Ideas and Perspectives: When ocean acidification experiments are not the same, reproducibility is not tested Ideas and Perspectives: When ocean acidification experiments are not the same, reproducibility is not tested: Biogeosciences
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 'repli...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Other Authors: | , , |
Format: | Report |
Language: | English |
Published: |
HAL CCSD
2020
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-394 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03042177/file/Williamson_etal_2020_Biogeosciences%20Discussions.pdf https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03042177 |
Summary: | 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. |
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