Joanie Kleypas is a marine ecologist/geologist that focuses on how coral reefs and other
marine ecosystems are affected by changes in the Earth's atmosphere and climate. Global
warming, for example, is causing tropical ocean temperatures to increase faster than
corals can adapt, resulting in high rates of coral bleaching. This is one of the major causes
of the present, rapid degradation of coral reef ecosystems. Ocean acidification is another
major threat to coral reefs, because as the oceans absorb much of the CO2 released to the
atmosphere by fossil fuel burning and deforestation, seawater pH declines and reduces the
ability of corals and many other organisms to build their skeletons and shells.

Joanie strives to conduct research that 1) better informs policy makers on what the marine
ecological consequences of various atmospheric levels of CO2 will be (and thus help set CO2
emission targets), and 2) guides efforts to conserve coral reefs and other marine ecoystems
during the high-CO2 window that is inevitable over the next few decades.