Ocean acidification, driven by the ocean’s absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), is a pervasive threat to marine life, affecting a wide array of organisms and ecosystem processes beyond the well-known issue of coral bleaching.

Since the 1960s, atmospheric CO2 has risen from about 320 ppm to around 420 ppm, leading to a measurable decrease in ocean pH and altering the carbonate chemistry essential for many marine species .

This chemical shift has profound consequences for marine calcifiers, cephalopods, fish, marine mammals, and the broader food web.

**Marine Calcifiers and Shell-Building Organisms:** Ocean acidification reduces the availability of carbonate ions, making it energetically costly for organisms such as corals, mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters), and certain plankton to build and maintain their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons .

This leads to shell dissolution, impaired growth, and population declines, threatening both ecological stability and aquaculture industries that support coastal communities .

For example, the early life stages of the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) experience reduced growth and higher mortality under acidified conditions .

Pteropods, small shelled planktonic snails crucial to marine food webs, are particularly vulnerable; their shell dissolution under acidified conditions can disrupt food availability for fish and marine mammals, especially in polar regions .

**Cephalopods (Cuttlefish, Octopuses, and Others):** Cephalopods, including cuttlefish and octopuses, are ecologically significant predators and are also affected by ocean acidification, despite not relying on calcium carbonate shells like bivalves.

Acidification induces physiological stress that can impair growth, reproduction, and behavior in these species .

Elevated CO2 levels have been shown to affect their sensory and cognitive functions, potentially reducing their ability to hunt and evade predators .

Additionally, changes in the abundance and health of their prey—many of which are calcifiers—can further impact cephalopod populations by altering food availability .

**Coral Reefs and Associated Biodiversity:** Coral reefs, which support about 25% of all marine species, are among the most vulnerable ecosystems.

Acidification reduces the availability of calcium minerals necessary for corals to build and repair their exoskeletons, weakening reef structures and increasing susceptibility to bleaching and disease .

Without significant greenhouse gas reductions, up to 94% of coral reefs could erode by 2050, with severe consequences for biodiversity and the ecosystem services reefs provide, such as habitat for fish and coastal protection .

**Fish Populations and Fisheries:** Fish, particularly during early life stages (eggs and larvae), are sensitive to acidification and warming.

For example, Pacific cod larvae show reduced growth and survival under these stressors, which could cascade through food webs and impact fisheries .

Commercially important crustaceans like the Dungeness crab are also at risk, with acidification threatening their shell formation and population stability, affecting fishery yields and coastal economies .

Fishermen have observed a decrease in the size and abundance of larger fish, indicating broader ecosystem impacts .

**Marine Mammals and Food Web Disruption:** Marine mammals, including whales and seals, are indirectly affected by ocean acidification through disruptions in their food supply.

Krill, a primary food source for many whales, has experienced a 50% population decline in the North Atlantic, linked to climate change and acidification .

Pteropods, another key prey item, are declining due to acidification, threatening species that rely on them for nutrition .

The decline in these foundational species can cause cascading effects throughout the food web, impacting the feeding, health, and reproductive success of marine mammals .

**Broader Ecosystem and Food Web Impacts:** The decline of plankton and other calcifying organisms due to acidification causes cascading effects throughout marine ecosystems.

Reduced plankton populations lead to decreased food availability for higher trophic levels such as fish and marine mammals, potentially altering species interactions and reducing biodiversity .

In regions like the Southern Ocean, acidification and climate change are driving shifts in species distributions and ecosystem dynamics, with declines in key species like Antarctic krill potentially causing cascading effects .

Nearly 90% of marine species could face high or critical risks under high emissions scenarios, leading to significant shifts in species distributions, interactions, and ecosystem functioning .

**Ecosystem Imbalance and Long-term Projections:** Ocean acidification contributes to ecosystem imbalances by altering species distributions, predator-prey relationships, and community structures, further threatening marine biodiversity .

If current CO2 emission trends continue, ocean acidity is projected to increase by 100-150% by the end of this century, leading to severe declines in fish stocks, disruptions in marine food webs, loss of biodiversity, and negative impacts on human communities reliant on marine resources for food and economic stability .

**Adaptive Responses and Natural Mitigation:** Some species and habitats show potential for adaptation or mitigation.

Sea urchins can prepare their offspring for acidified conditions, though their ability to attach to surfaces is reduced under low salinity and acidification .

Certain coral reef fish in extreme environments have demonstrated unexpected adaptations to high temperatures and CO2 levels .

Seagrass meadows and kelp forests can locally mitigate acidification effects through photosynthesis, raising pH levels and providing refugia for sensitive species like sea urchin larvae and bivalves .

Kelp cultivation on oyster farms has been shown to nullify acidification impacts on bivalves, allowing these populations to thrive despite changing conditions .

**Community-Based and Policy Responses:** Community-led initiatives, such as kelp farming, education, and local monitoring, are emerging as effective strategies to address ocean acidification .

Integrated actions across sustainable development goals, collaboration with local governments, and advocacy for stronger environmental policies targeting carbon emissions are essential .

Organizations like the Sustainable Ocean Alliance empower youth and communities to address ocean health through innovative solutions, supporting research, policy, and education .

Public awareness campaigns and educational outreach, including school activities, are vital for fostering responsibility and proactive measures to protect marine environments .

**Summary for Awareness Materials:** Ocean acidification threatens marine life far beyond coral bleaching.

It impairs shell-building organisms like bivalves and pteropods, stresses cephalopods such as cuttlefish and octopuses, disrupts fish development, and alters entire ecosystems including coral reefs and Antarctic waters .

These changes jeopardize biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal communities.

Promoting awareness and supporting mitigation efforts like kelp farming, seagrass restoration, and CO2 emission reductions are critical to protecting ocean health and the species your school mascot represents.

Including these facts in your Spirit Week posters and pamphlets will help highlight the multifaceted threats of ocean acidification on marine life, including the beloved cuttlefish, and inspire your classmates to take action [ab735511

Ocean acidification, driven by the ocean’s absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), is a pervasive threat to marine life, affecting a wide array of organisms and ecosystem processes beyond the well-known issue of coral bleaching.

Ocean acidification, driven by the ocean’s absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), is a pervasive threat to marine life, affecting a wide array of organisms and ecosystem processes beyond the well-known issue of coral bleaching.

Ocean acidification, driven by the ocean’s absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), is a pervasive threat to marine life, affecting a wide array of organisms and ecosystem processes beyond the well-known issue of coral bleaching.

Since the 1960s, atmospheric CO2 has risen from about 320 ppm to around 420 ppm, leading to a measurable decrease in ocean pH and altering the carbonate chemistry essential for many marine species .

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Utilizing biogeochemical and genetic tools to understand and support clam populations in a changing ocean

Marine bivalves are at risk due to anthropogenic climate change. This poses a threat to commercial aquaculture, and the communities that depend on bivalves for food security. Ocean acidification, the lowering of seawater pH, is of particular concern for marine calcifiers, including bivalves. Ocean acidification occurs as carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere at a rate faster than natural geologic processes can buffer. It is energetically costly for marine calcifiers like clams, mussels, and oysters, to mineralize under acidic conditions, and low pH leads to the dissolution of calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. This problem warrants research on acidification adaptation strategies that will keep coastal populations healthy. Adding calcium carbonate shell hash to coastal sediments may mitigate negative effects of acidification on infaunal shellfish by altering the chemistry of pore fluids, thus providing a potential mitigation strategy for local populations, including species like the Pacific littleneck clam (Leukoma staminea).

Here, I present the first in-depth description of the shell mineralogy, microstructure, body size variability, and geochemical properties of modern L. staminea, a common eastern Pacific, shallow, infaunal bivalve. Additionally, I document the impact of ocean acidification on the shell growth and gene expression of L. staminea, and test whether adding shell hash to its infaunal environement can promote growth under acidified conditions. Juvenile clams were raised in four experimental conditions for 90 days: control seawater, acidified seawater, control seawater with shell hash, and acidified seawater with shell hash. Clam shell weight, soft tissue weight, and new shell growth were measured. The presence of shell hash increased the pH, alkalinity and aragonite saturation state of pore fluids across all treatments, and increased shell growth on average, although growth metrics were variable across and within treatments. Lastly, RNA-sequencing revealed the impacts of experimental acidification on juvenile clam gene expression. Clams grown in the presence of shell hash had gene expression profiles more similar to those grown in control (non-acidified) conditions. In all, this research suggests that adding shell hash to coastal sediments alters the chemistry of pore fluids and buffers against acidic conditions that deleteriously affects clam mineralization.

Kempf H., 2024. Utilizing biogeochemical and genetic tools to understand and support clam populations in a changing ocean. PhD Thesis, University of California, Davis. 33 p. Thesis (restricted access).

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Content: Newswise — When carbon dioxide (CO2) enters the oceans, it can make the water more acidic, which is called ocean acidification. This can make it harder for some ocean creatures, like pteropods, to build and keep their shells. Pteropods are important for the ocean environment.

Pteropods are small sea creatures, including shelled sea butterflies. Not much is known about them because of their size, and they don't survive well in captivity. A team of marine scientists studied the life cycles, abundance, and seasonal changes of shelled sea butterflies in the north-east Scotia Sea, where climate change is happening quickly.

Dr Clara Manno, a researcher at the British Antarctic Survey and the corresponding author of the study published in Frontiers in Marine Science, said that the decrease in pteropod populations in the Antarctic Ocean could have significant consequences for the food web and carbon cycle. She also said that understanding the life cycle of this important organism could help to predict the impact of ocean acidification on the Antarctic ecosystem.

Population stability essential for species survival

To study the life cycle, abundance, and seasonal variability of shelled sea butterflies in the north-east Scotia Sea, a team of marine scientists collected sea butterflies in a sediment trap, a sampling device that was anchored at a depth of 400 meters. Since observing the entire life cycle of sea butterflies in a laboratory setting is impossible, the researchers had to gather information about their spawning, growth rate, and population structure. They were able to reconstruct the sea butterflies' life cycle for a year using the samples from the sediment trap.

The scientists found that the two most commonly collected species, Limacina rangii and Limacina retroversa, have different life cycles and therefore have different levels of vulnerability to changes in the ocean. During the winter months, L. rangii, which is a polar species, can be found as both adults and juveniles, while L. retroversa, a subpolar species, is only found as adults during the winter.

Sea butterflies that exist during the coldest season are more vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification. This is because ocean water is more acidic during this season than during other times of the year due to cooler temperatures that increase CO2 dissolution in the ocean. The researchers explained that the life stages of sea butterflies during this time are more exposed and vulnerable to the effects of ocean acidification.

L. rangii has a survival advantage over L. retroversa because both adults and juveniles coexist during winter, which reduces the risk of population instability if one cohort is vulnerable. In contrast, if one cohort is removed from L. retroversa, the entire population could be at risk.

Prolonged exposure is a survival challenge

The researchers pointed out that although the two species are affected differently, both are likely to suffer harm if they are exposed to unfavorable conditions for prolonged periods.

The scientists cautioned that the intensifying and prolonged events of ocean acidification overlap with the spring spawning period, posing a threat to the most vulnerable life stage, the larvae. This could endanger the future populations of sea butterflies.

The research team plans to further study the sea butterflies in the Scotia Sea to see how they would be affected by the increase in the intensity and duration of ocean acidification events. They will study multiyear sediment trap samples to identify potential changes in the life cycle that may occur due to environmental changes. Dr Jessie Gardner of the British Antarctic Survey, lead author of the study, said this will be the next step in their research.

Journal Link: Frontiers in Marine Science

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

What is the main cause of ocean acidification?

water absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

What is the main cause of ocean acidification?

water absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

This chemical shift has profound consequences for marine calcifiers, cephalopods, fish, marine mammals, and the broader food web.

This chemical shift has profound consequences for marine calcifiers, cephalopods, fish, marine mammals, and the broader food web.

This chemical shift has profound consequences for marine calcifiers, cephalopods, fish, marine mammals, and the broader food web.

**Marine Calcifiers and Shell-Building Organisms:** Ocean acidification reduces the availability of carbonate ions, making it energetically costly for organisms such as corals, mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters), and certain plankton to build and maintain their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons .

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Study explores combined impacts of ocean warming and acidification on pacific cod

Newly hatched Pacific cod larva. (Image credit: NOAA Fisheries/Emily Slesinger)

As the climate changes, the ocean is simultaneously warming and acidifying. Both have been shown to adversely affect the vulnerable early life stages of Pacific cod. But until now, the interplay of these two environmental stressors was unknown.

new NOAA Fisheries study takes a look into the future by replicating predicted Alaska ocean conditions in the laboratory. The study is the first to look at the interactive effects of ocean warming and acidification on Pacific cod. Researchers evaluated the growth and survival of eggs and larvae at combinations of temperature and acidity representing current and future ocean environments. The findings can help improve predictions to ensure climate-ready Alaska fisheries and communities in the future.

Alaska Fish Face Multiple Climate-Driven Stressors

Ocean warming and acidification are escalating faster in Alaska and other high latitude regions than anywhere else on the planet. Alaska produces more than half of the nation’s wild-caught seafood. Local communities depend on the ecosystem for their livelihoods. Understanding how climate-driven stressors will affect these valuable resources is critical to ensuring resilient Alaska communities and a strong blue economy in the future.

Because fish are cold-blooded, temperature profoundly affects their growth and behavior. The effects of acidification are more nuanced. Fish can buffer acidity in the bloodstream but at an energetic cost.

Very young fish—eggs and larvae—tend to be the most sensitive stages of the fish life cycle to both warming and acidification. Unlike adult fish that can move to cooler waters, these tiny creatures are incapable of migrating to more favorable conditions. Subtle differences in their growth and condition can make a big difference to the number of young fish that make it to the adult population.

Laboratory set up for ocean acidification and ocean warming experiments with early stages of Pacific cod. Large tanks in the background provide chilled and ambient seawater that are mixed to temperature. Small round tanks house eggs and larvae at different temperatures and acidification levels. Acidification is controlled by bubbling carbon dioxide into the seawater: more carbon dioxide causes higher acidity (lower pH). (Image credit: NOAA Fisheries/Emily Slesinger)

Pacific cod is an important subsistence food, a key species in the food web, and the second-largest commercial groundfish catch in Alaska. Understanding how warming and acidification together may affect this ecologically, culturally, and commercially valuable species is key to predicting future climate impacts.

“Knowing how individual species will respond to multiple climate stressors helps us put together this puzzle to figure out what species are more vulnerable than others,” Emily Slesinger said. “And that will help guide ecosystem-based fisheries management to ensure their sustainability.”

Partnerships and Unique Laboratory Capabilities Expand Possibilities for Studying Alaska Species

Finding answers posed some hurdles. “It’s really challenging to study these fish that are found in remote and cold environments,” Slesinger said.

They met those challenges through partnerships and a specially equipped laboratory facility.

Fishermen played a key role. To obtain eggs and larvae for experiments, they first needed live adults, ready to spawn. Commercial fishermen used baited fishing pots to catch adults off Kodiak Island during the spawning season.

Fertilized eggs were shipped to the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center Laboratory in Newport, Oregon. The eggs and larvae were reared at six combinations of temperature (3°C, 6°C, 10°C) and acidification (ambient and high acidity). Scientists measured their hatch success, growth, nutritional condition, and mortality throughout the nine-week experiment.

“The Newport lab is very special,” Slesinger said. “What is most unique is our seawater system that can chill water to Arctic temperatures. The lab has the capacity to house many fish at all life stages and the expertise to keep them thriving. And it has the facilities to run these complicated experiments on the younger life stages.”

Experiments Reveal a Dominant Stressor

The study found that overall, Pacific cod’s early life stages were more sensitive to warming than to acidification:

  • Temperature affected all measured traits: growth, condition, and mortality
  • Mortality of both eggs and larvae was highest at the warmest temperature
  • 6°C was the optimal temperature for hatching, condition, and survival
  • At the warmest temperature (10°C), Pacific cod grew the fastest but were in poor condition with high mortality rates
  • At the coldest temperature (3°C), mortality rates were lower, but both growth and condition were also low
  • Acidification effects were more modest and inconsistent
  • The single instance of a negative effect of acidification was at the optimal 6°C temperature

“We’re seeing that either temperature or acidification drove the response—they were not additive. At optimal temperatures, Pacific cod may be impaired by acidification. At the warm temperature, they were overwhelmingly negatively impacted, but there was pretty much no effect of acidification,” Slesinger said. “Our findings suggest that temperature is the dominant stressor and ocean warming is likely the greater threat.”

The research highlights the complexity of species- and stage-specific responses to multiple climatic stressors and the importance of understanding them.

“This work is exciting because we are able to provide information about these fish that can be useful for future management. It is really important to me that my research can be directly helpful to societies, economies, and communities,” Slesinger said. “This research contributes to our common goal of ensuring productive, sustainable fishing into the future.”

Ecomagazine, 30 April 2024. Press release.

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What do shellfish use to build their shells?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

This leads to shell dissolution, impaired growth, and population declines, threatening both ecological stability and aquaculture industries that support coastal communities .

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Rise In CO2 Levels In Air Is Wounding Sundarbans' Marine Life: Scientists

This has been analysed by a team of marine scientists working in the Sunderbans, who said ocean acidification is a part of global warming and climate change. The experts found the pH level of water dropping from around 8.3 in the early 1980s to approximately 7.9 in 2019.

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A continuous increase in the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the air is harming the marine life of the Sunderbans estuary in West Bengal by turning it acidic. Animals, especially with shells such as oysters, clams, crabs, and lobsters, are prone to danger.

This has been analysed by a team of marine scientists working in the Sunderbans, who said ocean acidification is a part of global warming and climate change, Hindustan Times reported. The experts found the pH level of water dropping from around 8.3 in the early 1980s to approximately 7.9 in 2019.

Speaking to the media, Abhijit Mitra, former head of the marine science department (Calcutta University), informed that the western part of Sunderban, close to the urban area, had observed a massive drop in its pH level, while the central part is declining slowly.

Mitra said the decline affects the population of shelled organisms and their shell size as well, which has become thinner and smaller. Fishermen said that several fish and other animals have gotten smaller, and they hardly get big ones.

Their population has also fallen by 35-40 per cent in the western area.

"The size of Saccostrea cucullata, a species of edible oyster around Kakdwip and Namkhana fishing harbour, has dropped by over 40 per cent. In the central Sunderbans, the size of the species has dropped by around 20 percent," the media quoted him as saying.

Asst. Professor of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Punyasloke Bhadury, explained that water contains calcium and carbonate ions, which the shelled animals need to develop and corals to build the reef. But the acidity reduces these components in the water, affecting the shell size and slowing down the growth of reefs.

Experts said the decline in the pH level is alarming. Just as the slightest drop in the pH level of a human body (pH 7.35 to 7.45) can make them sick, the same takes a heavy toll on marine animals.

The scientists said the decline is not just in Sunderbans but other estuaries as well.

Also Read: Rajasthan Bride Asks Father To Build Girls Hostel With Money Set Aside For Marriage

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Sea urchins are struggling to 'get a grip' as climate change alters ecosystems

When you are driving through a rain storm, traction is key. If your tires lack sufficient tread, your vehicle will slip and slide, and you won't have the grip needed to maneuver safely. When torrential rains hit near-shore, shallow water ecosystems, sea urchins experience a similar challenge. Heavy precipitation can alter the concentration of salt in the ocean waters, causing lower salinity levels. Even a slight change in salinity can affect the ability of sea urchins to securely attach their tube feet to their surroundings—like tires gripping the road. This becomes a matter of life and death for the small spiny creatures, as they rely on their adhesive structures to move in the wave-battered rocky area near the seashore.

Syracuse University biologists have co-authored a study exploring how sea urchin adhesive abilities are affected by differing levels of water . The work is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

The survival of is vital for maintaining balance within marine ecosystems. Sea urchins are responsible for grazing around 45% of algae on coral reefs. Without sea urchins, coral reefs can become overgrown with macroalgae, which can limit the growth of corals. With the importance of for coastal protection and preservation of biodiversity, it is critical to safeguard the sea urchin population.

As causes weather extremes ranging from heat waves and droughts to heavy rains and flooding, the large amounts of freshwater pouring into nearshore ecosystems are altering habitats. A team of biologists, led by Austin Garner, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology, studied the impacts of low salinity and how it alters sea urchins' ability to grip and move within their habitat. Garner, who is a member of Syracuse University's BioInspired Institute, studies how animals attach to surfaces in variable environments from the perspective of both the life and physical sciences.

The team's study sought to understand how sea urchin populations will be affected by future extreme climatic events.

"While many marine animals can regulate the amount of water and salts in their bodies, sea urchins are not as effective at this," says Garner. "As a result, they tend to be restricted to a narrow range of salinity levels. Torrential precipitation can cause massive amounts of freshwater to be dumped into the ocean along the coastline causing rapid reductions in the concentration of salt in seawater."

The group's research was conducted at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL). The study's lead author, Andrew Moura, who is a graduate student in Garner's lab at Syracuse, traveled to FHL along with Garner and researchers from Villanova University to conduct experiments with live green sea urchins. They worked alongside former FHL postdoctoral scholar Carla Narvaez, who is now an assistant professor of biology at Rhode Island College, and Villanova University professors Alyssa Stark and Michael Russell.

At FHL, the researchers separated sea urchins into 10 groups based on differing salinity levels within each tank, from normal to very low salt content. Among each group, they tested metrics including righting response (the ability for sea urchins to flip themselves over), locomotion (speed from one point to another) and adhesion (force at which their tube feet detach from a surface). In Garner's lab at Syracuse, he and Moura completed data analysis to compare each metric.

The team found that sea urchin righting response, movement, and adhesive ability were all negatively impacted by low salinity conditions. Interestingly, though, sea urchin adhesive ability was not severely impacted until very low salinity levels, indicating that sea urchins may be able to remain attached in challenging near-shore environmental conditions, even though activities that require greater coordination of tube feet (righting and movement) may not be possible.

"When we see this decrease in performance under very low salinity, we might start seeing shifts in where sea urchins might be living as a consequence of their inability to remain stuck in certain areas that experience low salinity," explains Moura. "That could change how much sea urchin grazing is happening and could have profound ecosystem effects."

Their work provides critical data that enhances researchers' ability to predict how important animals like sea urchins will fare in a changing world. The adhesion principles Garner and his team are exploring could also come in handy for human-designed adhesive materials—work that aligns with the Syracuse University BioInspired Institute's mission of addressing global challenges through innovative research.

"If we can learn the and molecular mechanisms that allow sea urchins to secrete a permanent adhesive and use it for temporary attachment, we could harness that power into the design challenges or our adhesives today," says Garner. "Imagine being able to have an adhesive that is otherwise permanent, but then you add another component, and it breaks it down and you can go stick it again somewhere else. It's a perfect example of how biology can be used to enhance the everyday products around us."

More information: Andrew J. Moura et al, Hyposalinity reduces coordination and adhesion of sea urchin tube feet, Journal of Experimental Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245750

Journal information: Journal of Experimental Biology

Citation: Sea urchins are struggling to 'get a grip' as climate change alters ecosystems (2023, August 2) retrieved 2 August 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-08-sea-urchins-struggling-climate-ecosystems.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

it slows their growth
it can kill shellfish

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

it slows their growth
it can kill shellfish

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

For example, the early life stages of the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) experience reduced growth and higher mortality under acidified conditions .

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Content: Thin fish, small catches: can Japan’s sushi culture survive climate crisis?

·5 min read

There is little at Shiogama seafood market to suggest that Japanese consumers could one day be deprived of their favourite seafood – from giant crab’s legs simmering in a winter nabe hotpot to spheres of salmon roe resting on a bed of rice wrapped in nori seaweed.

Stalls heave with huge sides of bluefin tuna, expertly transformed into more manageable portions by knife-wielding workers, while early-morning shoppers pause to inspect boxes of squid, flounder and sea pineapples landed only hours earlier.

Despite the bounty on display in this small port town, a growing body of scientific evidence – backed up by anecdotes from fishermen – points to a bleak future for Japanese cuisine as a result of the climate emergency.

Miki Seino, a Shiogama stallholder, flashes a look of weary recognition when the Observer points at her display of sanma – or Pacific saury – an autumn delicacy in Japan, where it is often served grilled or raw as sushi and sashimi.

“The catches are smaller, and the fish are thinner than they were a few years ago. We have heard about how rising sea temperatures are affecting catches here in Tohoku,” said Seino, referring to the region in north-east Japan. “And they are a lot more expensive now.”

Japan’s fisheries agency has cited changes in the marine environment due to global heating as the cause of smaller catches of saury, as well as squid, salmon and other staples of the Japanese diet.

The emergence of warm water masses in the Kuroshio – a warm north-easterly ocean current off the east coast of Japan – has pushed saury’s spawning migratory path further offshore, where food is less plentiful, resulting in depleted stocks and poorer quality fish.

Dr Aiko Yamauchi, vice-president of Seafood Legacy, a Japan-based consulting firm that supports sustainable seafood businesses and environmental groups, says catches of species venerated by the Japanese have been in steep decline since 2014.

It is possible, Yamauchi said, “that other fish species will experience poor catches similar to or worse than at present. We are very concerned that if this happens, the majority of Japanese fisheries, which supply around half of the country’s seafood, will be exposed to serious damage.”

Hundreds of miles south-west of Shiogama, fishing communities in Kochi prefecture are fretting over large catches of unusually fatty skipjack tuna, a local delicacy often eaten raw.

Kochi’s arc-shaped bay has traditionally been a fertile fishing ground, but bigger fish could be a warning rather than a blessing. The average surface temperature of the bay in winter has risen by 2C over the past four decades – meaning there is more food for the fish. But in the long term, warmer waters could spell disaster, preventing mineral-rich water from rising to the surface, resulting in fewer smaller fish to feed on – and fewer skipjack tuna.

Shin-ichi Ito, a professor at Tokyo University’s Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, said rising sea temperatures meant some species, including yellowtail and Spanish mackerel, were now being found in unusual locations.

“These species are being caught further north than they were 10 years ago, and this could be the result of climate change,” he said, adding that other hardy perennials of Japanese cuisine were under threat, including kelp on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido and, near the mouth of Tokyo Bay, seaweed used to make nori.

Not even sushi’s pungent accompaniment is safe, according to experts. They say the increasing frequency and severity of storms is destroying wasabi farms, while rising temperatures are threatening farmers’ ability to cultivate the delicate vegetable, which can only grow in water kept at a consistent 10-15C throughout the year.

Salmon, another sushi staple, is also at risk, Ito said. “Fish are unable to control their own body temperatures … the only option is for them to migrate northwards.” Simulations of sea temperature changes, he added, suggest that salmon could disappear from the waters around Hokkaido in Japan’s far north in a matter of decades.

“These changes will inevitably affect the Japanese diet as some species disappear, but they also mean we will see more invasive species,” he said.

A future in which crustaceans have disappeared from the menu seems unthinkable, but ocean acidification risks making that a reality. A rise in seawater temperature makes it more difficult for shellfish and crustaceans to form calcium carbonate, adversely affecting the growth of popular seafood such as scallops, clams and oysters, as well as crabs and shrimps.

“Most people can’t grasp how serious these problems are because they feel they will occur far into the future after they are long gone,” Ito said. “What happens in the year 2100 isn’t their problem … but we are at a tipping point now.”

Jun Hoshikawa has witnessed changes to the local catch first-hand from his home on Yakushima island, a Unesco world natural heritage site of natural beauty where he has lived for four decades. He is seeing fewer yellowtail, but bigger numbers of fish that used to be found further south. “The northern shift in habitats is likely to become a wider trend for many marine species as a result of rising sea temperatures”, said Hoshikawa, a former executive director of Greenpeace Japan.

“Unfortunately, most Japanese people haven’t yet noticed the subtle changes in the seafood they’re eating, although I expect that to change in the coming years.”

As mid-morning approaches, Shiogama market is filling up with regular customers and tourists who can mix and match ingredients to create their own kaisen donburi – raw seafood on rice, seasoned with soy sauce and wasabi.

The dish is a celebration of local produce that changes with the passing months. Seino, though, wonders for how long. “We are selling fish in the autumn and winter that we used to have only in the summer,” she said. “It feels like the seasons don’t matter any more.”

Reuters contributed reporting

At what stage of life are calcium carbonate-based organisms most vulnerable to changes in water pH?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

it slows their growth
it can kill shellfish

At what stage of life are calcium carbonate-based organisms most vulnerable to changes in water pH?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

it slows their growth
it can kill shellfish

Pteropods, small shelled planktonic snails crucial to marine food webs, are particularly vulnerable; their shell dissolution under acidified conditions can disrupt food availability for fish and marine mammals, especially in polar regions .

Title:

Content: Earth to Us

Meet the Miami-Based Artist Devoted to Coral Conservation

On a crisp November afternoon, Brazilian artist and marine researcher Beatriz Chachamovits stands before a group of eager children at the Jewish Community Center in Davie, Florida. When she begins by asking, “Does anyone know what a coral is?”, 25 voices chorus back countless answers. Chachamovits smiles, and it’s clear she’s in her element.

This marine-ecology lesson and coral-sculpting workshop is part of Chachamovits’s initiative Modeling the Reef, a public education project for young children in South Florida designed to create awareness around coral-reef conservation. “I want the future stewards of the ocean to fall in love with it,” she tells Vogue.

Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. They’ve been on the planet for an estimated 500 million years. And though they only make up 1% of the ocean, they’re home to 25% of all known marine species, including turtles, octopuses, lobsters, oysters, sea stars, and thousands of variegated fish. Reefs are essential coastal barriers that provide protection from land erosion, floods, and storms. They are valuable sources of food, medicine, economic support, and cultural heritage to more than a billion people. Yet the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that by 2050 most coral reefs around the world will be close to gone.

Growing up in landlocked São Paulo, Chachamovits didn’t have much access to the ocean during her childhood. It wasn’t until her late- teenage years, during a trip to Bahía, a coastal state in northeastern Brazil, that she first encountered corals up close. “I remember I dove into a tiny underwater cave where the light came in beautifully, making corals of all colors and sizes shimmer,” Chachamovits recalls. “There were small schools of fish and miniature shrimps gathering sea dust. Within the glittering sand, there was a magnificent spotted ray and all sorts of creatures swaying from side to side. I had never witnessed such harmony and precision. At that moment, I realized that was my purpose. I thought, Why isn’t anyone talking about this? I felt transformed.”

Now, the Miami-based artist has devoted her career to educating others about the urgent issues related to coral-reef decline by translating scientific studies into gorgeous artworks. Through breathtaking drawings, sculptures, and installations, Chachamovits illuminates many of the dangers coral reefs confront today, including coral bleaching, plastic pollution, and ocean acidification. “Art is a powerful instrument to make others feel something, to make them care. And I’m interested in creating dry dives as a way of showing a veiled ecosystem that most people don’t have access to,” she explains.

One of her most celebrated artworks, Carcass (2020), is an entirely handmade ceramic piece that features pure white endangered coral species surrounded by camouflaged toothbrushes, water bottles, and other items of trash made from the same material. Despite its undeniable beauty, the mesmerizing milky sculpture conjures feelings of sadness as it illustrates coral bleaching, a devastating phenomenon that has affected more than 75% of the world’s reefs and has been harsh enough to kill 30% of them.

“People often think corals are minerals or plants,” Chachamovits says. “They have no idea that corals are animals.” In fact, she goes on to clarify, corals are colonial organisms composed of thousands of individual animals called polyps. Tropical corals, which live in shallow waters and make up barrier reefs, have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae algae that live on their tissues, providing food, oxygen, and extraordinary bright colors. In return, corals supply the algae with the environment they need to thrive.

Rising water temperatures due to global warming have deeply affected this relationship by causing severe stress in corals. “When corals are stressed, algae create toxins instead of food, which makes corals expel them out of their tissue. What is left is transparent tissue that reveals their calcareous bones. And that loss of color is what we know as bleaching,” Chachamovits explains. Studies have shown that stabilizing water temperatures could reverse some cases of bleaching. But without algae, corals lose their main source of food and oxygen, become susceptible to disease, and eventually die.

Bleaching is not the only threat coral reefs currently face. To Kill With Water (2017), another piece by Chachamovits, features a series of coral clay figures within water-filled acrylic tanks that, over time, melt before the viewer’s eyes. This work illustrates ocean acidification—a destabilization of the ocean’s pH caused by excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere—and demonstrates the effects of CO2 pollution on ocean creatures who, like most corals, require calcium to build their shells and skeletons.

In 2018, Chachamovits moved to Florida to be closer to the third-largest barrier reef in the world. It goes on for more than 360 miles, stretching from Dry Tortugas National Park in Key West to the St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County. This ecosystem, teeming with underwater wonders, is home to around 1,400 species, though today most of the reef is at grave risk due to overfishing, climate change, rapid development, and disease. Chachamovits is currently working on a permanent piece for the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science that will illustrate the changes between a healthy and a struggling reef and highlight endangered species of Florida’s ecosystem, including many the Frost’s Coral Lab is currently working to protect. The artwork is set to be revealed in early 2022.

Chachamovits is intent on effectively using art as an instrument for change. “I always worry if what I’m doing is enough,” she says. The increased threats to coral often fill her with worry and hopelessness. Yet she believes these feelings propel her to create more and better work that has a tangible effect on marine conservation. Beyond stoking awareness and action from her viewers, Chachamovits’s artificial reef sculptures have played a part in rebuilding damaged reefs.

Since 2019, when she created her first artificial reef, To Replenish With Water, for the Underwater Museum of Art in Florida, she has been enamored with these human-made structures meant to be placed under the ocean to mirror actual coral reef environments. “Artificial reefs perform a crucial role in deflating tourism on natural reefs. They provide new structures for corals to attach to and grow, they generate nursing spaces and new homes for reef animals, and help control sea levels in coral depleted areas,” she explains. Though they are highly expensive to make and entail numerous permits to be deployed underwater, Chachamovits’s goal is to share the power of these installations with new generations. She is currently fundraising for the final phase of her Modeling the Reef initiative to result in a large-scale reef model, using pieces created by her students. The installation will ultimately sit at the bottom of the ocean and serve as an artificial base for real coral growth.

Despite the devastating reality corals face today, Chachamovits’s work with young students is one thing that helps her believe in a better future. “Teaching is one of my gifts,” she says. “By teaching, we can inspire younger generations to understand the problems they’re living in today. We are in uncharted territories, so as an environmental artist and a concerned human for our planet, teaching is one of the things I can do to give us a chance.”

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Effects of water flow and ocean acidification on oxygen and pH gradients in coral boundary layer

Effects of water flow and ocean acidification on oxygen and pH gradients in coral boundary layer

Published 10 June 2024 Science Leave a Comment
Tags: biological response, chemistry, corals, morphology

Reef-building corals live in highly hydrodynamic environments, where water flow largely controls the complex chemical microenvironments surrounding them—the concentration boundary layer (CBL). The CBL may be key to alleviate ocean acidification (OA) effects on coral colonies by partially isolating them. However, OA effects on coral CBL remain poorly understood, particularly under different flow velocities. Here, we investigated these effects on the reef-building corals Acropora cythereaPocillopora verrucosa, and Porites cylindrica. We preconditioned corals to a control (pH 8.0) and OA (pH 7.8) treatment for four months and tested how low flow (2 cm s−1) and moderate flow (6 cm s−1) affected O2 and H+ CBL traits (thickness, surface concentrations, and flux) inside a unidirectional-flow chamber. We found that CBL traits differed between species and flow velocities. Under OA, traits remained generally stable across flows, except surface pH. In all species, the H+ CBL was thin and led to lower surface pH. Still, low flow thickened H+ CBLs and increased light elevation of surface pH. In general, our findings reveal a weak to null OA modulation of the CBL. Moreover, the OA-buffering capacity by the H+ CBL may be limited in coral species, though low flow could enhance CBL sheltering.

Martins C. P. P., Ziegler M., Schubert P., Wilke T. & Wall M., 2024. Effects of water flow and ocean acidification on oxygen and pH gradients in coral boundary layer. Scientific Reports 14: 12757. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63210-9. Article.

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

Which regions are most affected by ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

Which regions are most affected by ocean acidification?

**Cephalopods (Cuttlefish, Octopuses, and Others):** Cephalopods, including cuttlefish and octopuses, are ecologically significant predators and are also affected by ocean acidification, despite not relying on calcium carbonate shells like bivalves.

**Cephalopods (Cuttlefish, Octopuses, and Others):** Cephalopods, including cuttlefish and octopuses, are ecologically significant predators and are also affected by ocean acidification, despite not relying on calcium carbonate shells like bivalves.

**Cephalopods (Cuttlefish, Octopuses, and Others):** Cephalopods, including cuttlefish and octopuses, are ecologically significant predators and are also affected by ocean acidification, despite not relying on calcium carbonate shells like bivalves.

Acidification induces physiological stress that can impair growth, reproduction, and behavior in these species .

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Content: There were 701 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 393,013 in the last 365 days.

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Published 31 May 2024 Events Leave a Comment

EVENT AGENDA

The world is waking up to the threat that ocean acidification (OA) poses to marine ecosystems and to the coastal economies that depend on them. OA is a rise in the acidity of seawater caused by an excess of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) being absorbed by the ocean.

 To implement SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address ocean acidification”, OA must become a cross cutting issue embedded across climate, ocean, and marine policies.

 Advancing national OA actions will inform better decision making for achieving domestic mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals.

 Come learn about the National OA Action Planning Leadership Circle, where invited governments are finding their unique approach to OA Actions across 2024-2025, leading to national implementation of UN SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address OA” by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in 2025.

OA Alliance. Event.

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Elevated CO2 levels have been shown to affect their sensory and cognitive functions, potentially reducing their ability to hunt and evade predators .

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Content: There were 701 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 393,013 in the last 365 days.

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Published 31 May 2024 Events Leave a Comment

EVENT AGENDA

The world is waking up to the threat that ocean acidification (OA) poses to marine ecosystems and to the coastal economies that depend on them. OA is a rise in the acidity of seawater caused by an excess of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) being absorbed by the ocean.

 To implement SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address ocean acidification”, OA must become a cross cutting issue embedded across climate, ocean, and marine policies.

 Advancing national OA actions will inform better decision making for achieving domestic mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals.

 Come learn about the National OA Action Planning Leadership Circle, where invited governments are finding their unique approach to OA Actions across 2024-2025, leading to national implementation of UN SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address OA” by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in 2025.

OA Alliance. Event.

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Content: Sun. Nov 20th, 2022

This is a small proportion in view of conservatively projected $step one

Because the within , more than twenty four mil km2, or 17 %, off seas around national legislation (to two hundred nautical kilometers of shore) have been included in safe areas, over doubling in the the quantity since 2010

On average, one.dos percent regarding federal search finances are spent on water research between 2013 and you can 2017, having amounts anywhere between 0.02 per cent so you’re able to nine.5 %. 5 trillion contribution of the ocean towards the all over the world economy inside 2010.

Of a lot Says enjoys ratified or acceded into United nations Meeting on feeld review Rules of your Ocean (168 events) as well as using plans (150 people toward Agreement regarding the utilization of Area XI of your Us Seminar on the Rules of one’s Water and 91 functions towards United nations Fish Stocks Arrangement). Numerous Claims features followed these products thanks to court, policy and you may institutional buildings, but further advances becomes necessary in a number of developing places, particularly the least set up regions.

Waters and you can fisheries went on to help with the global population’s monetary, public and you can environment means whenever you are distress unsustainable exhaustion, environment destruction and you may carbon dioxide saturation and you may acidification. Current jobs to guard trick marine surroundings and you can quick-measure fishers and you may buy sea technology commonly yet , fulfilling the new immediate need to include that it huge, sensitive capital.

The ocean assimilates up to 23 % of your own yearly pollutants from anthropogenic carbon dioxide toward surroundings, helping to alleviate the impacts regarding weather change on the planet, although not, ultimately causing a bringing down pH and you can acidification of one’s water. A separate water acidification analysis portal suggests an increase in variability into the pH plus the acidity of one’s waters of the 10 to 31 per cent in the period 2015–2019.

The brand new sustainability off globally fishery info continues to decline, regardless if at the a diminished rates, with the ratio regarding fish stocks within biologically alternative account from the 65.8 % when you look at the 2017, down out of 90 per cent when you look at the 1974 and you may 0.8 fee area less than 2015 profile.

The new expansion away from protected elements having marine biodiversity and you can established rules and you may treaties that prompt in control entry to ocean resources are still insufficient to fight new undesireable effects regarding overfishing, increasing ocean acidification due to weather changes and you may worsening seaside eutrophication

Because the within , how many parties to the Arrangement towards Port State Procedures to get rid of, Deter and you can Eliminate Unlawful, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing – the original joining in the world agreement you to particularly needs illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing – risen to 66 (like the Eu) away from 58 in the earlier year, and you will nearly 70 % out of nations stated rating at the top of the fresh implementation thereof.

The share of alternative marine grab fisheries remained steady at around the globe height, with regional adaptation, representing the biggest contribution with the GDP within the Pacific brief isle development States and you will the very least build countries, averaging 1.55 and 1.15 percent, correspondingly, in 2011 to help you 2017.

Once the vast amounts of somebody count on oceans due to their livelihood and you may dinner source as well as on the fresh new transboundary characteristics regarding waters, improved jobs and you can interventions are needed to cut and you can sustainably have fun with water information at all profile.

  • Water acidification is caused by new consumption off atmospheric Carbon-dioxide of the the sea, and this change this new chemical substances constitution of one’s seawater. Long-label observations from ocean acidification for the past thirty years has found the typical increase from acidity regarding 26 per cent given that pre-commercial times, and also at which rates, a rise off a hundred to help you 150 % try predicted from the the termination of the newest century, having really serious effects to possess marine life.
https://atlanticfinancialmanagement.co.uk/

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their survival
it will alter their key behaviors

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their survival
it will alter their key behaviors

Additionally, changes in the abundance and health of their prey—many of which are calcifiers—can further impact cephalopod populations by altering food availability .

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Content: There were 701 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 393,013 in the last 365 days.

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Published 31 May 2024 Events Leave a Comment

EVENT AGENDA

The world is waking up to the threat that ocean acidification (OA) poses to marine ecosystems and to the coastal economies that depend on them. OA is a rise in the acidity of seawater caused by an excess of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) being absorbed by the ocean.

 To implement SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address ocean acidification”, OA must become a cross cutting issue embedded across climate, ocean, and marine policies.

 Advancing national OA actions will inform better decision making for achieving domestic mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals.

 Come learn about the National OA Action Planning Leadership Circle, where invited governments are finding their unique approach to OA Actions across 2024-2025, leading to national implementation of UN SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address OA” by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in 2025.

OA Alliance. Event.

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**Coral Reefs and Associated Biodiversity:** Coral reefs, which support about 25% of all marine species, are among the most vulnerable ecosystems.

**Coral Reefs and Associated Biodiversity:** Coral reefs, which support about 25% of all marine species, are among the most vulnerable ecosystems.

**Coral Reefs and Associated Biodiversity:** Coral reefs, which support about 25% of all marine species, are among the most vulnerable ecosystems.

Acidification reduces the availability of calcium minerals necessary for corals to build and repair their exoskeletons, weakening reef structures and increasing susceptibility to bleaching and disease .

Title:

Content: How to Live With Ocean Aloha

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A single question drives Maui Ocean Center’s Ocean Aloha, “go green for blue” initiative: what do we want our oceans to look like for our children, grandchildren and generations that follow? Here’s what we can all do to help.

My first impactful moment with marine life was on a family vacation in Aruba. My dad and I woke with the sun and walked to the water’s edge, snorkel gear in hand. We ventured into the inviting blue water with a desire to explore, and the pristine underwater world instantly captivated us. We stumbled upon several sea turtles enjoying a morning meal and encountered a school of barracuda as they swam underneath us. We floated together in awe, exchanging looks of wonder from behind our masks.

This is a memory I will cherish forever, and my admiration for the ocean and its creatures has only grown since then. Years later, I learned about the stresses our oceans are under, and decided that we must focus on being part of the solution.

But where to begin? Saving our oceans sounds like a daunting task. Plastic pollution, oil spills, acidification, overfishing — these concerns and more plague our seas. In the face of seemingly insurmountable problems, it’s admittedly easier to hang up our hats and declare defeat. But instead, we encourage you to live with Ocean Aloha.

Living with Ocean Aloha is about understanding, connection and compassion. It’s Maui Ocean Center’s mission to educate visitors and kamaʻāina alike, helping expand their knowledge about the fragile marine life we’re trying to save, and why it is critical to the health of our planet. As we become more connected to the undersea world, compassion takes root, and we are inspired to do what we can to conserve our marine life for our future generations.

As individuals, we can start by reducing personal waste, disposing of trash properly and picking up litter before it has the chance to enter the marine environment. Buy fewer material goods and take care of what you have to ensure it lasts longer. Check sunscreen labels, drive electric cars and install solar panels — all these small steps add up to a world of difference. Once you’ve taken action on an individual level, you can then spread that Ocean Aloha by sharing with others what you’ve learned about our powerful connection to the sea.

Fostering marine conservation and healthy ocean ecosystems in Hawaiʻi — and ultimately the world — is not achieved alone. But with a concerted global effort, we can share our love for the sea, and spread Ocean Aloha from mauka to makai and everywhere in between.

To learn more about Maui Ocean Center’s ongoing commitment to Ocean Aloha, “go green for blue,” please visit https://mauioceancenter.com/ocean-aloha/.

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Content:   • Outdoors

Nuns and Indigenous women band together on a surprising solution for state’s major problem: ‘It’s empowering’

The goal is to clean up their “shared backyard.”

Photo Credit: Shinnecock Kelp Farmers

A group of Indigenous women and nuns have joined forces to heal the polluted waters of New York, using kelp and song.

It all began when one of the sisters started singing while another played the flute and others recited poetry and prayers to help some kelp seedlings grow big and healthy before being planted off the shores of Long Island, New York, as reported by The Guardian.

They are working with a group of women from the Shinnecock, a local Indigenous tribe, to establish a kelp farm. The goal is to clean up the pollution in their “shared backyard,” per The Guardian.

Danielle Hopson Begun, a tribal member, told The Guardian: “When we started our hatchery, we were doing a lot of research for ways to give our kelp the best start in life.”

Begun told the outlet that “studies have shown that plants respond well to high-frequency tones.”

The goal of the group is to use the kelp to get rid of the carbon and nitrogen that have been poisoning the local waters.

For years, the waters surrounding Long Island have had health problems due to wastewater and stormwater runoff. That introduces too much nitrogen and other nutrients that increase the growth of algae, which uses up the oxygen in the water, per Earth.org.

This lack of oxygen, called hypoxia, has made aquatic life-forms either leave the area or die.

In 1985, the EPA, along with the states of New York and Connecticut, joined forces to form the Long Island Sound Study

Since then, the initiative has led investments and programs that have had a conservation impact of over $62 million, per Earth.org, for various regional and local projects.

But there is still lots of work to be done, and kelp may be the answer.

Studies have shown that kelp has the ability to absorb carbon and nitrogen from water, acting as a natural way to fight ocean acidification

Starting a kelp farm generally includes growing kelp from seedlings in tanks at a hatchery and farming them in ocean water.

In 2019, six Shinnecock women decided to take their own initiative using kelp. They came together to create a kelp-farming collective and sought the help of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Together, they are working to save the bay where both communities are located, and it appears to be working.

“Our voices for so long have just been erased or silenced,” said Shinnecock lawyer Tela Troge, whose tribe has been on Long Island for the last 13,000 years, per The Guardian.

“It’s refreshing. It’s empowering,” Troge said, referring to the change her people are making with the nuns.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.

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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates at the opening of the Conference to take necessary steps in order to address an "Ocean emergency."

CLIMATE SUMMIT

UN Ocean Conference opens with call for urgent action to tackle biodiversity loss

The ocean is a vital buffer against climate change, absorbing about 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions. More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean for their food security, while approximately 120 million people work directly in fisheries and aquaculture-related activities.

LISBON, Portugal, 27 Jun – With climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution exacting a devastating toll on the world’s ocean — critical to food security, economic growth and the environment — the 2022 UN Ocean Conference opened in Lisbon, Portugal today with a call for a new chapter of ocean action driven by science, technology and innovation.

“Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what I would call an “Ocean Emergency,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates at the opening of the Conference.

“We must turn the tide. A healthy and productive ocean is vital to our shared future.”

The theme of the Conference, “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions,” in line with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, stresses the critical need for scientific knowledge and marine technology to build ocean resilience.

Human activities are placing the health of the ocean in peril. According to the World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate in 2021 report, sea level rise, ocean heat, ocean acidification and greenhouse gas concentrations set new records in 2021. Additionally, marine pollution is increasing at an alarming rate, and if current trends continue, more than half of the world’s marine species may be all but extinct by 2100.

The Secretary-General also stated there is good news with a legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction; a new treaty that is being negotiated to address the global plastics crisis that is choking our oceans; and a week ago multilateral action on display with a World Trade Organization agreement on ending harmful fishery subsidies. But he also noted much more needs to be done.

“Oceans are central in geopolitical balance of power,” said President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in opening remarks. “Health care, economic resources, energy, mobility, migrations, scientific and technological development, climate change, all of this is present either in the context or in the outcome of a pandemic, of war and of crisis.”

“We must recover too much time [that] we have lost and give hope a chance, once again, before it is too late.”

The ocean – a key driver for sustainable development

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In line with Sustainable Development Goal 14, human health, strong economic growth and a stable climate depend on a healthy ocean. The ocean is a vital buffer against climate change, absorbing about 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions. More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean for their food security, while approximately 120 million people work directly in fisheries and aquaculture-related activities. The majority of these workers live in developing countries, specifically Small-Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

“The United Nations proclamation of a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) supports efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for the sustainable development of the Ocean,” said Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta in his introductory statement.

About the conference

More than 20 Heads of State and Government together with thousands of young people, business leaders, scientists and civil society representatives, will present fresh, bold and innovative solutions to ignite transformational change to effectively address the challenges the ocean is facing.

In addition to the plenary sessions, there will be eight Interactive Dialogues, which will deep dive into salient areas such as addressing marine pollution, minimizing and addressing ocean acidification, deoxygenation and ocean warming and promoting and strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, in particular for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

There will also be four Special Events and more than 250 side events. These Special events will focus on youth-led innovation, the sustainable blue economy, fresh- and saltwater interlinkages and ocean action at the local and regional level.

Political Declaration – Our ocean, our future, our responsibility

Amongst the outputs of the conference, countries will agree on an action plan that calls for a collective global response to addressing the ocean’s degradation. The final draft of the Political Declaration, to be adopted at the closing plenary, sets out specific science-based and innovative actions, taking into account the capacity challenges of developing countries, in particular Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

SDG Media Zone

Hosted by the United Nations and in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation and media partners, the SDG Media Zone aims to take the conversation on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals out of the policy sphere and into the public discourse.

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Through a live format of interviews and panel discussions, the SDG Media Zone at the Conference will bring together UN principals, influencers and industry leaders to talk about innovative solutions and initiatives that address the global challenges that the ocean is now facing.

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What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Without significant greenhouse gas reductions, up to 94% of coral reefs could erode by 2050, with severe consequences for biodiversity and the ecosystem services reefs provide, such as habitat for fish and coastal protection .

Title:

Content: There were 701 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 393,013 in the last 365 days.

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Published 31 May 2024 Events Leave a Comment

EVENT AGENDA

The world is waking up to the threat that ocean acidification (OA) poses to marine ecosystems and to the coastal economies that depend on them. OA is a rise in the acidity of seawater caused by an excess of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) being absorbed by the ocean.

 To implement SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address ocean acidification”, OA must become a cross cutting issue embedded across climate, ocean, and marine policies.

 Advancing national OA actions will inform better decision making for achieving domestic mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals.

 Come learn about the National OA Action Planning Leadership Circle, where invited governments are finding their unique approach to OA Actions across 2024-2025, leading to national implementation of UN SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address OA” by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in 2025.

OA Alliance. Event.

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**Fish Populations and Fisheries:** Fish, particularly during early life stages (eggs and larvae), are sensitive to acidification and warming.

**Fish Populations and Fisheries:** Fish, particularly during early life stages (eggs and larvae), are sensitive to acidification and warming.

**Fish Populations and Fisheries:** Fish, particularly during early life stages (eggs and larvae), are sensitive to acidification and warming.

For example, Pacific cod larvae show reduced growth and survival under these stressors, which could cascade through food webs and impact fisheries .

Title:

Content: Evidence of climate change impact on ocean, Antarctica

Rachael WardAAP

A five-year research project shows climate change as the driver for shifts in the ecosystem and species of the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica.

More than 200 scientists from 19 countries spent half a decade studying trends in the region to compile the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean, released on Wednesday.

It is the first in-depth report of its kind.

There were more than 40 key findings and one of the most significant was the long-term maintenance of the region can only be achieved by urgent global action to address climate change and ocean acidity.

It found movements and activities of humans are threatening the ecosystem while habitats are changing due to ocean warming.

The way species will react to that is uncertain but the likely decline of Antarctic krill would impact the entire ecosystem, the assessment stated.

The report called for investment into year-round monitoring of the entire ocean and models to understand habitat changes.

It is intended to inform policy makers and politicians, co-convenor Andrew Constable from the University of Tasmania said.

The report is different from previous research efforts as they were made for various different international organisations, however this is intended to be easily used by all bodies.

"We were trying to understand how are ecosystems changing and in particular, what do policy makers need to know to be prepared for the future in ocean systems?" Dr Constable said.

"(The assessment) tells us what are the big messages that need to be accounted for, what plans need to be made to ensure the resilience of Southern Ocean ecosystems and what are the science priorities to better help make decisions in the future."

Co-convenor Jess Melbourne-Thomas from the CSIRO said the area has copped most of the global temperature rise.

"As well as its fundamental importance to biodiversity, the Southern Ocean is crucial to human welfare by providing us with food and helping to control our climate," Dr Melbourne-Thomas said.

More than 25 journal papers were created as part of the project.

Dr Constable said there was already interest in producing a second report, which could take up to seven years to complete.

At what stage of life are calcium carbonate-based organisms most vulnerable to changes in water pH?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

Commercially important crustaceans like the Dungeness crab are also at risk, with acidification threatening their shell formation and population stability, affecting fishery yields and coastal economies .

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

Fishermen have observed a decrease in the size and abundance of larger fish, indicating broader ecosystem impacts .

**Marine Mammals and Food Web Disruption:** Marine mammals, including whales and seals, are indirectly affected by ocean acidification through disruptions in their food supply.

**Marine Mammals and Food Web Disruption:** Marine mammals, including whales and seals, are indirectly affected by ocean acidification through disruptions in their food supply.

**Marine Mammals and Food Web Disruption:** Marine mammals, including whales and seals, are indirectly affected by ocean acidification through disruptions in their food supply.

Krill, a primary food source for many whales, has experienced a 50% population decline in the North Atlantic, linked to climate change and acidification .

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Content: How climate change and warming waters are affecting the health of the oceans

(NEW YORK) — Oceans do so much to sustain life on Earth, including bearing the brunt of global temperatures that have been steadily warming for decades.

An IPCC special report published in 2019 found that oceans — which make up more than 70% of the world’s surface — have absorbed between 20% and 30% of human-made carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s. They’re also responsible for absorbing more than 93% of the “combined heat stored by warmed air, sea, and land, and melted ice” since the 1970s, according to the Fifth Assessment report published in 2013 by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The tipping point is near, experts told ABC News. But there are collective actions to take that could revitalize oceans to a healthier state — the theme of the United Nations World Oceans Day 2022.

“We really see oceans as the biggest ally in the climate change crisis,” Lea d’Auriol, founder of nonprofit Oceanic Global, told ABC News.

This is how climate change is affecting the health of the world’s oceans:

Species are faced with adapting or becoming extinct

Currently, the oceans “are in a state of complete imbalance” that has nearly doubled since the 1990s, d’Auriol said. Look no further than the fishermen, who supply sustenance to more than three billion people who rely on seafood as their main source of protein, as witnesses that climate change is already here, d’Auriol, said.

“If you wanted to ask someone if climate change is really happening, probably the most surest answer you’d get from anyone aside from a scientist is a fisherman,” Arlo Hemphill, senior oceans campaigner for Greenpeace USA, told ABC News. “Because fishermen are seeing these things happen in real time.”

One of the changes long-time fisherman are witnessing is the presence of new species venturing north as the area with their preferred water temperature expands.

Marine organisms maintain the same temperature as the surrounding water, so that when temperature increases, so does the temperature of the organism, Martin Grosell, professor of ichthyology and chair of the University of Miami’s Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, told ABC News. As the temperature rises, the organisms require more energy to move and survive. But, conversely, the levels of oxygen in the water decrease as the temperature warms, forcing the species to move, Grosell said.

The migrations may seem innocuous, but they are disrupting ecosystems all over the world, such as the phenology, or timing, of when grey seals give birth, Hemphill said.

Conversely, species are continuing to die off due to repeated events of marine heatwaves, Anne Christianson, director of international climate policy for the Center for American Progress, a public policy research organization, told ABC News.

Coral reefs are among the most threatened marine ecosystems in the world, scientists say. Coral bleaching, a process that occurs when water is too warm and the corals expel algae from their tissues, causing them to turn completely white, is happening at “alarming” rates — increasing by a rate of 4% per year — along with an uptick in mortality events along entire regions, d’Auriol said.

A study published in the National Academy of Sciences found that coral reefs could stop growing in 10 years unless greenhouse gases are significantly reduced and that, under a worst-case scenario, 94% of all reefs could erode by 2050.

Reefs are often the indicator of the health of an ecosystem, Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told ABC News.

Mammals that rely on Arctic ice, such as polar bears and ringed seals, one of the polar bears’ main food sources that live their lives almost entirely on the ice, are also at risk, Ekwurzel said.

Vegetation such as mangroves, seagrass plants and marshes, some of the largest carbon sinks on the planet, which absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, are also at risk of extinction, d’Auriol said.

The number of dead zones are increasing

A dead zone, or the process of hypoxia, occurs when an algal bloom sucks up all the oxygen in an area, making it impossible for marine life to survive — essentially a biological desert, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A study published in 2008 in Science found that there were 400 dead zones around the world. By 2019, the number of dead zones had increased to about 900, d’Auriol said.

The dead zones often occur in regions with rampant nutrient runoff, such as at the base of the Mississippi River, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico, Hemphill said.

Sea level rise will change coastal communities

The biggest contributor to sea level rise is the melting ice in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world, according to the 2021 Arctic Report Card by NOAA. Increases in sea level rise of 6 inches to a foot since the Industrial Revolution may seem like small increments, but crucial infrastructure near oceans was not built to withstand the added inches of water, experts say.

Millions of people living in coastlines around the world, including those in mega cities such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, will be displaced by the rise in sea levels, d’Auriol said.

Carbon dioxide emissions sparks ocean acidification

Ocean acidification, which occurs when water’s pH levels are lowered as a result of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, is not directly caused by warming temperatures but rather by excess carbon dioxide emissions, Hemphill said.

“The alarming thing about it is that shellfish everything from from microscopic plankton, to clams and crabs and coral reefs themselves use calcium carbonate to build their shells,” he said. “And as the ocean acidifies, it becomes more difficult to create the shells.”

Ocean acidification, rather than coral bleaching, will likely be the culprit behind the demise of coral reefs, Ekwurzel said.

Collective actions are necessary to protect the oceans

In line with the 2022 theme for World Oceans Day, “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean,” scientists and conservationists are highlighting the need for individuals, communities, nonprofits, the private sector and governments to come together to create solutions, d’Auriol said.

This includes ensuring the health of marine protected areas by eliminating housing, fishing zones and shipping traffic in the vicinity, d’Auriol said.

Governments will need to create policies to protect both human life and the health of the ocean, Christianson said.

“There isn’t one silver bullet for solving this crisis in the ocean and on land,” Christianson said.

However, the ticking time bomb is the race to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade, the experts said.

“We can’t afford to delay those solutions any longer,” Ekwurzel said.

Along the path to properly protecting and preserving oceans is ridding the narrative that oceans are a separate environmental issue from climate change and the conservation of biodiversity, d’Auriol said.

“Because we do live on a water planet, and it’s responsible for sustaining all life on Earth,” she said.

Copyright (C) 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Pteropods, another key prey item, are declining due to acidification, threatening species that rely on them for nutrition .

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

The decline in these foundational species can cause cascading effects throughout the food web, impacting the feeding, health, and reproductive success of marine mammals .

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Content: There were 701 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 393,013 in the last 365 days.

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Published 31 May 2024 Events Leave a Comment

EVENT AGENDA

The world is waking up to the threat that ocean acidification (OA) poses to marine ecosystems and to the coastal economies that depend on them. OA is a rise in the acidity of seawater caused by an excess of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) being absorbed by the ocean.

 To implement SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address ocean acidification”, OA must become a cross cutting issue embedded across climate, ocean, and marine policies.

 Advancing national OA actions will inform better decision making for achieving domestic mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals.

 Come learn about the National OA Action Planning Leadership Circle, where invited governments are finding their unique approach to OA Actions across 2024-2025, leading to national implementation of UN SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address OA” by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in 2025.

OA Alliance. Event.

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**Broader Ecosystem and Food Web Impacts:** The decline of plankton and other calcifying organisms due to acidification causes cascading effects throughout marine ecosystems.

**Broader Ecosystem and Food Web Impacts:** The decline of plankton and other calcifying organisms due to acidification causes cascading effects throughout marine ecosystems.

**Broader Ecosystem and Food Web Impacts:** The decline of plankton and other calcifying organisms due to acidification causes cascading effects throughout marine ecosystems.

Reduced plankton populations lead to decreased food availability for higher trophic levels such as fish and marine mammals, potentially altering species interactions and reducing biodiversity .

Title:

Content: Rapid warming of Indian ocean could lead to catastrophic outcomes: Study

The heat content of the Indian Ocean, from the surface to a depth of 2,000 meters, is currently increasing at the rate of 4.5 zetta-joules per decade.

Press Trust of India New Delhi
4 min read Last Updated : Apr 28 2024 | 1:54 PM IST

The Indian Ocean is expected to experience surface warming of 1.4 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius between 2020 and 2100, which will push it into a near-permanent heatwave state, intensify cyclones, affect the monsoon, and lead to a rise in sea levels, according to a new study.

The study, led by Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), showed that marine heatwaves (periods of abnormally high ocean temperatures) are projected to increase from 20 days per year (during 1970-2000) to 220-250 days per year, pushing the tropical Indian Ocean into a basin-wide near-permanent heatwave state by the end of the 21st century.

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Marine heatwaves cause habitat destruction due to coral bleaching, seagrass destruction, and loss of kelp forests, affecting the fisheries sector adversely. They also lead to the rapid intensification of cyclones.

The rapid warming in the Indian Ocean is not limited to the surface. The heat content of the Indian Ocean, from the surface to a depth of 2,000 meters, is currently increasing at the rate of 4.5 zetta-joules per decade and is predicted to increase at a rate of 16-22 zetta-joules per decade in the future, the study titled "Future projection for the tropical Indian Ocean" said.

"The future increase in heat content is comparable to adding the energy equivalent of one Hiroshima atomic bomb detonation every second, all day, every day, for a decade," Koll said.

The maximum warming will occur in the northwestern Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea, while there will be reduced warming off the Sumatra and Java coasts.

Amid the accelerated ocean warming, the seasonal cycle of surface temperatures is projected to shift, which could increase extreme weather events over the Indo-Pacific region.

While the maximum basin-average temperatures in the Indian Ocean ranged from 26 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius throughout the year during 1980-?2020, the minimum temperatures by the end of the 21st century will be between 28.5 degrees Celsius and 30.7 degrees Celsius year-round, under a high emission scenario.

Sea surface temperatures above 28 degrees Celsius are generally conducive to deep convection and cyclogenesis. Heavy rainfall events and extremely severe cyclones have already increased since the 1950s and are projected to increase further with increasing ocean temperatures, the authors said.

The increased ocean heat could also lead to a rise in sea level. Thermal expansion of water contributes to more than half of the sea level rise in the Indian Ocean, which is larger than the contribution from glacier and sea-ice melting.

The Indian Ocean Dipole, a phenomenon that affects the monsoon and cyclone formation, is also predicted to change. The frequency of extreme dipole events is predicted to increase by 66 per cent whereas the frequency of moderate events is to decrease by 52 per cent by the end of the 21st century.

The authors of the study predicted that ocean acidification will intensify, with surface pH decreasing from a pH above 8.1 to below 7.7 by the end of the century. Surface chlorophyll and net primary productivity are also predicted to decline, with the strongest decrease of about 8-10 per cent in the western Arabian Sea.

"The projected changes in pH may be detrimental to the marine ecosystem since many marine organisms, ?particularly corals and organisms that depend on calcification to build and maintain their shells, ?are sensitive to the change in ocean acidity. The change may be easier to fathom when we realise that a 0.1 fall in human blood pH can result in rather profound health consequences and multiple-organ failure," Koll said.

Bordered by 40 countries, and home to a third of the global population, changes to climate in the Indian Ocean region have major societal and economic impacts.

Currently, the Indian Ocean and its surrounding countries stand out globally as the region with the highest risk of natural hazards, with coastal communities vulnerable to weather and climate extremes.

Topics :Global WarmingIndian Oceanweatherheat

First Published: Apr 28 2024 | 1:54 PM IST

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Evaluating the evolving ocean acidification risk to Dungeness crab: time-series observations and modeling on the Olympic Coast, Washington, USA

Evaluating the evolving ocean acidification risk to Dungeness crab: time-series observations and modeling on the Olympic Coast, Washington, USA

Published 14 November 2023 Science Leave a Comment
Tags: biological response, chemistry, crustaceans, field, fisheries, North Pacific

The Olympic Coast of Washington is home to four Coastal Treaty Tribes who have relied on the region’s rich marine resources since time immemorial. The region is characterized by large dynamic ranges of physical and biogeochemical oceanographic parameters, particularly during the upwelling season (April–September). Here, we present novel estimates of ocean acidification metrics—pH and calcium carbonate saturation states (Ω)—representing pre-industrial, present-day (using 2010 as the index year), and near-future (2030) conditions. We compare these new estimates of past, present, and near-future ocean acidification status and seasonality to published end-of-century (2100) ocean acidification projections under a high CO₂ emissions scenario, and also to sensitivity information for Dungeness crab, a regionally important subsistence and commercial fishery species projected to show strong declines in fisheries yields and revenues later this century.

Alin S. R., Siedlecki S. A., Berger H., Feely R. A., Waddell J. E., Carter B. R., Newton J. A., Schumacker E. J. & Ayres D., 2023. Evaluating the evolving ocean acidification risk to dungeness crab: time-series observations and modeling on the Olympic Coast, Washington, USA. Oceanography 36(2–3): 138–147. Article.

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In regions like the Southern Ocean, acidification and climate change are driving shifts in species distributions and ecosystem dynamics, with declines in key species like Antarctic krill potentially causing cascading effects .

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Content: There were 1,357 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 396,480 in the last 365 days.

Integrated actions across multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs) can help address coastal ocean acidification

Integrated actions across multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs) can help address coastal ocean acidification

Published 17 June 2024 Science Leave a Comment
Tags: policy, review

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 constitute a set of 17 global goals established as a blueprint for achieving a more sustainable and equitable world for humanity. As part of the SDGs, target 14.3 is focuses on minimizing and addressing the impacts of Ocean Acidification (OA). We argue that moving forward in meeting the targets related to pH levels in the coastal ocean can be facilitated through accounting for various drivers of pH change, which are associated with advancing a suite of SDG goals. Addressing ‘coastal acidification’ via a suite of linked SDGs may help avoid inaction through connecting global phenomena with local impacts and drivers. This in turn can provide opportunities for designing novel place-based actions or partnerships that can aid and provide synergies for the joint implementation of programs and policies that tackle a suite of SDGs and the specific targets related to coastal ocean pH.

Vargas C. A. & Gelcich S., 2024. Integrated actions across multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs) can help address coastal ocean acidification. Communications Earth & Environment 5: 319. doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01485-6. Article.

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

Which regions are most affected by ocean acidification?

Nearly 90% of marine species could face high or critical risks under high emissions scenarios, leading to significant shifts in species distributions, interactions, and ecosystem functioning .

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Content: There were 1,566 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 464,440 in the last 365 days.

Seagrass meadows as ocean acidification refugia for sea urchin larvae

Higlights

  • Sea urchin larvae were grown at ambient or low pH in tanks with or without plants.
  • Plant photosynthesis increased pH and altered seawater chemistry at both pH levels.
  • Positive effects of plant metabolism on larval development and growth at low pH
  • Seagrass meadows as a tool against climate-driven loss of calcifying species

Abstract

Foundation species have been widely documented to provide suitable habitats for other species by ameliorating stressful environmental conditions. Nonetheless, their role in rescuing stress-sensitive species from adverse conditions due to climate change remains often unexplored. Here, we performed a mesocosm experiment to assess whether the seagrassPosidonia oceanica, through its photosynthetic activity, could mitigate the negative effects of ocean acidification on larval development and growth of the calcifying sea urchinParacentrotus lividus. Sea urchin larvae at early and late developmental stages that are generally associated to benthic habitats, were grown in aquaria with or without P. oceanica plants, under ambient or low pH conditions predicted by the end of the century under the worst climate scenario (RCP8.5). The percentage of abnormal larvae and their total body length under different experimental conditions were assessed on early- (i.e., pluteus; 72 h post-fertilization) and final-developmental stages (i.e., echinopluteus; 30 days post-fertilization), respectively. The presence of P. oceanica increased mean daily pH values of ∼0.1 and ∼0.15 units at ambient and low pH conditions, respectively, compared with tanks without plants. When grown at low pH in association with P. oceanica, plutei showed a ∼23 % reduction of malformations and echinoplutei a ∼34 % increase in total body length, respectively, compared with larvae developing in tanks without plants. Our results suggest that P. oceanica, by increasing pH and altering seawater carbonate chemistry through its metabolic activity, could buffer the negative effects of ocean acidification on calcifying organisms and could, thus, represent a tool against climate-driven loss of biodiversity.

Ravaglioli C., De Marchi L., Giannessi J., Pretti C. & Bulleri F., 2024. Seagrass meadows as ocean acidification refugia for sea urchin larvae. Science of the Total Environment 906: 167465. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167465. Article.

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**Ecosystem Imbalance and Long-term Projections:** Ocean acidification contributes to ecosystem imbalances by altering species distributions, predator-prey relationships, and community structures, further threatening marine biodiversity .

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

If current CO2 emission trends continue, ocean acidity is projected to increase by 100-150% by the end of this century, leading to severe declines in fish stocks, disruptions in marine food webs, loss of biodiversity, and negative impacts on human communities reliant on marine resources for food and economic stability .

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Guest post: How meeting the 2C goal cuts the climate risks for 25,000 marine species

Climate change is rewiring marine ecosystems at an alarming rate. Warming waters are causing the distribution of marine life to shift, with species such as bluefin tuna showing up in the Arctic while others are moving out of the tropics.

These – and many other – changes will only continue to increase, reshuffling food webs and impacting virtually all life in the ocean from bacteria to whales.

However, the complexity of these impacts – to which species have different tolerance levels – makes it incredibly difficult to understand the net risks to individual marine species and ecosystems.

Our new study, published in Nature Climate Change, outlines a new index – the Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity (CRIB) – that assesses the climate risk for nearly 25,000 marine species and their ecosystems.

The findings show that, under very high emissions, almost 90% of these species are put at high or critical risk, with species at risk across 85% of their native areas, on average. However, in an emissions mitigation scenario consistent with the 2C global warming limit in the Paris Agreement, the risk is reduced for virtually all marine species and ecosystems.

Our climate risk assessment can help prioritise vulnerable species and ecosystems and lays the groundwork for supporting climate-smart approaches to conservation.

Climate report card

The “risk” in the CRIB framework is measured as the likelihood that a species will no longer be able to persist in a location where it is currently found.

Using a statistical approach, we essentially created a climate report card for each species and ecosystem that tells us which will be winners or losers under climate change.

Just as a report card grades students on subjects such as maths and science, we used a data-driven approach to score individual species on 12 specific climate risk factors in all parts of the ocean where they live.

The framework is based on an analysis of how the innate characteristics of a species – such as body size and temperature tolerance – interact with past, present, and future climate conditions. You can see these characteristics in section b of the graphic below.

Graphic showing the CRIB framework, which provides a spatially explicit assessment of climate vulnerability and risk for species and ecosystems globally. Steps include: a) the taking the native geographic distribution of a species; b) scoring the species against 12 standardised climate indices in all parts of its range; c) defining three dimensions of climate vulnerability: present-day sensitivity (blue), projected future exposure (red) and innate adaptivity (yellow); d) using these dimensions to calculate the species’ climate vulnerability; e) and translating these relative scores into absolute climate risk categories. f) shows maps for individual species and aggregate ecosystems. All maps show an example species distributed in Central America and the Caribbean region as an illustration. Source: Boyce et al. (2022).

We then use these indices to calculate the climate vulnerability and risk of each species according to the present-day sensitivity to climate change, projected future exposure and innate potential to adapt (see section c).

From here, we evaluate climate vulnerability on a relative scale from zero to one (section d), where a score of one typically corresponds to a species and location where sensitivity and exposure are at their extreme highest and adaptivity is at its lowest.

We then convert this score to an absolute risk scale ranging from negligible (lowest) to critical (highest), as shown in section e. This threshold approach is comparable to that used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reasons for concern framework that assesses climate risk to humans, as well as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List index of risk for species.

This captures both the likelihood and the magnitude of the impact of climate change for each species across the locations in which they are found.

Contrasting climate futures

Our study focuses on two scenarios of how future society – and the greenhouse gas emissions it produces – could pan out. These scenarios are known as shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and the results paint two contrasting pictures of climate futures for marine life.

Under the very high emissions SSP5-8.5 scenario – in which the global average ocean temperature increases by 3-5C by 2100 – we found that almost 90% of the 25,000 species were at a high or critical climate risk. On average, species were at risk across 85% of their distributional range.

Under this scenario, top predator species – such as sharks, tuna and billfishes – had a significantly higher risk than species further down the food chain, such as forage fishes and invertebrates. As these apex species can exert a disproportionate influence on ecosystems, it further suggests that ecosystem structure and functioning will be affected.

As the map below shows, climate risk is largest in coastal ecosystems that support the highest fishery catches and in many subtropical and tropical ecosystems that tend to be biodiversity hotspots. The map shows the projections under SSP5-8.5 in 2100, with red shading indicating the worst-affected areas.

The proportion of species at high or critical climate risk under SSP5-8.5 by 2100, where red shading indicates the worst-affected areas. Source: Boyce et al. (2022).

Climate risk may also interact with other threats to marine life. Risks appear to be higher in locations with larger numbers of species assessed as having higher extinction risk and those with more endemic species, which are only found in one geographic area and are inherently more vulnerable.

The findings also suggest severe knock-on impacts for people who rely on the ocean most.

Under the high emissions scenario, climate risks for species fished by humans for food or revenue – such as for instance cod, anchovies and lobsters – were systematically greater within the territories of low-income nations.

The map below shows the proportion of fished species projected to be at high or critical risk under high emissions in 2100. Dark red shading indicates areas where almost all fished species are at high risk.

Map showing the proportion of fished species at risk (high or critical) under SSP5-8.5 by 2100. Dark red shading indicates areas where almost all fished species are at high risk. Source: Boyce et al. (2022).

Such countries typically rely more on fisheries to meet their population’s nutritional needs. This then represents yet another example of climate inequality. While low-income countries have made the smallest contribution to climate change, they are likely to bear the brunt of the impacts while being the least well positioned to adapt.

However, our study also shows the benefits to ocean life of climate mitigation and a rapid switch to a more sustainable world. And these benefits would be seen in lower-income marine-dependent nations the most.

The low emissions SSP1-2.6 scenario is consistent with meeting the 2C global warming limit set out in the Paris Agreement. This would see an approximate average ocean temperature increase of 1-2C by 2100. The map below shows the change in the percentage of high risk species when moving from high emissions to low. The purple shading indicates areas showing lower risks.

Map showing the change in high-climate-risk species between SSP5-8.5 and SSP1.2-6. Purple shading indicates a decline in risk. Source: Boyce et al. (2022).

Our findings show a reduced climate risk for virtually all species and ecosystems under the low emissions scenario. Thus, sticking to the goals of the Paris Agreement would have substantial benefits for marine life, with the disproportionate climate risk for ecosystem structure, biodiversity hotspots, fisheries and low-income nations being greatly reduced or eliminated.

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Reducing risks with mitigation and adaptation

While mitigating emissions is the most direct approach to reducing the climate risk for marine life, the reality is that climate change is already impacting the oceans and, even with effective climate mitigation, they will continue to change.

Therefore, adapting to a warming climate is crucial to building resilience for both ocean species and people. Yet, as a society, our approaches to fisheries management, protected area planning and biodiversity conservation were primarily developed in a world where the climate was relatively stable.

This means that our approaches to managing the ocean must change to ensure they are not undermined. This will rely on a combination of continued development of new methods and adaptation strategies, capacity development in under-resourced parts of the world and a clear and well-articulated communication of the benefits of adaptation.

Malagasy people fishing in Morondava, Madagascar, Africa. Image ID: DGXHFM. Credit: imageBROKER / Alamy Stock Photo.

Our study provides a new framework that can help inform stakeholders and decision-makers when navigating these complex issues, and assist with developing strategies to manage and conserve species and ecosystems more effectively under climate change.

We designed the framework specifically with climate adaptation in mind. It is transparent, reproducible, data-driven, flexible and delivers a measure of risk – a valuable metric for those weighing up costs and benefits. In addition, it can be monitored over time to help evaluate trends.

So, while some aspects of our study paint a potentially bleak future for many marine species, it also measures how much our oceans and the life within them stand to benefit from both climate change mitigation and adaptation.

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Content: There were 1,911 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 454,773 in the last 365 days.

Evaluating the evolving ocean acidification risk to Dungeness crab: time-series observations and modeling on the Olympic Coast, Washington, USA

Evaluating the evolving ocean acidification risk to Dungeness crab: time-series observations and modeling on the Olympic Coast, Washington, USA

Published 14 November 2023 Science Leave a Comment
Tags: biological response, chemistry, crustaceans, field, fisheries, North Pacific

The Olympic Coast of Washington is home to four Coastal Treaty Tribes who have relied on the region’s rich marine resources since time immemorial. The region is characterized by large dynamic ranges of physical and biogeochemical oceanographic parameters, particularly during the upwelling season (April–September). Here, we present novel estimates of ocean acidification metrics—pH and calcium carbonate saturation states (Ω)—representing pre-industrial, present-day (using 2010 as the index year), and near-future (2030) conditions. We compare these new estimates of past, present, and near-future ocean acidification status and seasonality to published end-of-century (2100) ocean acidification projections under a high CO₂ emissions scenario, and also to sensitivity information for Dungeness crab, a regionally important subsistence and commercial fishery species projected to show strong declines in fisheries yields and revenues later this century.

Alin S. R., Siedlecki S. A., Berger H., Feely R. A., Waddell J. E., Carter B. R., Newton J. A., Schumacker E. J. & Ayres D., 2023. Evaluating the evolving ocean acidification risk to dungeness crab: time-series observations and modeling on the Olympic Coast, Washington, USA. Oceanography 36(2–3): 138–147. Article.

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

**Adaptive Responses and Natural Mitigation:** Some species and habitats show potential for adaptation or mitigation.

**Adaptive Responses and Natural Mitigation:** Some species and habitats show potential for adaptation or mitigation.

Sea urchins can prepare their offspring for acidified conditions, though their ability to attach to surfaces is reduced under low salinity and acidification .

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Content: Abu Dhabi: A team of researchers have identified unexpected ways coral reef fish living in the warmest waters on earth, in the Arabian Gulf, have adapted to survive extreme temperatures.

Led by John Burt, co-principal investigator at the Mubadala Arabian Centre for Climate and Environmental Sciences (Access) at New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi, and Jacob Johansen, associate research professor, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, the team discovered adaptations in both metabolism and swimming abilities that help fish survive the conditions of the Arabian Gulf. Surprisingly, these fish did not follow leading theoretical predictions, which expected that the maximum size of fish should be reduced due to limitations in metabolic oxygen-supply. Instead, these fish demonstrated a capacity to maintain efficient oxygen supply to fuel performance even at elevated temperatures.

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The warming of our oceans is anticipated to drastically affect marine life and the fishing industry, potentially upsetting entire ecosystems and economic structures reliant on these habitats. Current scientific models predict that by 2050, coral reef fish could shrink by 14 to 39 per cent in size due to increasing temperatures under climate change. The study’s findings challenge the prevailing view that oxygen supply limitations in larger fish are the main reason for smaller fish in warmer waters — the so-called “shrinking of fish phenomenon.” The species observed did not follow this pattern, suggesting that other factors are also at play.

The study proposes a new theory that the decrease in fish sizes and their survival in increasingly warm oceans might be more closely related to an imbalance between how much energy fish species can obtain and how much they need to sustain themselves.

In the paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers compared two species of fish, Lutjanus ehrenbergii and Scolopsis ghanam, surviving under the elevated temperatures within the Arabian Gulf to those of similar age living in the cooler, more benign conditions in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Specifically, the researchers set out to determine what qualities reef fish in the Arabian Gulf have that enable them to survive there, where typical summer water temperatures are comparable to worst-case ocean warming projections for many tropical coral reefs globally by 2100.

“The hottest coral reefs in the world are an ideal natural laboratory to explore the future impact of rising water temperatures on fishes. Our findings indicate that some fish species are more resilient to climate change than previously understood and help explain why smaller individuals are evolutionarily favoured at high temperatures,” said Burt. “This has significant implications for our understanding of the future of marine biodiversity in a continuously warming world.”

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Content: Newswise — STONY BROOK, NY, May 25, 2022 – While kelp is known as a nutritious food item for sea creatures and humans alike, harvesting kelp may be a new way to help keep bivalves such as clams and oysters – a more common food source and marine industry staple – healthy and more abundant. A new study led by Christopher Gobler, PhD, and a team of scientists at the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) shows that the presence of kelp significantly reduces ocean acidification, a result of climate change.

Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, the study also demonstrated that the deployment of kelp on an oyster farm nullifies ocean acidification and therefore protects bivalves against acidification. The process may also have additional ecosystem and aquaculture benefits, including the sequestration and extraction of carbon and nitrogen, and protection against harmful algae blooms.

For shellfish, one of the most serious climate change-related threats is ocean acidification. Carbon dioxide or CO2 levels in Earth’s atmosphere continue to rise, infiltrating oceans where it causes chemical reactions that lower pH and cause ocean acidification. For the past two decades, one of the most robust conclusions of ocean climate change research has been that increasing levels of CO2 in surface waters threaten shellfish that rely on higher pH waters to grow and survive. This threat is particularly acute in coastal zones where additional sources of acidity can further reduce pH and slow shell formation in shellfish, especially bivalves. And while many wild populations of bivalves have collapsed, a burgeoning wave of aquaculture in the U.S. and around the World has caused the global production of seafood via aquaculture to grow and now exceed wild capture.

“Despite this wave of aquaculture, the intensification of ocean acidification now threatens bivalve aquaculture and has necessitated a solution,” explains Professor Gobler, the Endowed Chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation at SoMAS.  “We believe our work is foundational to a solution.”

In the study, titled “Kelp (Saccharina latissima) Mitigates Coastal Ocean Acidification and Increases the Growth of North Atlantic Bivalves in Lab Experiments and on an Oyster Farm,” Professor Gobler and colleagues conducted six experiments to assess the effects of elevated CO2 and presence of kelp (S. latissima) on the growth rates of three different species of bivalves: (Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), and hard clams / Northern quahogs (Mercenaria mercenaria).

In each of the experiments, acidification was significantly reduced with the cultivation of kelp. They furthered the research with the ultimate test – a field experiment at the Great Gun oyster farm in Moriches Bay, New York.

They found that during a one-month deployment, oysters that were surrounded by kelp enjoyed higher pH water and grew significantly faster than individual shellfish located further away where the pH of the water was significantly lower.

Professor Gobler and colleagues emphasize that these findings have powerful implications for oyster farming in coastal zones.

“We have been witnessing coastal ocean acidification for years and have documented its ability to slow the growth, and even kill off, shellfish. We began growing kelp on oyster farms to simply expand aquaculture, regionally. After seeing its ability to rapidly take up CO2 and improve low pH conditions, we knew it had the potential to benefit shellfish experiencing acidification. And while showing that in the lab was exciting, being able to improve the growth of oysters on an oyster farm experiencing coastal acidification proves this approach can have very broad applications,” explains Professor Gobler.

Overall, the research clearly shows, according to the authors, that “the cultivation of kelp constitutes an environmentally friendly means of protecting shellfisheries against present and future ocean acidification and other coastal stressors.”

Building on the work, helping the oyster farms

“We’ve helped grow kelp on 10 oyster farms across New York since 2018 and more and more aquaculturists have been hoping to incorporate kelp into their farms,” says Mike Doall, Associate Director of Shellfish Restoration and Aquaculture at Stony Brook University. “In addition to providing crop diversification and additive revenue streams, the ability of kelp to fight ocean acidification gives these oyster farmers one more reason to add kelp as a second crop.”

The recent study builds on other research by the same SoMAS group, which published a study in Harmful Algae in 2021. That study demonstrated that kelp has the ability to deter the intensity of harmful algal blooms, another environmental threat to shellfish aquaculture.

Such scenarios with kelp appear to create a win-win scenario for oyster farmers like Paul McCormick, owner of the Great Gun oyster farm where the current study was performed.

“Kelp looks to be the perfect complement to oysters on my farm,” says McCormick. “It grows during winter and spring, when the oysters need less attention, and there is lots of interest in kelp from restaurants. If it is offering protection to my oysters against poor water quality, well that’s another good reason to add it to my farm.”

Citations:

Young, C. S., Sylvers, L. H., Tomasetti, S. J., Lundstrom, A., Schenone, C., Doall, M. H., & Gobler, C. J. (2022) Kelp (Saccharina latissima) mitigates ocean acidification and increases the growth of North Atlantic bivalves in lab experiments and on an oyster farm. Frontiers in Marine Science, Volume 9 | Article 881254

Sylvers, P. H., & Gobler, C. J. (2021). Mitigation of harmful algal blooms caused by Alexandrium catenella and reduction in saxitoxin accumulation in bivalves using cultivable seaweeds. Harmful Algae, 105, 102056.

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Frontiers in Marine Science

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Content: There were 927 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 415,878 in the last 365 days.

How do sea urchins prepare offspring to face ocean acidification? Gamete intraspecific differences and adaptability

Introduction: Due to their relevant ecological position and well-studied biology, sea urchins are reference organisms for ocean acidification studies, at both within- and trans-generational levels. In this study, we examined gamete quality in specimens exposed to future predicted (-0.4 units) pH conditions during gametogenesis.

Methods: Egg physical characteristics, biochemical composition, and fatty acid profiles were assessed after two and six months of exposure, while sperm viability and velocity were analyzed after six months of exposure. Considering the documented intraspecific variability in response to ocean acidification, this study involved two populations of Paracentrotus lividus. One population was sampled from the highly variable lagoon of Venice (Site 1), while the other was obtained from a coastal area (Site 2) characterized by more stable environmental conditions and facing minimal anthropogenic stress.

Results: A different response was highlighted in the two sites. Noteworthy trends emerged, especially in the fatty acid profile and sperm traits. Although adults were fed the same diet, Site 1 eggs contained more high-energetic fatty acids than Site 2, potentially boosting the survival odds for the next generation. Moreover, Site 1 sperms displayed higher viability but slower motility compared to those from Site 2. Within sites, a significant difference between time points and a change in the fitness strategy of sea urchin females emerged when comparing eggs spawned after two and six months of exposure to reduced pH. The effects of time and exposure pH are more pronounced in animals from Site 1, suggesting a higher adaptability of this population rather than negative effects of ocean acidification.

Discussion: Overall, our findings suggest that sea urchins have the potential to acclimate to reduced pH and to produce gametes of the same quality as controls held at the currently natural pH. Our findings emphasize the relevance of combining investigations of gamete quality characteristics, particularly egg biochemistry and fatty acid composition, and considering site variability to fully understand the transgenerational response potential of sea urchins to ocean acidification.

Asnicar D., Locatello L., Zanovello., Minichino R., Masiero L., Munari M. & Marin M. G., 2024. How do sea urchins prepare offspring to face ocean acidification? Gamete intraspecific differences and adaptability. Frontiers in Marine Science 11: 1379150. doi:10.3389/fmars.2024.1379150. Article.

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Certain coral reef fish in extreme environments have demonstrated unexpected adaptations to high temperatures and CO2 levels .

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Content: Can ‘good sounds’ help coral islands recover from bleaching?

Many coral islands like India’s Lakshadweep are inhabited by people

March 25, 2024 05:30 am | Updated 05:30 am IST

Staghorn corals seen in the waters off Man Nai Island, near Rayong province, Thailand, February 28, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Climate change is the most serious environmental problem facing the world today. One of the main reasons for this is the global warming caused by the extraction of coal and oil, which have been underground for millennia, and burning them for industrial and non-industrial purposes to generate energy. The effects of these activities were exacerbated by other causes of global warming, such as deforestation.

Global warming has many consequences, including rising sea levels and changes in the frequency of extreme weather. Another is the destruction of coral reefs. India’s Lakshadweep islands for instance are islands formed on such reefs.

Coral reefs have started to die

Coral reefs are built by a type of organism that, when it accumulates, forms reefs and islands. They live in large colonies. Corals have a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae called zooxanthellae, which live in the corals’ tissues. Life becomes tough when the temperature of the water around them rises. When it does, the corals expel the zooxanthellae. An important visual symptom of these effects is that the colour of the coral reef changes, and subsequently they die off in droves. This event is called bleaching.

However, not all coral bleaching events are due to warm water. Ocean acidification – which is when the pH of the water drops as more carbon dioxide dissolves in it – is another well-known cause. More acidic water reduces the availability of calcium minerals that the corals need to build and repair their exoskeletons.

In many parts of the world, coral reefs have started to die due to global warming experienced over the years. The U.S. lost half of its coral reefs in the Caribbean in one year in 2005 due to a large-scale bleaching event after warm waters around the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico expanded southward. When scientists collated satellite data of the region from the previous 20 years, they were able to confirm that the 2005 event exerted more thermal stress than those in the previous 20 years combined.

A source of hope

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest coral reef in the world. Recently many people there protested strongly against a plan to open a new coal mine because they were worried about the survival of the reef – not because the mine would directly affect the reef but because of the effects of burning fossil fuels at large.

Many coral islands like our Lakshadweep are inhabited by people. The destruction of these coral reefs will naturally affect the people there. A rising sea level due to climate change is another problem for them. Many small island countries like Tuvalu and Vanuatu are facing the threat of submergence and have articulated that at international climate conferences. Their submergence is a certainty now; the only question is when it will happen. Therefore, it is very scary that the coral reefs themselves are being destroyed and, axiomatically, any chance of saving the corals can and does become a source of hope.

It is against this background that about 5,000 scientists gathered in New Orleans, in the U.S., in February this year for the American Geophysical Union’s biennial ‘Ocean Sciences’ meeting. Here, Amy Apprill, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts and who studies coral reefs, provided information about a study she had been part of.

The coral polyps

To understand this study, we need to first understand what a coral reef is. Coral reefs are built by an organism called a polyp. A coral group is a colony of a large number of genetically identical polyps. Each polyp is a sac-like animal, usually a few millimeters wide and a few centimeters tall. It has a set of tentacles surrounding a mouth-like opening. Polyps are gregarious: they like to socialise.

Every polyp also sheds an exoskeleton at its bottom and over many generations this discarded substance accumulates to form a large structure up to several metres wide. The polyps organise their lives around this structure. A coral reef is formed when a large number of polyps collects in this way.

Polyps use sound to communicate with each other. Naturally, the sound of a healthy colony will differ from that of an unhealthy colony. Dr. Apprill and her team used this distinction in their new study.

The sound of a health colony

The investigators set about examining whether a degraded reef could be enriched by replaying healthy reef sounds, and increasing the rate at which polyps settled in it. They conducted a series of field studies in the Virgin Islands of the U.S., where they quantified the settlement rates of three species of corals with two different breeding strategies.

They found that in degraded coral reefs, the settlement rate increased when such sounds were played (using a novel underwater speaker system). They also reported that the settlement rate was higher closer to the speaker and reduced as one moved away from the speaker, indicating the impact of the sounds played.

Finally, it would be a mistake to think the researchers have solved the reef settlement problem posed by climate change. Their study was just an experiment. If what they did is tested repeatedly and at least a good fraction of instances are successful, then we can decide that their technique can help in practice. But we still don’t know what problems might arise when this project is implemented on a large scale to save coral reefs. We also need to find out the volume at which the sound has to be played and if there are any other parameters to be controlled.

In sum, the new study is just a pointer, even if also a positive one.

V. Sasi Kumar is a scientist formerly at the Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

Seagrass meadows and kelp forests can locally mitigate acidification effects through photosynthesis, raising pH levels and providing refugia for sensitive species like sea urchin larvae and bivalves .

Kelp cultivation on oyster farms has been shown to nullify acidification impacts on bivalves, allowing these populations to thrive despite changing conditions .

**Community-Based and Policy Responses:** Community-led initiatives, such as kelp farming, education, and local monitoring, are emerging as effective strategies to address ocean acidification .

Title:

Content: There were 1,839 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 458,569 in the last 365 days.

Linking physiological effects of environmental stressors from cellular to whole-organismal levels in the early-life history stages of Crassostrea virginica (eastern oyster)

The Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791), is an ecologically and economically important species that resides in dynamic coastal ecosystems along the East and Gulf coasts of the United States. The success of oyster populations depends on the recruitment of their early life stages, which are especially vulnerable to environmental stress due to high developmental energy demands. As climate change continues, it is necessary to anticipate how the early life stages of the Eastern oyster will respond to environmental stressors under ecologically relevant scenarios. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation was to understand how the early life stages of C. virginica are physiologically affected by multiple global climate change stressors from a holistic perspective by incorporating local environmental data, observations across three life stages (i.e., carryover effects), responses from two important types of Eastern oysters, and physiological metrics from the cellular to whole-organism levels. To achieve this goal, chapter two observes the relative importance of three environmental tolerance mechanisms (selective mortality, carryover effects, and phenotypic plasticity) in shaping the performance of juvenile oysters in response to salinity exposures during the larval stage. Findings from this chapter indicate that typical differences in salinity among successive larval cultures in shellfish hatcheries likely do not impact performance as juveniles; rather, phenotypic plasticity likely underpins juvenile oyster performance as their physiology correlated with environmental conditions during the juvenile phase, not the larval exposures. Chapter three investigates carryover effects in more detail to explore how multiple global climate change stressors, ocean acidification and ocean warming, might affect the physiology of larval C. virginica, if those effects carry over to impact the performance of juvenile oysters and lastly, if those carryover effects change under different future environmental scenarios. Conditions of ocean acidification and ocean warming did affect the larval stage of the Eastern oyster and carry over into the juvenile stage, though these effects were nuanced and context dependent. Specifically, carryover effects from conditions of acidification were more persistent and negative, whereas warming had more fleeting carryover, and cross-tolerant, effects that were generally positive. Continuing to observe the effects of ocean acidification and ocean warming on the Eastern oyster, chapter four compares the larval responses of wild and selectively bred oysters. C. virginica larvae from wild and selectively bred oysters responded differently to conditions of acidification, but not warming. Furthermore, wild oyster larvae may be more resilient in the face of ongoing climate change. Despite exhibiting more lethal and negative effects of acidified conditions early in the larval stage, wild oyster larvae compensated for these earlier negative effects, while larvae from selectively bred oysters began showing signs of stress towards the end of the experiment. Lastly, exploring the development of carryover effects, chapter five observes how conditions of acidification during the settlement stage (i.e., settlement and metamorphosis) carried over to impact the juvenile stage. No detectable carryover effects were found, even though conditions of acidification negatively affected tissue growth at the beginning of the settlement stage. Overall, while Eastern oysters are able to withstand environmental stress to some degree, there were sub-lethal and carryover effects from multiple global climate change stressors identified in this dissertation that could have consequences for both wild and selectively bred populations in the future. The results from this dissertation will support subsequent studies to accurately predict the future success of wild oyster populations (e.g., effects to recruitment) and aquaculture production based on their physiological performances in the face of ongoing climate change.

Schatz K. A., 2023. Linking physiological effects of environmental stressors from cellular to whole-organismal levels in the early-life history stages of Crassostrea virginica (eastern oyster). PhD thesis, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Thesis (restricted access).

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Content: Oil-funded lobbyists are trying to trick you into killing more whales

The fossil fuel industry is utilizing think tanks and lobbyists in a push to oppose wind power in the North Atlantic, claiming they want to save whales, even though the largest source of whale death and disruption is transatlantic shipping powered by their own product, oil.

We were unaware of this push until the Heartland Institute, a “think tank” that works with the fossil fuel industry to deny climate change (and also claims smoking isn’t bad for health), emailed us a press release claiming it was working to save whales. This seemed uncharacteristic for a lying, evil organization that has always done its best to kill more people and animals, so we dug in a little more to figure out what’s going on.

It turns out that the Heartland Institute has filed comments with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management concerning potential offshore Atlantic wind farm projects. It joined with two other deceptively named climate-denying organizations, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow and the American Coalition for Ocean Protection, the latter of which seems to exist solely to oppose wind power and not to protect oceans. All three of these organizations have multiple associations with the fossil fuel industry – both oil and gas as well as coal concerns.

The comments they filed claim that wind power is disruptive to whale migration patterns due to local noise caused by the rotation of wind turbines. They specifically oppose the largest US wind farm project, Dominion Energy’s planned 2.6GW farm off the Virginia coast (ironically opposing a company that also sells fossil energy).

Heartland’s release incorrectly claims that NOAA research says that wind turbines can generate “180 decibels of underwater noise, which exceed safe limit [sic] by 50 percent.” To be clear, this is a lie, and is wrong in several ways:

  • No NOAA research exists suggesting this, which is why Heartland did not add a citation link, because they just made it up.
  • 180 decibels is the same level of noise as being on a rocket launch platform, so it strains credulity to think that a post attached to a blade spinning at ~20rpm would make nearly that much noise.
  • 180 decibels is not “50% more” than the NOAA’s safe 120dB limit, as decibels are a logarithmic scale.

In short, they are not only lying to you, but they have no idea what they’re talking about.

In actual fact, research has shown that wind turbine operation is unlikely to affect marine mammals, but construction, both in the form of pile-driving and associated ship traffic, is likely to have an effect. A potential solution would be to create a “bubble curtain” around noise sources to disrupt sound propagation, which can be done for stationary tasks like construction, and to limit construction to seasons where migration patterns lead whales elsewhere.

Notably, offshore oil drilling, something that none of these organizations oppose, also requires loud underwater construction tasks and servicing by ship traffic. But while oil leaks are common in offshore oil drilling and are harmful to wildlife, “wind leaks” from wind farms are not known to be particularly harmful.

But the actual largest source of ocean noise is the shipping trade, with loud, oil-powered vessels transiting the Atlantic all through the year. According to the research linked above, a wind turbine makes the same noise level at 100 meters as a cargo ship makes at 14 kilometers – which means the cruise ship’s noise circle covers an area about 20,000x larger.

Many of these ships carry oil to and from US oil wells and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast, and 28% of world shipping tonnage consists of oil products.

The US is currently trying to position itself as a supplier of opportunity to Europe, which is experiencing a crunch in oil and natural gas supply due to Russia’s misadventures in Ukraine. Those US ships would cross the North Atlantic – right through the North Atlantic right whale’s territory. The Heartland Institute, despite claiming that any policy must focus on never having any potential to kill a single whale, has posted a report supporting increased US LNG shipments to Europe, which would put more whales in danger of vessel strikes.

Vessel strikes are the largest cause of death for whales in recent years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has identified this problem and has drafted a regulation to lower the maximum speed of large oceangoing vessels. This would also increase ship efficiency and therefore reduce oil consumption, so of course oil-funded CFACT opposes this NOAA rule, putting the lie to their claim that they ever cared about whales.

Finally, climate change overall affects oceans in multiple ways. Not only do higher ocean temperatures disrupt ocean ecosystems causing clashes between species as they migrate to new parts of the ocean, but also increased CO2 in the atmosphere leads to ocean acidification, which disrupts the base of the ocean food chain as water becomes too acidic for tiny creatures to survive.

These dynamics specifically affect whales because whales feed on krill. Climate change has been associated with a 50% drop in krill populations in the North Atlantic over recent decades, starving the whales in question of their food sources.

So these organizations are supported by, and in turn support, the fossil fuel industry which:

  • Is causing climate change, which destroys whale food sources.
  • Is responsible for a huge chunk of shipping traffic, which disrupts whale migration through noise and kills whales through vessel strikes.
  • Wants to increase the amount and speed of that traffic to kill more whales.

In addition to all of this, outdoor particulate pollution, the vast majority of which comes from burning fossil fuels, kills millions of people worldwide per year, and is more deadly than smoking (which Heartland incidentally also denies the deadliness of). Wind power would help reduce coal electricity usage, one of the largest sources of this outdoor particulate pollution, and would help provide electricity to transition more cars to electric rather than gasoline power (and, naturally, all three organizations have opposed EVs).

Thankfully, few outlets seem to have taken Heartland’s bait, as people seem to know not to take these lying, anti-environment, fossil-funded clowns seriously. But it’s important to remember who these groups are, to remember that they are trying to cause harm to you and to the animals they claim to care about, that they are committing this violence in the pursuit of greater profits for their fossil fuel overlords, and to be aware of the lies they’re telling and why they are false.

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Integrated actions across sustainable development goals, collaboration with local governments, and advocacy for stronger environmental policies targeting carbon emissions are essential .

Title:

Content: These projects are out of science fiction.

Climate Boogaloo

We are at the throw-the-kitchen-sink stage of our climate change crisis as researchers, backed by big money, are increasingly researching drastic, large-scale geoengineering methods that were once considered taboo because they involve tinkering with natural processes and their consequences are largely unknown, The Wall Street Journal reports.

One project that is kicking off this summer tackles the problem of oceanic acidity. The more carbon dioxide our seas absorb, the more acidic our ocean becomes, which is really bad for marine life.

In response, a $10 million project at Massachusetts' Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) involves researchers basically dumping thousands of gallons of an alkaline liquid solution — sodium hydroxide — into the sea near Martha’s Vineyard.

"When you have heartburn, you eat a Tums that dissolves and makes the liquid in your stomach less acidic," WHOI associate scientist and project leader Adam Subhas told the WSJ. "By analogy, we’re adding this alkaline material to seawater, and it is letting the ocean take up more CO2 without provoking more ocean acidification. Everything that we’re seeing so far is that it is environmentally safe."

End of the Line

Another project, which has raised $15 million, is in Israel and involves shooting tiny particles into the atmosphere so they could reflect solar radiation, the newspaper reports. Stardust Solutions, the startup behind this project, plans to perform outdoor tests of this process sometime this year.

A third project in Australia is also meant to deflect solar radiation — this time in the Great Barrier Reef area, and by shooting ocean water into the air to brighten cloud cover and hence increase shade.

Scientists and decision makers in public and private sectors are seriously contemplating these geoegineering projects because current methods to arrest climate change and global warming haven't worked.

With forest fires wreaking havoc everywhere from California to Europe, and our planet experiencing its hottest year ever last year, the writing is clearly on the wall.

In fact, the pace has accelerated, according to scientists interviewed by The Washington Post in December.

"There won’t be any argument [by] late next spring, we’ll be way off the trend line," Columbia University climate scientists James E. Hansen told WaPo.

And that's why these projects are attracting big dollars and serious attention, despite serious questions about how they might impact the environment.

More on climate change: Scientists Say the Atlantic Current Appears to Be on the Verge of Collapse

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Organizations like the Sustainable Ocean Alliance empower youth and communities to address ocean health through innovative solutions, supporting research, policy, and education .

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Sustainable Ocean Alliance Empowers NextGen Climate Heros

When it comes to carbon emissions, oceans are the world’s dumping ground, absorbing nearly all of the excess heat and energy from greenhouse gas emissions trapped in the earth. The UN estimates that oceans have absorbed about 90% of the heat generated by rising emissions. This has led to numerous environmental problems, from melting ice caps and rising sea levels to marine heat waves, ocean acidification, and a deterioration in marine biodiversity.

One organization that aims to address these problems is the Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), a San Francisco-based nonprofit that empowers young people to become leaders in preserving the health and sustainability of the world’s oceans. The SOA’s platform lets youth collaborate on business practices, legislation, and technology to restore the health of oceanic ecosystems and fight our changing climate.

The organization was founded in 2014 by Daniela Fernandez, a then-Georgetown University student and entrepreneur currently serving as CEO. Five years after its founding, the SOA got a $1.5 million donation from Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne, a leading philanthropist.

The SOA has since forged partnerships with various organizations, including the Walton Family Foundation, Bank of the West, the Swarovski Foundation, the Ocean Conservancy, the David & Lucille Packard Foundation, ValueAct Capital, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and others.

Under Fernandez’s leadership, the SOA has accelerated the growth of 45 startups and provided more than 175 microgrants in 65 countries. The organization also has developed a network of 6,000-plus leaders in 165 countries.

The SOA recently announced that it had raised $15 million in total funding thanks to large donations from Resonance Philanthropies, the Inclusive Capital Partners Foundation, Maja Kristin, and other partners. Fernandez announced the investment in June at the UN Ocean Conference Youth and Innovation Forum.

In a blog post, Fernandez said the $15 million would be used over the next three years to fund startups and community projects.

The aim is to develop technological and nature-based ocean solutions, such as converting waves into clean energy and planting mangroves to sequester carbon.

The SOA’s ultimate goal is to raise $100 million. To get there, it continues to seek new partners.

The organization’s microgrant program has effectively brought different ideas and solutions to the table. According to the SOA website, the microgrant impact to date includes removing nearly 75,000 kilograms of pollution and sequestering 4,505 tons of carbon dioxide. Microgrants are awarded in these focus areas:

  • Blue Carbon. Much of the SOA’s work aims to protect marine ecosystems and species that capture carbon, particularly mangroves and salt marshes.
  • Fisheries: Fish provide 3.3 billion people with roughly one-fifth of animal protein. About 10% of the world’s population relies on fishing for livelihood. SOA microgrants help support fisheries science, policy, and innovation that will allow fish and fishing communities to survive climate change.
  • Ecosystem & Species Conservation: The goal is to help protect coral reefs that support oceanic food systems that cycle and store key nutrients and minerals.
  • Education & Research: Because 40% of humans live within 100 kilometers of the ocean, the SOA aims to help as many people as possible understand and protect the ocean using the latest tools and science.
  • Waste Reduction & Circularity: Each year, 418 billion pounds of plastic are in the ocean. The SOA supports cleanup efforts and systemic change that reduces plastic use and production.

“The ocean has been humanity’s biggest protector against climate change, but it is rapidly approaching catastrophe,” Fernandez said. “We need to act now before it is too late.”

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Public awareness campaigns and educational outreach, including school activities, are vital for fostering responsibility and proactive measures to protect marine environments .

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Content: There were 701 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 393,013 in the last 365 days.

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Join us at the immersed in change conference!

Published 31 May 2024 Events Leave a Comment

EVENT AGENDA

The world is waking up to the threat that ocean acidification (OA) poses to marine ecosystems and to the coastal economies that depend on them. OA is a rise in the acidity of seawater caused by an excess of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) being absorbed by the ocean.

 To implement SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address ocean acidification”, OA must become a cross cutting issue embedded across climate, ocean, and marine policies.

 Advancing national OA actions will inform better decision making for achieving domestic mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals.

 Come learn about the National OA Action Planning Leadership Circle, where invited governments are finding their unique approach to OA Actions across 2024-2025, leading to national implementation of UN SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address OA” by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in 2025.

OA Alliance. Event.

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**Summary for Awareness Materials:** Ocean acidification threatens marine life far beyond coral bleaching.

**Summary for Awareness Materials:** Ocean acidification threatens marine life far beyond coral bleaching.

**Summary for Awareness Materials:** Ocean acidification threatens marine life far beyond coral bleaching.

It impairs shell-building organisms like bivalves and pteropods, stresses cephalopods such as cuttlefish and octopuses, disrupts fish development, and alters entire ecosystems including coral reefs and Antarctic waters .

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does coastal ocean acidification affect shellfish?

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

Which ocean creatures have trouble forming shells due to ocean acidification?

These changes jeopardize biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal communities.

These changes jeopardize biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal communities.

Promoting awareness and supporting mitigation efforts like kelp farming, seagrass restoration, and CO2 emission reductions are critical to protecting ocean health and the species your school mascot represents.

Promoting awareness and supporting mitigation efforts like kelp farming, seagrass restoration, and CO2 emission reductions are critical to protecting ocean health and the species your school mascot represents.

Including these facts in your Spirit Week posters and pamphlets will help highlight the multifaceted threats of ocean acidification on marine life, including the beloved cuttlefish, and inspire your classmates to take action [ab735511

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Content: There were 974 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 451,057 in the last 365 days.

Editorial: the changing carbonate systems in coastal, estuarine, shelf areas and marginal seas

Editorial on the Research Topic
The changing carbonate systems in coastal, estuarine, shelf areas and marginal seas

Global atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased from 320 ppm in the 1960s to the present-day value of 420 ppm, primarily due to anthropogenic activities. This increase influences the seawater carbonate system, impacting the marine ecosystem. There are still gaps that need to be resolved for predicting how these marine systems respond to current and future CO2 levels. Any actions to mitigate the change in pH will require adaptive management of multiple stressors across several spatial scales. Combined, these perspectives yield a more comprehensive picture of events during ocean acidification (OA).

This Research Topic brings together articles from different regions, including coastal, estuarine, and shelf areas and marginal seas, all susceptible to changing atmospheric conditions, riverine inputs, air-sea CO2 exchanges, and multiple acid-base reactions that can alter carbonate chemistry. Articles on the long-term trends of CO2 system descriptors and the interactions with calcifying organisms were also sought. The present Research Topic is primarily based on original articles devoted to carbonate systems in the marginal seas, but it is a pity that some interesting papers dealing with freshwater inflows, estuaries, and related coastal areas were not accepted.

Fransson et al. examined the effects of glacial and sea-ice meltwater on ocean acidification in the waters near the 79 North Glacier (79 NG) and the northeast Greenland shelf. The researchers investigated various ocean acidification factors and the influence of freshening, primary production, and air-sea CO2 exchange. One of the key findings was that the biological removal of CO2 through primary production played a crucial role in offsetting the negative impact of freshwater dilution on the aragonite saturation state (ΩAr), which is a measure of ocean acidification. This compensation effect was most pronounced in 2012, especially in the vicinity of the 79 NG front, where there was a significant presence of glacial meltwater and surface stratification. In 2016, a different scenario was observed, with a more homogenized water column due to sea-ice meltwater. In this case, the compensation effect of biological CO2 removal on ΩAr was weaker compared to 2012. The study also suggests that in the future, with ongoing climate and ocean chemistry changes, the increasing influence of meltwater may surpass the mitigating effects of biological CO2 removal. This could lead to unfavorable conditions for organisms that rely on calcium carbonate for their shells and skeletons. Thus, all the proposed factors need to be closely monitored as they could have significant implications for marine ecosystems and calcifying organisms in the face of ongoing environmental changes.

In a study by You et al., the researchers assessed ocean acidification in the Western Pacific using boron isotopic analysis in a large tropical coral core from Lanyu Islet in Southeast Taiwan. They used a well-preserved coral skeleton (Porites lobata) for detailed major and trace element analysis, including boron (B) and its isotopes (δ11B), as well as stable isotopes of oxygen (O) and carbon (C). Their primary objective was to investigate environmental changes during the period from 1991 to 1997. The coral records revealed a distinct temporal trend in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) based on elemental/calcium ratios on both annual and monthly scales. Notably, the most temperature-sensitive proxy, Mg/Ca-SSTs, indicated a significant warming trend during the study period. The researchers also observed subtle changes in the annual δ11B record, corresponding to a pH decrease of approximately 0.2 units. This change was consistent with other coral records in the Pacific, in-situ measurements of pH and pCO2, and model predictions, highlighting the impact of human-induced ocean acidification. When combined with Mg/Ca-SST data, the intra-annual coral data exhibited a clear seasonal cycle, with higher pH levels during the winter, aligning with surface ocean pCO2 patterns. These chemical and isotopic findings in corals underscore the value of marine biogenic carbonates as informative tools for reconstructing oceanic pH changes.

Rivaro et al. investigated freshwater inflow into the Ross Sea in Antarctica, particularly through the eastern gate and along the Ross Ice Shelf. They conducted a survey during the austral summer of 2019-20 to assess the contribution of Amundsen Sea Water (ASW) to salinity variations. The researchers used data on total alkalinity (AT), pH, temperature, and salinity to analyze the properties of the carbonate system, including total inorganic carbon, pCO2, and the calcium carbonate saturation state of aragonite and calcite (Ω), along with the Revelle factor. They also estimated anthropogenic carbon (Cant) using the TrOCA method to gain insights into the carbon cycle and its impact on ocean acidification due to atmospheric CO2 uptake. The study found that changes in the carbonate chemistry of surface waters were primarily influenced by physical properties. AT and pH were effective indicators of the entry of ASW, demonstrating limited mixing between different water masses in the shelf area. Additionally, shelf waters were enriched in Cant, leading to levels lower than what was estimated for shelf waters generated in the western Ross Sea.

Ingrosso et al. investigated the factors influencing the absorption of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (Cant) in the Ross Sea, an area known for its capacity to absorb carbon due to its cold waters, high primary productivity, and unique circulation on the Antarctic continental shelf. The researchers focused on the carbonate system to assess the current levels of anthropogenic carbon and understand how physical and biological processes regulate Cant sequestration along the shelf-slope continuum. They found that the Winter Water mass, formed during convective events, contained high levels of Cant due to the mixing of layers during the cold season. In contrast, the older and less-ventilated Circumpolar Deep Water entering the Ross Sea had minimal anthropogenic carbon contributions. The study also revealed variations in Cant content between different areas, such as polynyas and the shelf break, influenced by their distinct hydrographic and biological characteristics. The intense microbial activity in these regions consumed a significant portion of particulate organic carbon, leading to the release of CO2 into the intermediate and deep layers of the continental shelf zone. The findings underscored the importance of summer biological activity over the Ross Sea shelf in facilitating the transfer of anthropogenic CO2 between organic and inorganic carbon pools. This process contributed to ocean acidification in the upper mesopelagic zone and the long-term sequestration of Cant in the deep ocean.

Hassoun et al. conducted a comprehensive review of ocean acidification (OA) research in the Mediterranean region using data from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Center (OA-ICC) database and an extensive survey. Their analysis revealed several important knowledge gaps in understanding OA trends and biological impacts in the semi-enclosed and densely populated Mediterranean Sea. These gaps are attributed to disparities in OA research capabilities among Mediterranean countries and the intricate, long-term interactions among biological, chemical, and physical factors. The study highlighted an uneven distribution of OA research efforts across the region, with the Algero-Provencal and Ionian sub-basins being the least studied areas. Furthermore, the carbonate system in coastal zones remains inadequately quantified, and there is a scarcity of long-term time series data in the Mediterranean, making it challenging to assess OA trends along the coast. While certain groups of organisms, such as autotrophs (algae, phanerogams, phytoplankton), mollusks, and corals, have received considerable attention in research, others, including microbes, small mollusks (particularly pteropods), and sponges, have been relatively understudied. Despite available resources and agreements for enhanced and coordinated OA governance, there is a lack of consistent OA policies in the Mediterranean Sea. To address these challenges, the article offers recommendations based on their literature review and insights from the Mediterranean OA scientific community.

Curbelo-Hernández et al. conducted an analysis of the carbon dioxide (CO2) system, anthropogenic carbon (Cant) inventory, and air-sea CO2 fluxes (FCO2) in the waters surrounding the Macaronesian archipelago. They found that variations in CO2 levels were primarily influenced by temperature changes, biological activity, and advection processes driven by differences in the Canary Upwelling System, mixed layer depth, mesoscale activity, and circulation patterns. Surface CO2 levels (fCO2,sw) were found to be influenced by biological production and the injection of CO2-rich water in tropical waters, while temperature fluctuations played a significant role in subtropical waters. The study also examined the factors that control changes in the total inorganic carbon normalized to a constant salinity (NCT) in the upper ocean. The research revealed an increase in the uptake and storage of anthropogenic carbon compared to preexisting levels, as calculated using the TrOCA 2007 approach, which served as an upper limit for NCT. The importance of the organic carbon pump diminished in subtropical waters, while the carbonate pump had minimal contribution. Regarding FCO2, the area behaved as a CO2 sink during the winter, but strong outgassing was observed over the Cape Blanc filament. To enhance understanding in this region, the authors compared their data with existing datasets (SOCAT and GLODAP) and provided a new set of equations for calculating fCO2,sw, Cant, and FCO2 in the Macaronesian area.

All these studies emphasize the urgency of addressing ocean acidification and its multifaceted impacts on marine ecosystems. They call for continued monitoring, research, and international cooperation to better understand and mitigate the effects of rising CO2 levels on our oceans and the life they support.

Ogrinc N., Giani M. & Faganeli J., 2023. Editorial: the changing carbonate systems in coastal, estuarine, shelf areas and marginal seas. Frontiers Marine Science 10: 1325363. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1325363. Article.

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How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?

How do scientists expect ocean acidification to impact specific fish species?

it will affect their physiology and growth

How does elevated water acidity affect fish ability to survive?

What factors lead to damage of coral reefs?

Which marine organism is vulnerable to increased levels of ocean acidification?