Climate change an imminent threat to glass sponge reefs

(University of British Columbia) Warming ocean temperatures and acidification drastically reduce the skeletal strength and filter-feeding capacity of glass sponges, according to new UBC research. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, indicate that ongoing climate change could have serious, irreversible impacts on the sprawling glass sponge reefs of the Pacific Northwest and associated biodiversity -- the only known reefs of their kind in the world.