Algal Communities: An Answer to Global Climate Change

Human activities and resultant changes in global climate have profound consequences for ecosystems and economic and social systems, including those that are dependent upon marine systems. The increasing concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs) has resulted in gradual modification of multiple aspects of marine ecosystem properties such as salinity, temperature, and pH. It is well known that temporal and spatial variations in environmental properties determine the composition and abundance of different algal populations in a region. Within the present study the evidence for algal compatibility to changing environmental conditions is surveyed. The unique ability of algal communities to play a role in promotion of CO2 sequestration technologies, biorefinery approaches, as well as transition to CO2-neutral renewable energy has gained traction with environmentalists and economists in a view to mitigation of climate change using algae. The next step is to re-evaluate the assumption of a steady-state oceanic carbon cycle and the role of biological activities in response to future climate changes.