| Summary: | Public awareness of many climate change-related issues is rising globally, as well as in New Zealand. However, ocean acidification (OA) seems to be one of the least perceived and understood threats to the marine environment. The chemical changes in the water come at a cost for many marine organisms and may have severe impacts on key physiological processes such as growth, shell formation, reproductive capabilities, competitive fitness and photosynthesis. Furthermore, lowered pH may lead to shell dissolution in shell-building organisms. One organism that has been identified as most vulnerable to OA is a group of calcifying algae called coralline algae.
|
|---|