Effects of naturally acidified seawater on seagrass calcerous epibionts -

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Marine Scientific Research

The global oceans cover two-thirds of the earth's surface and represent a massive amount of scientific information. Nearly all disciplines of science are represented in the ocean sciences, including inter alia: biology, chemistry, geology and physics. Much of the knowledge gained from the seas has implications not only for the pure sciences, but for applied sciences and technology as well. Currently, the amount of information that is known about the oceans is a fraction of what there is to know. Technological requirements for marine scientific research are steep, and much modern ocean science research tools represent the cutting edge of modern technology. See More...

The importance of marine scientific research has been recognized internationally, as is reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III, 1982). UNCLOS III is the most comprehensive international legal agreement with respect to the world's oceans and their associated areas, and their governance. UNCLOS III mandates that its signatory states cooperate to promote marine scientific activities for peacful purposes and to benefit mankind (UNCLOS, Part XIII). Presently, however, marine scientific research endeavors are turning more and more towards specific goals, as the global oceans are stressed and their health is deteriorating. The most pressing problems are:

alteration and destructionof habitats and ecosystems
effects of sewage and chemicals on human health and on the environment
widespread and increased eutrophication
decline of fish stocks and other renewable resources
changes in sediment flows due to hydrological changes

(GESAMP, 2001). The consequences of these problems for humanity are potentially extreme. In order to effectively address these issues, sustainable management policies and practices must be developed for and implemented in the global oceans. Marine scientific research is critical to this process, as scientific information is necessary to informed decision making by policy makers and managers, as well as to monitor the effectiveness of such policies. See More...

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Title

Effects of naturally acidified seawater on seagrass calcerous epibionts ( DOCUMENT )

Author(s) / Editor(s)

Sophie Martin, Riccardo Rodolfo-Metalpa, Emma Ransome, Sonia Rowley,and Jason Hall-Spencer

Description

Surface ocean pH is likely to decrease by up to 0.4 units by 2100 due to the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere. Short-term experiments have revealed that this degree of seawater acidification can alter calcification rates in certain planktonic and benthic organisms, although the effects recorded may be shock responses and the long-term ecological effects are unknown. Here, we show the response of calcareous seagrass epibionts to elevated CO2 partial pressure in aquaria and at a volcanic vent area where seagrass habitat has been exposed to high CO2 levels for decades. Coralline algae were the dominant contributors to calcium carbonate mass on seagrass blades at normal pH but were absent from the system at mean pH 7.7 and were dissolved in aquaria enriched with CO2. In the field, bryozoans were the only calcifiers present on seagrass blades at mean pH 7.7 where the total mass of epiphytic calcium carbonate was 90 per cent lower than that at pH 8.2. These findings suggest that ocean acidification may have dramatic effects on the diversity of seagrass habitats and lead to a shift in the biogeochemical cycling of both carbon and carbonate in coastal ecosystems dominated by seagrass beds.

Keywords

ACIDIFCATION;

CO2;

CARBONATE PRODUCTION;

CALCEROUS EPIBIONTS;

CAROLLINE ALGAE

Geography Keywords

EUROPE

Content Language(s)

English

File Location

1237198530353_Martin_etal2008.pdf