A bleak future (includes Maps); CREDIT: Leslie Carlson Los Angeles Times; GRAPHIC: Acid test; CREDIT: Leslie Carlson Los Angeles Times; GRAPHIC: No shells; CREDIT: Leslie Carlson Los Angeles Times; GRAPHIC: Fragile link; CREDIT: Julie Sheer and Leslie Carlson Los Angeles Times; GAS ENGINE: Geochemist [Ken Caldeira] of the Carnegie Institution says power plants like this one on Monterey Bay have helped fuel the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is then absorbed by the sea, raising its acidity.; PHOTOGRAPHER: Brian Vander Brug Los Angeles Times; AT RISK: Bluestriped snapper school above staghorn coral on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Rising seawater acidity is the latest threat to such sea creatures. The chemical change threatens to weaken coral and create toxic conditions for fish. Some scientists predict a meltdown in the food chain.; PHOTOGRAPHER: Rick Loomis Los Angeles Times; BLEAK RESULT: [Victoria Fabry] found that snails began to dissolve in acidified seawater.; PHOTOGRAPHER: Brian Vander Brug Los Angeles Times