Acid in Arctic waters eating away at shellfish
Marine food chain could be threatened
Ocean acidification is expected to increase as sea ice cover decreases due to global warming. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)
Greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power stations and industries far to the south are putting shellfish in the Arctic Ocean at risk, an international team reports in the Nov. 20 edition of the journal Science.
Acidification may put “some species at risk,” the researchers said, saying this could have a major impact on the entire marine food chain.
And acidification is expected to increase as sea ice cover decreases due to global warming, they say.
Ten years of study in the Beaufort Sea showed the seawater is becoming more acidic and fresher, which means there’s less of minerals and carbonate needed for shell formation.
The shellfish which may now be at risk include mussels and clams that need minerals in the water to form their shells and skeletons.
If emissions of carbon dioxide are not curbed, the researchers conclude “the Arctic ecosystem may be at risk,” because the acidification of the seawater and resulting damage to shellfish could affect other marine life and fisheries.
During their studies on board the CCGS Louis St. Laurent, researchers documented a “rapid” drop in the levels of calcium carbonate, a compound used to produce shells and bones, in the top 50 metres of the surface waters in the Beaufort Sea.
Research carried out in the Svalbard Islands off Norway’s northern coast also suggests Arctic seawater is likely to reach corrosive levels within 10 years.
The seawater will then start to dissolve the shells of mussels and other shellfish, according to Professor Jean-Pierre Gattuso, of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
A little shellfish eaten by baleen whales, salmon, herring and various seabirds would be at risk, he said, and its disappearance would have a major impact on the entire marine food chain.
By 2100, the entire Arctic Ocean will be “corrosively acidic,” he said.
Acidification happens faster in the Arctic Ocean because cold water absorbs more of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than warm water.
When carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, it turns into into carbonic acid, which causes the oceans to become more acidic.
(9) Comments:
This certainly helps to explain why the shells on mussels and clams in the Cambridge Bay area seem to be getting more brittle and scarce.
The climate is always changing and always will. One must always be careful about linking cause and effect. CO2 is rising because of warming (like warming a can of beer) and is therefore not the cause.
The oceans are not becoming acidic from CO2, especially because CO2 is bubbling out and never will become acidic because of all the limestone rock within and surrounding oceans basins. Cold water can soak up 23 times its volume of CO2. Oceans have been seen to become less basic in some areas, but that is definitely not becoming ‘acidic’ as is stated over and over in many poorly written newspapers of the world.
Francis Mann writes: “Cold water can soak up 23 times its volume of CO2.”
Dear Francis Mann, the point is exactly that our oceans are a huge natural CO2 sink in Earths CO2 cycle, and that this however is brought out of balance.
22 million tons of CO2 mixes each day with the ocean water as a result of burning fossil fuels.
While CO2 naturally occurs in our atmosphere and sink in to our oceans as part of the natural system - this system is brought out of balance.
Since the industrial revolution (so, over the last couple of hundred years) the ocean acidity has increased with 30 %. If continuing at this rate, by the end of this century, ocean acidity will double - the ocean will be twice as acidic - compared to levels before industrial times.
yo
15 C northern canada .. almost december ,,,,,
got that—- it could not be clearer
... going outside now in shorts ....
... the effect is more profound the further north u go,
so - if you are a youngster from the south ,,,..
ie - a dumb american kid ... you likely will not see the effects first hand
... take it from us that live up here ...
things are changing ... amazingly fast ....
by 2050 the will be NO ICE up north ,,,
... this appears to be correct ....
greenland will not be there ....
.... no ice at the north pole
.. and no christmas presents because santa will drown.
omg - no more christmas presents ......
o
What a bunch of b.s. - they’re putting chemicals under the ice to melt it - SHAME ON CANADA, the UK, Russia, Denmark, Norway and especially the USA! - its all for oil and gas exploration and they don’t care about sea life - they only care about their golden pensions, their stock B.S. market and making their ranks up the ladder of snakes.
The antartic has the same thing - that’s why they sunk the watchdog/(science experts) Canadian red ship a couple of years ago.
Last year Global TV BC showed artic ice melting in straight lines - this year they showed ice cubes. Chemicals and lasers? VERY LIKELY! WAKE UP NUNIVAT, NWT and YUKON - they’re probably drugging you (dumbing you down) too - they’re experts at chem-trails!
Hi Judith—You entire lost me with your post.
What is the point of what you are saying ? Do you believe that the ocean acidity is increasing because “someone” is dumping chemicals into the ocean?
Well, you are definitely correct in that we all are as we use energy that is made by burning fossil fuels—the pollution from this, which is carbon dioxide (CO2) then goes into the ocean at a higher rate than what the ocean can absorb.
But… If you are stating that this increased acidity is not caused by our use of fossil fuels but instead by chemicals “poured” into the ocean… well, I have to say that sounds pretty “conspiracy thinking” - but hey, I am open minded. Can you back-up and explain why you say this?
@ francis manns - You seem to misunderstand the science behind the acidification process. You relate the ocean to a can of beer warming and losing its dissolved CO2 (yes cold liquids can hold more dissolved gases) but a better analogy would be a completely flat glass of sugar water turning into a CO2 saturated glass of soda. The CO2 from the enriched atmosphere dissolves INTO the water and converts to carbonic acid (yes, like in a soda). This reduces the ph a little bit. Everyone knows soda is bad for your teeth, it isn’t good to be a shelfish (the shells are basically made of the same stuff as your teeth) living in even a very weak glass of soda.
@Judith - You are funny, are you insane just a little?
@ Brendan….....
One solution is to brush your clams more often.
I’m jes’ sayin’.....
i have an idea lets tax coal, natural gas and electricity 1000 percent. we all have money to give back to the planet or to wall street and make those guy richer as we get poorer. but this should be done incrementally like the frog in the pot, less people will complain as they stay hooked up to the tv and x-box.
but please guys, don’t go vote, it’s going to take voters like me to clean up the toxic wast in congress.
say no to career politicians!