The principal effect of ocean acidification on coral growth is to interfere with the transfer of hydrogen ions between the water column and the coral tissue.
Results from previous studies conflicted, so researchers at the University of Hawaii have been reevaluating the data on ocean acidification.
A result was the “proton flux hypothesis,” explaining the reduction in calcification of corals.
The “proton flux hypothesis” argues the calcification of coral skeletons are dependent on the passage of hydrogen ions between the water column and coral tissue. It agrees with the concept that ocean acidification is lowering coral growth, but provides a new explanation of the process.
Read more at University of Hawaii