Ocean acidification driven changes in pH exposure of zooplankton: projections from the Salish Sea model

• Main Authors: McElhany, Paul, DeSilva, Vathsala, Khangaonkar, Tarang
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2018
• Subjects: Fresh Water Studies; Life Sciences; Marine Biology; Natural Resources and Conservation; Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2018ssec/allsessions/54; https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2489&context=ssec

The Salish Sea Model explicitly evaluates the dynamics of carbonate chemistry parameters (pH, DIC, Alkalinity) at relatively small spatial and temporal scales. These model components served as a basis for estimating the pH exposure dynamics of simulated zooplankton. Zooplankton were modeled assuming a variety of movement behaviors including passive drift with the currents, daily vertical migrations and directed movement toward food or way from unfavorable conditions. These movement behaviors capture the range of possibilities for many of the species in Salish Sea. The pH conditions from the Salish Sea Model included simulations from multiple seasons in recent years and projections of carbonate chemistry expected in the future from ocean acidification. The zooplankton behavior, season, specific location in the Salish Sea ,and changes from ocean acidification all influence the pH exposure trajectories. The analysis provides insight in to which combinations of features lead to the highest and lowest rates of exposure to potentially hazardous pH conditions.