Contacts: Brady Olson,
ANACORTES – Current climate studies project an increase in the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide levels over the next 100 years, resulting in an increase in the ocean’s acidity – and scientists at
The equipment necessary to increase carbon dioxide in sea water in a manner that simulates what happens in nature was recently provided by a gift from the Borman Family Foundation. Ambient air is mixed with carefully regulated amounts of carbon dioxide to simulate the amount that is projected to be in the atmosphere by the year 2100 increasing the acidity of the tests’ water by about 50 percent.
"We can predict the likely changes in water chemistry, but how these changes will play out in the marine ecosystem is unknown. Many organisms have adapted to present acidity levels in the ocean and may not be able to adapt to these relatively rapid changes in ocean chemistry," said Love.
Of particular concern are those organisms that use calcium to provide skeletal structure, such as corals, crabs, and even species of marine algae that are essential in supporting marine food webs.
"We have already discovered that an important species of microscopic algae alters its calcium-based skeletal structure under simulated acidification conditions. Changes such as this will likely affect the oceanic food web," Olson said.
This past summer, three undergraduates, Paul Pratt of
The
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