Ocean Acidification Lab Report

Acidification in the oceans kill the plant/animal life that is trying to strive at thy shore

This lab started out when our class was reading an article on ocean acidification. The article was explaining that ocean acidification has been increasing. “Since the industrial revolution in the early 1800s, the ocean’s pH has dropped to 8.1, the equivalent of a 30 percent increase in acidity.” [1 hhmi] Our class began the lab to prove the increase in acidification in the ocean. Our guiding question is, what does different concentrations of acid do to shells? The hypothesis for the experiment is, the different concentrations of acid will decrease the mass of the shells.

Global warming is causing an increase in the level of carbon dioxide. Higher CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are causing warmer global temperatures which lead to warmer water temperatures. In result, as carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean, the ocean pH decreases and causes the water to become more acidic. This process is called ocean acidification. Sadly, ocean acidification is having an impact on Mytilus Californianus. According to the article: Climate Change may be Muscling in on Mussels by Sussane Rust, the increase of the acid level in the ocean is “weakening the shells” of these mussels (Rust, 2011). In result, the weaker shell, the smaller the body size of these mussels. This would make the mussels more vulnerable to predators such as crabs. Crabs could now easily crush these mussels’ shells. Humans are also affected by this because humans wouldn’t use these mussels as food source

G., Cong-Qiang, L., WeiDong, Z., Minella, M., Vione, D., Kunshan, G., & ... Hiroshi, S. (2016). Reviews and Syntheses: Ocean acidification and its potential impacts on marine ecosystems. Biogeosciences, 13(6), 1767. doi:10.5194/bg-13-1767-2016

The map above shows a depiction of aragonite saturation, a form of calcium carbonate that many marine species also rely on to build their protective shells. It is anticipated that a high volume of species relying on carbonate ions to form outer layers and exoskeletons will be negatively affected by the changing chemistry of seawater. Even a slight drop in pH levels will mean higher concentrations of hydrogen ions will be available to bond with carbonate ions, forming more bicarbonate than normal. Marine calcifying species are this put at a higher risk for predation. Ocean researchers and marine biologists are hopeful that some marine species that calcify for survival will be able to adapt to the changing pH levels in the oceans. Others are not so optimistic, and expect that an acidic oceanic environment may result in mass extinction and serious disruptions to aquatic food chains.

The effects of Ocean Acidification on the physiology of marine organisms has long been observed, as the subsequently depletion of calcium carbonate impedes the proper development of marine calcifiers. One such calcifiers, however, has exhibited considerable tolerance to alterations in seawater acidity. Indeed, through the plastic response of gene expression and modulation, the larvae of the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, or Purple Sea Urchin, have inherited a tolerance to low pH and high temperature conditions; an adaptation which will, undeniably, prove essential for survival in this newly acidic aquatic world. This review presents the Purple Sea Urchin as a case study, to demonstrate the potential of genomic analysis to greatly augment

The results found that sea stars were negatively effected in growth rate by low pH, even lower in high temperature. Mussel growth rate was positively affected by low pH, however there was no response to high temperatures. Predation of sea stars on muscles decreased in lower pH by 50%. The overall effect shows that muscles perform better at the lower pH compared to the sea stars. Another study was done by Ferrari, M. C. O et al. (2015) which studied the effect of stressors, CO2 levels and temperature, on the predatory prey encounters in reef communities. Their method was to put 6 prey and one predator into 4 different treatments for 22 hours and record how many prey survived this was repeated 2 times for each of the 4 treatments. What the results found was that when both stressors were high, high CO2 and high temperature, the predation rate increased from 30% to 70%. Prey selection changed when it was either high CO2 or high temperature but when the stressors were together the prey selection was equal. Risk taking behaviour was also seen to increase during both stressors. A study was performed by Clements, J. C. et

Red king crab range from locations off the coast of Alaska, to Koreas’ pacific ring, to northern British Columbia. Long’s (2013) paper focused on populations in the Bering Sea, Alaska; this crab species are economically important for fisheries. Ocean acidification is increasing surface pH levels, due to the increased exploitation of nonrenewable resources by humans. The focus of the study was to determine how ocean acidification would affect embryo development and larval release time, larval survivorship, and the carryover effects from one life history stage to another. To create acidified conditions they used CO2, which changed the pH of the seawater to 7.7. The results showed in acidified conditions increased deposition of calcium, morphometric

The overall effect of ocean acidification on mollusks leads scientists to believe their population is in jeopardy of decreasing. Scientists found that mollusks are capable of adapting to the ocean acidification by reducing their size to accommodate for the lack of available calcium for shell formation (1). But much like the other issues faced by mollusks, such as thinning shells and defensive behaviors leading to less feeding time, their adaptation of decreasing their size also leads to their death as they are more vulnerable to predation (1). Mollusks are an important food source for many higher organisms, if the mollusk population decreases the populations of the predators who rely on them as a food source will also see a decline. While a decline in the mollusk population may not seem like a particularly impactful result of the ocean acidification, in the larger picture of the food chain these affects could be quite

Although ocean acidification is affecting the entire world’s oceans, a noticeable effect it is causing would be the major effect it is having on oyster farms in Oregon and Washington. Since about 2006 up to 80% of oyster larvae have started to die-off (Grossman). The young oyster are very vulnerable to their environmental conditions during the first few days of their lives because this is when the oysters are developing the most. Therefore the inability for these oyster to develop is a sign that there is a big change in the oceans conditions. When the pH level of the ocean becomes too low, the young oysters’ shells start to break apart and oyster larvae start to die, this causes hatcheries to be left with nothing to distribute. Not only is

Ocean acidification is a big problem in society but hasn’t been given the recognition needed. Before the industrial era began, the average pH at the ocean surface was estimated at 8.2 (slightly basic; 7.0 is neutral). In 2013 the average pH level was 8.1. Although the change may seem insignificant, similar natural shifts have taken 5,000 to 10,000 years but because of societal development this change occurred between 50 to 80 years. It was hypothesised that by the lowering the PH level of the experiment water it will have a decomposing effect on the organisms (shells).Three shells were placed in separate beakers with different levels of pH and were tested for the changes of mass (intervals of 2 to 3 days). Sample 2 of the experiment showed

The world we live in is so vast and exciting. Seventy percent of our world is liquid water we call the ocean. In the ocean there are many creatures that each are unique in their own way. However, it is possible that in our lifetime, many marine organisms will become endangered or possibly extinct. The loss of these mejestic marine creatures will be caused mainly because of human advancements in which fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Biodiversity is greatly affected by this increase in acidity. As the ocean acidifies, multiple social and economic issues arise. As humans, we rely on the ocean for almost everything. Much of our food, clothing, cleaning products and cosmetics come from the ocean. With the loss of

Many aquatic animals' life depend on the acidity of the ocean. Changes in the pH level of the ocean could cause problems with: growth, reproduction, and chemical communication. Mussels in particular are targeted as shellfish in danger of dying because of high acidity levels in the ocean. Mussels have trouble building their shells in

The negative impacts of increased acidity includes the difficulty for marine animals to form shells and skeletons and corrosion coral, however it also does have positive effects, which includes helping marine plants with the process of

Throughout my education, I had so many challenges I had to overcome. Dealing with school, personal life, and sports. Dealing with all of these problems has shaped me up as a person. I know now how to work for what I want, nothing is handed to me in life. That is something everyone needs to know, and now I know.