Ocean Acidification Felicia Woods Kelly Reid Jason
Fredette
Slide 2
Why should we care? Ocean acidification is effecting shellfish
and other marine organisms by reducing the amount of CaCO 3 in the
oceans! This threatens the existence of a lot of marine
species.
Slide 3
How does it effect us? Not only do we eat shellfish, a lot of
other marine organisms rely on them too, e.g. crustaceans,
echinoderms, molluscs, marine mammals, birds, fish The destruction
of coral reefs reduces crucial ecosystems. Trophic Cascade!
Slide 4
The nature of the environmental problem
Slide 5
The nature of the problem (cont) Like us, the ocean needs a
certain amount of calcium for structure and support. The lower pH
is corrosive to many marine organisms Inhibits growth: Corals,
Coralline algae, phytoplankton Reduces calcification rate of corals
Reduces capacity to transport oxygen Impacts food web dynamics and
ecosystem functions
Slide 6
What is the cause of the problem?!
Slide 7
What is the cause of the problem? Atmospheric CO 2 is 100 ppm
more than it has been in 400,000 years Due to fossil fuel
combustion and deforestation These human behaviors are increasing
the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere that would otherwise not make
it there for a very long time. 1950...2020
Slide 8
What is the cause of the problem? Air-sea exchange is always
trying to reach equilibrium, so more CO 2 in atmosphere means more
dissolved CO 2 in the ocean Once absorbed, the CO 2 reacts with
water to form carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 ) which then dissociates in
to H + ions and carbonate and bicarbonate ions. The increase in H +
ions cause the water to become more acidic. The increase of H +
ions also results in a decrease in carbonate ions, which negatively
affects the calcifying organisms.
Slide 9
What does this mean?! In a nutshell
Slide 10
Experiment set up to determine the effect of higher pCO 2 on
barnacles:
Slide 11
Slide 12
Pteropods A NOAA-led research team has found the first evidence
that acidity of continental shelf waters off the West Coast is
dissolving the shells of tiny free-swimming marine snails, called
pteropods, which provide food for pink salmon, mackerel and
herring.
Slide 13
Bottom Up Trophic Cascade Acidification of our oceans may
impact marine ecosystems in a way that threatens the sustainability
of the marine resources we depend on, said Libby Jewett, Director
of the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program.NOAA Ocean Acidification
Program
How to remediate the problem? We must reduce carbon emissions
into the atmosphere. National, State and local governments must
regulate the amount of CO 2 emissions by human activities. Zoning
and permitting in areas to reduce direct and indirect sources of CO
2. For example; limit the amount of driving/vehicle miles traveled
for individuals in a certain area. Indirect: reduce deforestation
by limiting the amount of trees that may be cut down. Global cap on
carbon emissions. Countries must emit less than a set limit and
will be fined if they exceed or rewarded if they stay below it.
Return crushed shell material to ecosystems can increase pH and
facilitate shell growth in calcifying organisms.
Slide 17
References Doney, S., Fabrey, V., et al. (2009). Ocean
Acidification: The Other CO2 Problem. Annual Review of Marine
Science 1: 169-192. DOI: 10.1146/ annurev.marine.010908.163834
Fabry, V., Seibel, B., Feely, R., & Orr, J. (2008). Impacts Of
Ocean Acidification On Marine Fauna And Ecosystem Processes. ICES
Journal of Marine Science 65: 414-432. Feely, R. A., et al. (2004).
Impact Of Anthropogenic CO2 On The CaCO3 System In The Oceans.
Science, 305, 362-366. Kato, A., Hikami, M., Kumagai, N. H.,
Suzuki, A., & Nojiri, Y. (2014). Negative effects of ocean
acidification on two crustose coralline species using genetically
homogeneous samples, 94, 16. Kelly, P., Foley, M., et al. (2011).
Mitigating Local Causes of Ocean Acidification with Excisting Laws.
Policy Forum 332: 1036-1037.
http://westcoastoah.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/OA-Science-2011-Kelly-1036-7-1.pdf
http://westcoastoah.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/OA-Science-2011-Kelly-1036-7-1.pdf
Orr, J. C, et al. (2005). Anthropogenic ocean acidification over
the twenty-first century and its impact on calcifying organisms..
Nature, 437, 681-686 Pansch, C., Schaub, I., Havenhand, J., &
Wahl, M. (2013). Habitat traits and food availability determine the
response of marine invertebrates to ocean acidification. Global
Change Biology, 20: 765-777.
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