Possibility of high CO2 fixation rate by coral reef ecosystems

Previous net rates of CO2 fixation by coral reef ecosystems have been said to be nearly zero due to a balance between CO2 fixed by organic carbon production and CO2 released by both organic carbon decomposition and inorganic carbon formation. But this study showed net rates of about 7 gC m(-2)d(-1) inside a coral reef and on a coral reef. We found by experiment that the photosynthetic rate of coral increased with the increase of the flow rate of seawater. We tried to calculate net primary production (= net rates of CO2 fixation) outside a coral reef with flow rate. A flow rate on the coral reef of the open seaside is much higher than that in a lagoon. As an example, the CO2 fixation rates at the flow rates of 6 and 30 cm/s are compared. When we assume that the length of the whole coral reef faring the ocean is 50,000 kin and its width is 100m, and the flow rate is 30cm/s, the CO2 fixation rate is calculated to be 6.3 X 10(6)t-C/y (3.5g-C/m(2)d). This value is 2.2 times higher than that at the flow rate of 6 cm/s. This fixation rate is only by the coral itself It means that the CO2 fixation rate by coral reef ecosystems can be much higher and the magnitude for worldwide ecosystems can be in the order of 10(6) similar to 10(7)t-C/Y.