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A team of researchers headed by Dr. Richard Unsworth of Swansea University have discovered a species of seagrass that can photosynthesize carbon dioxide so quickly that it actually increases the alkalinity of the surrounding water.

The protective calcium carbonate that forms around coral is in danger of eroding due to the rising acidity levels in today’s oceans. Unsworth and his team, however, believe that certain species of seagrass can help combat this erosion through photosynthesis.

"Highly productive tropical seagrasses often live adjacent to or among coral reefs and photosynthesise at such rates you can see the oxygen they produce practically bubbling away," Unsworth said.

The study was published this month in the journal  “Open Access Environmental Research Letters.”

Read more in the BBC article.