The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration due to emissions associated with economic development is altering ocean chemistry, a process known as ocean acidification. The resultant decrease in oceanic pH will affect marine organisms, in particular those which build their skeletons through calcification such as scleractinian corals. The aim of this research was to […]
The depths of the ocean are slowing climate change, but at a cost. Seawater acidity is increasing as the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from fossil fuels. Average surface ocean pH is now 30% more acidic than in pre-industrial times. In a business-as-usual scenario, by 2100, ocean water could be over one-and-a-half times more acidic. The […]
Ocean acidification (OA) is affecting marine ecosystems through changes in carbonate chemistry that may influence consumers of phytoplankton, often via trophic pathways. Using a mesocosm approach, we investigated OA effects on a subtropical zooplankton community during oligotrophic, bloom, and post-bloom phases under a range of different pCO2 levels (from ∼400 to ∼1480 μatm). Furthermore, we […]
What it was The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Environment held a markup on several ocean and estuarine acidification bills. All four bills were favorably reported to the full committee. Why it matters The ocean’s absorption of excess carbon dioxide emissions is creating major thermal and chemical changes in the marine environment, including […]
2169-9291/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=2f0e39ad70c1a3900b1e11bbeafc7c6f1c8e1fec)
Papers from the meeting were published in a special issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans in 2005.