By Karen A. Bellenir
Many people talk about problems associated with increased amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One often-overlooked concern relates to the consequences this has for the world’s oceans.
The ocean absorbs 25–30% of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere. This leads to chemical changes that increase the acidity of seawater. Even tiny changes in acidity can impact marine plants and animals. Effects interfere with respiration and photosynthesis, building shells and skeletons, and reproducing.
Shellfish, including oysters and clams, and other marine organisms such as sea urchins, corals, and various species of plankton are especially at risk. Plankton may not be a topic discussed in typical everyday conversations, but these organisms play a vital role in the marine food web and phytoplankton (marine plants) produce 70% of the oxygen in our atmosphere.
To learn more about ocean acidification, visit the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service information page on Ocean Acidification.
Shellfish represent just one group of organisms threatened by ocean acidification (image from Thesaurus conchyliorum, or, Monographs of genera of shells, London: Sowerby, G.B. 1847-1887; via biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43936640).