Ocean acidification could disrupt marine food chains

[Trakar]

Ocean acidification could disrupt marine food chains

Ocean acidification caused by climate change is making it harder for creatures from clams to sea urchins to grow their shells, and the trend is likely to be felt most in polar regions, scientists said on Monday.

A thinning of the protective cases of mussels, oysters, lobsters and crabs is likely to disrupt marine food chains by making the creatures more vulnerable to predators, which could reduce human sources of seafood.

"The results suggest that increased acidity is affecting the size and weight of shells and skeletons, and the trend is widespread across marine species," the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said in a statement of the findings...

Nothing that hasn't been talked about extensively before, but this is a new study with a new assessment of the current state and the future potential.

 

[Old Rocks]

"Given enough time and a slow enough rate of change, evolution may again help these animals survive in our acidifying oceans," said Sue-Ann Watson, of James Cook University in Aust

Ocean acidification could disrupt marine food chains | Reuters

Enough time is exactly what is not going to happen.

 

[westwall]

And this study, published in SCIENCE, says your "could" (there's that charlatans word again) is a won't be a problem.....




Phytoplankton Calcification in a High-CO2 World

Ocean acidification in response to rising atmospheric CO2 partial pressures is widely expected to reduce calcification by marine organisms. From the mid-Mesozoic, coccolithophores have been major calcium carbonate producers in the world's oceans, today accounting for about a third of the total marine CaCO3 production. Here, we present laboratory evidence that calcification and net primary production in the coccolithophore species Emiliania huxleyi are significantly increased by high CO2 partial pressures. Field evidence from the deep ocean is consistent with these laboratory conclusions, indicating that over the past 220 years there has been a 40% increase in average coccolith mass. Our findings show that coccolithophores are already responding and will probably continue to respond to rising atmospheric CO2 partial pressures, which has important implications for biogeochemical modeling of future oceans and climate.





Phytoplankton Calcification in a High-CO2 World

 

[Trakar]

"Given enough time and a slow enough rate of change, evolution may again help these animals survive in our acidifying oceans," said Sue-Ann Watson, of James Cook University in Aust

Ocean acidification could disrupt marine food chains | Reuters

Enough time is exactly what is not going to happen.

Lots of interesting information popping up on the British Antarctic survey site this month.