Ocean acidification in New Zealand waters: trends and impacts

• Published in: New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
• Main Authors: Law, Cliff S., Bell, James J., Bostock, Helen C., Cornwall, Chris E., Cummings, Vonda J., Currie, Kim, Davy, Simon K., Gammon, Malindi, Hepburn, Christopher D., Hurd, Catriona L., Lamare, Miles, Mikaloff-Fletcher, Sara E., Nelson, Wendy A., Parsons, Darren M., Ragg, Norman L. C., Sewell, Mary A., Smith, Abigail M., Tracey, Dianne M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Asia Pacific 2018
• Subjects: Macrocystis-Pyrifera Laminariales; Skeletal Carbonate Mineralogy; Sub-Antarctic Waters; Climate-Change; Seawater Acidification; Parasitic Infection; Marine Calcifiers; Emiliania-Huxleyi; Coralline Algae; Elevated Co2; 1104 Aquatic Science; 1105 Ecology; Evolution; Behavior and Systematics; 2303 Ecology; 2312 Water Science and Technology; Antarctic; New Zealand; Antarc*; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:9fa854d

The threat posed by ocean acidification (OA) to the diversity and productivity of New Zealand marine ecosystems is assessed in a synthesis of published trends and impacts. A 20-year time series in Subantarctic water, and a national coastal monitoring programme, provide insight into pH variability, and context for experimental design, modelling and projections. A review of the potential impact of changes in the carbonate system on the major phyla in New Zealand waters confirms international observations that calcifying organisms, and particularly their early life-history stages, are vulnerable. The synthesis considers ecosystem and socio-economic impacts, and identifies current knowledge gaps and future research directions, including mechanistic studies of OA sensitivity. Advanced ecosystem models of OA, that incorporate the indirect effects of OA and interactions with other climate stressors, are required for robust projection of the future status of New Zealand marine ecosystems.