Ideas and Perspectives: When ocean acidification experiments are not the same, reproducibility is not tested

• Main Authors: Williamson, Phillip, Pörtner, Hans-Otto, Widdicombe, Steve, Gattuso, Jean-Pierre
• Other Authors: Laboratoire d'océanographie de Villefranche (LOV), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de la Mer de Villefranche (IMEV), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography; [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces; environment; [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03042177; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03042177/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03042177/file/Williamson_etal_2020_Biogeosciences%20Discussions.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-394

Can experimental studies on the impacts of ocean acidification be trusted? That question was raised in early 2020 when a high-profile paper failed to corroborate previously-observed impacts of high CO 2 on the behaviour of coral reef fish. New information on the methodologies used in the 'replicated' studies now provides the explanation: the experimental conditions were substantially different. High sensitivity to test conditions is characteristic of ocean acidification research; such response variability shows that effects are complex, interacting with many other factors. Open-minded assessment of all research results, both negative and positive, remains the best way to develop process-based understanding of those responses. Whilst replication studies can provide valuable insights and challenges, they can unfortunately also be counter-productive to scientific advancement if carried out in a spirit of confrontation rather than collaboration.