The effects of ocean acidification on zooplankton: Using natural CO2 seeps as windows into the future ...

• Main Author: Smith, Joy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of Plymouth 2016
• Subjects: Zooplankton; Ocean Acidification; Demersal; Coral; Coral Reefs; Carbon Dioxide; PhD; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.24382/dspace/300; https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/8239

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide (CO2) has been emitted into the atmosphere at rates unprecedented to Earth’s history. Nearly 30% of the anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere has been absorbed in surface waters of the ocean, pushing carbonate chemistry towards increased bicarbonate ions and hydrogen protons and decreased carbonate ions. Consequently, seawater pH has decreased from pre-Industrial Revolution levels of 8.2 to current levels of 8.1, and it is expected to continue to drop to 7.8 by the year 2100 if carbon emissions continue as predicted. The combination of these effects is referred to as ocean acidification. It is at the forefront of marine research as it poses a serious threat to several marine organisms and ecosystems. Ocean acidification has the most notable direct effect on calcifying organisms with calcium carbonate skeletons and shells, because fewer carbonate ions in the water column result in reduced calcification. Coral reefs are especially vulnerable to ...