbert goes snorkeling with the scientists stationed on One Tree Island and sees beautiful sea life. It’s likely that coral reefs will disappear faster than they’ve disappeared at any point in the past since they face the combined threats of carbon dioxide emissions, overfishing, and pollution. The rising temperature of ocean water also poses a significant threat to coral reefs. "Like the eggs of the ammonites millions of years ago, sperm/egg bundles probably won’t be able to withstand the increasing acidification of the waters," (Page 133). This quote elaborates on the impact humans have had on the natural systems and especially the acidity of the oceans. This relates to the science theme that states that humans alter natural systems.