Ocean Acidification

Highlights

• Comparative review of behavioural responses to major abiotic stressors
• Conserved physiological mechanisms underlie diverse behavioural responses
• Cross-stressor synthesis identifies common and stressor-specific effects
• Ecological consequences extend from individuals to populations
• Research priorities for predicting fish responses to global environmental change

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities, including global warming, deforestation, urbanization, intensive agriculture, and aquaculture, are accelerating environmental change with consequences for aquatic ecosystems. As ectothermic vertebrates, fishes are sensitive to alterations in abiotic conditions, responding through behavioural changes that influence survival, reproduction, and species interactions. Although several studies have investigated the effects of abiotic stressors, comparative syntheses across stressors remain limited, constraining our understanding of how environmental drivers influence fish behaviour. In this review, we synthesize evidence on the impacts of six abiotic stressors, including temperature, hypoxia, acidification, turbidity, salinity, and ammonia, and examine the processes underlying responses. Across these stressors, behavioural alterations affect swimming performance, feeding, predator avoidance, social interactions, habitat selection, exploration, courtship, and anxiety-like behaviours. Despite differences in their primary modes of action, these stressors frequently converge on physiological disturbances involving oxidative stress, neurotransmitter regulation, sensory impairment, ion homeostasis, and energy metabolism, ultimately producing behavioural outcomes with ecological consequences. Most studies have been conducted under controlled laboratory settings, limiting ecological relevance. Furthermore, the combined effects of multiple abiotic stressors, together with long-term, multigenerational, and transgenerational responses, remain poorly understood despite their potential consequences for fish growth, reproduction, recruitment, and community structure. This review highlights the urgent need for integrative, multi-stressor, and multigenerational studies spanning diverse species, developmental stages, and ecosystems to improve predictions of fish responses under environmental change. By identifying shared and stressor-specific responses, this synthesis provides a conceptual framework for understanding how abiotic stressors affect fish through physiological pathways that ultimately converge on common behavioural outcomes with important ecological implications.

Graphical abstract

Marine sponges are key benthic organisms whose ecological success is closely linked to their associated microbial communities. This thesis investigated the microbiome responses of three Mediterranean HMA demosponges, Chondrosia reniformis, Petrosia ficiformis, and Chondrilla nucula, inhabiting natural CO₂ vents off Ischia Island. By comparing wild populations under ambient and reduced pH with in situ transplants, this work explored long-term acclimatization and short-term responses. Species-specific transplantation protocols were optimized to ensure survival of the three sponges and experimental reliability. Then, 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding was used to characterize sponge-associated and seawater microbial communities. Results showed that sponge microbiomes were distinct from seawater and structured by host identity but each species displayed different degrees of stability and plasticity under acidified conditions. Chondrosia reniformis exhibited a highly stable microbiome, with acidification inducing only fine-scale shifts within a conserved core. Petrosia ficiformis showed greater flexibility, but short-term responses were strongly constrained by donor identity and source-associated signatures. In C. nucula, light availability emerged as the main driver of microbiome reorganization, while low pH modulated this response, promoting shifts from photosymbiosis-related taxa toward lineages potentially linked to nitrification and chemoautotrophy. Overall, sponge holobiont resilience appears to rely not on extensive microbial replacement, but on species-specific rearrangements of resident symbionts within persistent host-associated frameworks.

Highlights

• Clam addition rapidly altered nitrogen, oxygen and dissolved-carbon dynamics.
• All chamber treatments maintained negative CO₂ fluxes during incubation.
• Algal monoculture showed stronger 6-h CO₂ uptake than co-culture.
• Hydrochemical variables and cardiac activity were recorded concurrently.

Abstract

Global warming and ocean acidification threaten marine aquaculture. Bivalve-microalgae co-culture is considered a promising approach for low-carbon aquaculture, but its effects on water quality, carbon dynamics and bivalve physiology are not fully understood. This study tested Ruditapes philippinarum and Chlorella vulgaris in sealed static chambers with three treatments: sterile seawater (NP-C), Chlorella monoculture (WP-C) and clam-Chlorella co-culture (WP). Water-quality variables, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), air-water CO₂ flux and clam heart rate were measured in separate 3-h and 6-h incubations. At the end of incubation, WP had higher ammonium concentrations and lower dissolved oxygen than WP-C, indicating that clam addition changed nitrogen and oxygen conditions. DOC and DIC also changed differently in the two biological treatments. All treatments showed negative air-water CO₂ fluxes. In the 6-h experiment, CO₂ uptake was strongest in WP-C and intermediate in WP. Heartbeats were recorded continuously in four clams for 7.07 h. Overall, the co-culture rapidly altered water-quality and dissolved-carbon dynamics but did not result in greater short-term CO₂ uptake than the algal monoculture under the present chamber conditions.

Progressive ocean acidification and deoxygenation are expected to threaten many marine zooplankton, but their combined effects across life stages remain poorly understood. We investigated stage-specific responses of the egg-carrying copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei to changes in pH_T (5.97–8.05) and dissolved oxygen (DO; 0.90–8.20 mg L⁻¹). Nauplii were the most sensitive stage in 24-h exposures, with survival dropping below 40% at pH_T 6.1 and declining to 55–70% when DO fell below 1 mg O₂ L⁻¹. Under combined stress, naupliar survival declined to about 65% in the most severe treatment (pH_T 7.11, DO 1.74 mg O₂ L⁻¹), whereas copepodites and adults showed no significant short-term survival response. In contrast, moderate combined stress (pH_T 7.62, DO 4.11 mg O₂ L⁻¹) produced sublethal effects, increasing development time by approximately 70%, reducing development success from 86% to 28%, and decreasing nauplii production by approximately one-third. Thus, nauplii form a critical bottleneck for recruitment under combined stress.

Scientific Significance Statement

Coastal marine ecosystems are increasingly exposed to concurrent acidification and deoxygenation, yet the combined effects of these stressors across zooplankton life stages remain poorly resolved. Using the egg-carrying copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei, we show that short-term adult survival was relatively insensitive to combined low pH and low oxygen, whereas naupliar development and reproductive output were strongly reduced. These results identify the naupliar stage as a critical bottleneck under combined acidification and hypoxia. This stage-specific vulnerability implies that adult survival alone can underestimate recruitment impacts of changing coastal carbonate and oxygen conditions.

Highlights

• Sporophytes and gametophytes differed in germ cell release.
• Sporophytes and gametophytes differed in physiological responses.
• The different responses lead to Ulva sp. green tide outbreak.

Abstract

The Ulva sp. green tide is one global marine ecological disaster, and its prevention and control have drawn global attention. However, existing control strategies based on ecological mechanisms of Ulva sp. green tide without distinguishing sporophytes from gametophytes have yielded limited success, suggesting that the green tide outbreaks are driven by intrinsic biological mechanisms. Ulva australis Areschoug gametophytes and sporophytes differ in chromosome number; hence, it is inferred that their reproductive strategies respond differentially to environment factors, which explains the biological mechanism of Ulva sp. green tides from the perspective of the origin of germ cells. To verify this hypothesis and for effective control of green tides, the sporophytes and gametophytes of U. australis Areschoug were respectively cultivated and exposed to the conditions of nutrient salts, salinity and carbon dioxide (CO₂) superimposed in a uniform design experiment for 48 h to observe the release of germ cells (spores or gametes). The spore release rate of sporophytes was positively correlated with salinity (p<0.05). The gamete release rate of gametophytes had a positive correlation with the interaction between NH₄-N and PO₄-P (p<0.05), and a negative correlation with CO₂ concentration (p<0.05). The difference in responses of sporophytes and gametophytes to environmental factors ensures the availability of germ cells of U. australis Areschoug, which facilitates the green tide outbreak. Thus, the sporophyte and gametophyte respond differently to environmental factors, suggesting that they can adapt to different habitats, which implies that the green tide outbreak of the Ulva sp. has an inherent biological promoting mechanism. Moreover, it is understandable that the effect of a single control strategy in dealing with Ulva sp. green tides is not satisfactory.

The scallop Zygochlamys patagonica is an ecologically and economically important seafood species in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean that has been shown to be sensitive to ocean acidification (OA), a global process caused by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. This study experimentally evaluated the effects of a long-term exposure to low pH, including an OA scenario on the scallop adductor muscle— the commercially valuable tissue. We tested three levels of pH, two pH values within the present range of natural variability (high pH_T= 8.00 and medium pH_T= 7.80) and a lower pH level representing a true OA scenario (low pH_T: 7.52). We examined biochemical alterations induced by low pH and assessed the potential for reversibility following a depuration period. No significant effects were observed for medium pH exposure. However, after 14 and 28 weeks of exposure to low pH (OA), significant reductions in protein and total lipid content were observed, resulting in decreased overall energy reserves, while glycogen levels remained unchanged. The fatty acid profile shifted under OA with an increased PUFA/ SFA ratio and higher sums of EPA and DHA. No signs of recovery were detected after the 2-month depuration period. These results indicate that OA-driven changes in biochemical composition may reflect altered physiological status, with potential socio-ecological implications for the sustainable exploitation of this valuable resource.

Elevated CO₂ is a common water-quality challenge in recirculating aquaculture systems. Although its effects are often accompanied by environmental acidification, the direct impact of elevated CO₂ under stable-pH conditions on fish olfactory function remains poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of elevated CO₂ on olfactory function and olfactory epithelial homeostasis in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Fish were exposed to approximately 5 mg L⁻¹ (control), 10 mg L⁻¹, and 15 mg L⁻¹ CO₂ for 4 days while maintaining stable pH. Olfactory function and olfactory epithelial responses were evaluated using behavioral assays, calcium imaging, histological analyses, Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, immunofluorescence, and gene-expression analyses. Exposure to 10 and 15 mg L⁻¹ CO₂ significantly reduced attraction to food odor without affecting swimming activity, indicating impaired olfactory sensitivity. Calcium imaging revealed attenuated olfactory responses to L-alanine, accompanied by altered expression of genes involved in olfactory signal transduction. Elevated CO₂ also increased the number and area of acidic mucous cells, reduced the abundance of mature olfactory sensory neurons, increased apoptosis in the olfactory epithelium, and altered the expression of genes associated with apoptosis, cell proliferation, and neurogenesis. These findings indicate that elevated CO₂ under stable-pH conditions impairs olfactory function and disrupts olfactory epithelial homeostasis in juvenile largemouth bass. The present study demonstrates that dissolved CO₂, independent of environmental acidification, adversely affects the fish olfactory system and highlights the importance of monitoring CO₂ as a key water-quality parameter in recirculating aquaculture systems.

Highlights

• Biogenic acidification increases with stocking density in sea urchin culture.
• Total alkalinity mitigates acidification and promotes growth and gonadal development.
• Higher alkalinity shifts metabolism toward biosynthesis and energy storage.

Abstract

Among cultured sea urchins in China, Strongylocentrotus intermedius has the highest annual production, with seed production and grow-out primarily conducted under high-density intensive conditions where biogenic acidification readily develops. To investigate its development, effects, and mitigation, we conducted a short-term incubation experiment (1 d) and a 20-day cultivation experiment. In the short-term incubation experiment, a control group with initial pH ≈ 8.1 and TA ≈ 2300 μmol/kg and a TA-elevated group with initial pH ≈ 8.1 and TA ≈ 3600 μmol/kg were established, and sea urchins were cultured across a density gradient of 20–80 g/3 L. In the 20-d experiment, stocking density was 88 g/3 L with the same initial pH and TA settings. The short-term experiment showed that seawater acidification occurred in the control group, and stocking density was significantly correlated to pCO₂, ΔpH (pH reduction), TA–DIC, and Ω_arag. With increasing stocking density, pCO₂ increased significantly, whereas ΔpH and TA–DIC significantly decreased simultaneously. In the TA-elevated group, all parameters except pCO₂ were higher than those in the control group across all stocking densities. At the lowest stocking density, ΔpH, TA–DIC, and Ω_arag in the control group were −0.09 ± 0.01, 111.48 ± 1.73 μmol/kg, and 1.43 ± 0.00, respectively, whereas the corresponding values in the TA-elevated group were 0.11 ± 0.01, 252.26 ± 6.98 μmol/kg, and 3.23 ± 0.08. These results indicate that increasing TA mitigates biogenic acidification and works to strengthen the buffering capacity of the carbonate system. At the end of the 20-day cultivation experiment, urchins from the TA-elevated group showed significantly higher specific growth rate (1.60 ± 0.08% vs. 1.27 ± 0.06%), weight gain rate (37.72 ± 2.25% vs. 29.04 ± 1.48%), and gonad index (6.09 ± 1.58% vs. 3.54 ± 0.49%) than those from the control group. Metabolomics analysis revealed that TA elevation enriched pathways related to protein biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and sphingolipid signaling, with higher abundances of essential amino acids (L-methionine, DL-isoleucine), sphingomyelins, and the antioxidant indole-3-pyruvic acid. In contrast, the oxidative stress marker DL-2-aminoadipic acid was upregulated in the control group. Overall, increasing seawater TA mitigates biogenic acidification in high-density sea urchin culture, shifting metabolism from stress defense toward biosynthesis and reserve accumulation, thereby supporting growth and gonadal development in juvenile sea urchins.

Global challenges such as ocean acidification can be understood as complex systems involving interconnected causes, effects and relationships. To navigate this complexity, systems thinking (ST) is considered an essential competency that can be fostered through science education. However, empirically tested teaching materials for fostering ST in chemistry education remain scarce. We developed and evaluated a task on ocean acidification based on the ChEMIST table. The task includes subtasks on observation, explanation, modelling, prediction and reflection, including the construction and revision of causal maps on coral decline. The task was piloted with upper secondary students (n = 10) and implemented in a main study (n = 16) using semi-structured interviews. Responses were analysed by subtask, with focus on assessing granularity, complexity and causality of the causal maps. The findings are presented along five ChEMIST characteristics. Findings show that students demonstrated more analytical aspects of ST when identifying elements and direct causal links. More holistic aspects of ST emerged in prediction and reflection subtasks, where students connected ecological, societal and human dimensions of ocean acidification and considered future developments and their own role within the system. Implications include the need for explicit representational scaffolds and prompts that target feedback and cross-level integration.

This chapter examines the role of the oceans as the largest active surface reservoir of carbon in the Earth system and the chemical and physical processes that regulate the storage and redistribution of carbon in seawater. The oceans contain roughly 38,700 Gt of carbon, about fifty times more than the atmosphere, mostly in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon distributed among carbonic acid, bicarbonate, and carbonate species, whose proportions are largely controlled by seawater pH and alkalinity. The chapter introduces the fundamental equilibria of the marine carbonate system, including gas exchange with the atmosphere governed by Henry’s law, and explains how dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity determine the ocean’s capacity to absorb atmospheric CO₂. It also reviews the origin and composition of seawater and the geochemical processes responsible for ocean salinity. Finally, the chapter describes the major mechanisms transferring carbon from the surface ocean to deeper waters, by the solubility, biological, and carbonate pumps, and examines how the depth of the saturation state of calcium carbonate, the lysocline, and the carbonate compensation depth regulate carbonate sedimentation and provide long-term negative feedback on atmospheric CO₂.

Bivalve larvae are highly sensitive to ocean acidification (OA) conditions, a global climate shift that applies selective pressure on calcareous marine organisms. Although a growing body of work exists on the effects of OA on bivalve larvae, most studies rely on pooled-larval sampling, which may obscure gene expression patterns by including larvae with severely underdeveloped or deformed phenotypes, which are common in OA conditions but are unlikely to survive to metamorphosis. Here, we tested a combination of single-larva transcriptomic techniques to investigate the expression of a candidate gene previously shown to be upregulated in OA conditions, Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase (NKA), in Pacific oyster larvae of known phenotypes. We found that upregulation of the NKA gene is detected primarily in larvae with a developed first shell (prodissoconch I), and was not pronounced in underdeveloped or deformed larvae, suggesting its expression reflects active shell formation under OA conditions, rather than a generalized stress response. Further, NKA mRNA was primarily localized along the dorsal shell hinge, the site of CaCO₃ deposition, substantiating its role in early shell development. This study provides a methodological framework for phenotype-anchored sampling to investigate the expressional signatures underpinning successful shell development in OA conditions.

Highlights

• CgPGC-1α with classical RRM domain was identified from Crassostrea gigas.
• CgPGC-1α mRNA was ubiquitously expressed with the highest level in gill.
• CgPGC-1α could respond to acidification treatment, promote mitochondrial biogenesis.
• Acidification enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and ATP via AMPKα/PGC-1α.

Abstract

Ocean acidification poses a significant threat to calcifying marine organisms. The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas is an economically and ecologically important bivalve species. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying its physiological adaptation to acidification stress is therefore of great ecological and aquaculture relevance. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) is a central regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and cellular energy metabolism, which plays important roles in response to various stressors. In this study, a PGC-1α homolog was identified from Crassostrea gigas (CgPGC-1α), which harbors an evolutionarily conserved RRM domain. The phylogenetic tree indicated that CgPGC-1α first clustered with PGC-1α from molluscs, then grouped with vertebrate PGC-1α, and finally joined with the PGC-1α of arthropods. During larval development, expression level of CgPGC-1α increased from the early embryonic stages, reached its highest level at blastula stage, and subsequently decreased during later development stages. In adult oysters, expression level of CgPGC-1α were detected in haemocytes and all examined tissues, with the highest level in gills. When the oysters were exposed to acidified seawater at pH 7.4, the expression level of CgPGC-1α in gonad was significantly upregulated at 7 and 21 days. Furthermore, at 7 days after acidification treatment, the mtDNA copy number, the expression level of CgMFN mRNA transcripts, the CgPGC-1α protein levels and the pAMPKα (Thr172) phosphorylation levels all significantly increased (p < 0.05), while the relative mRNA expression level of CgDRP1 significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Moreover, a significant increase in the number of mitochondria with morphology changing from elliptical to irregular and cristae becoming swollen was observed, and the ATP content was significantly elevated. After 28d days of acidification, mtDNA copy number and the expression level of CgMFN and CgNRF2 were significantly decreased, whereas the expression level of CgDRP1 was significantly increased. Collectively, these findings reveal a temporal response to acidification, characterized by an early compensatory activation of the AMPKα/PGC-1α axis and enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis, followed by impaired mitochondrial homeostasis under prolonged acidification stress. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying oyster resilience to ocean acidification and highlights the potential importance of mitochondrial adaptation in coping with future environmental changes.

Coastal ocean acidification in river-dominated marginal seas exhibits distinct evolutionary trajectories from the open ocean. However, quantitatively decoupling its multi-stressor drivers remains challenging due to historical data scarcity and the confounding effects of shifting hydrology and localized human activities. We established a robust calibration framework using sedimentary 3‑hydroxy fatty acids to reconstruct a 60-year pH history in the Changjiang Estuary and the adjacent East China Sea shelf. Our reconstruction reveals that the shelf water pH declined at a rate of −0.00093 units yr^-1 over the past six decades, closely tracking the invasion of atmospheric CO₂, whereas the estuarine zone was governed by regional biogeochemical processes. Variation partitioning analysis and generalized additive models quantify that hydrological forcing, anthropogenic forcing and hydro-biological fluctuations accounted for independent variance contributions of 41.3%, 24.8% and 16.3% of the pH variability in the estuary. These findings suggest that the sensitivity of coastal carbonate chemistry to climate-related environmental change depends not merely on atmospheric CO₂ forcing, but also on the balance between regional hydrological regimes and ecosystem state. Scenario-based perturbation analyses further suggest that variations in freshwater discharge, warming, and oxygen dynamics will either amplify or partially buffer coastal acidification signals, depending on the dynamic competition between physical dilution and biologically mediated carbonate processes. This underscores the critical necessity of conducting integrated, multi-stressor assessments to guide adaptive watershed coastal management, rather than treating river-dominated marginal seas as a single homogeneous domain.

• Ceratostigma willmottianum, which can mineralize atmospheric CO₂ directly into CaCO₃ for long-lasting C sequestration, has both organic and inorganic C sequestration functions. However, how elevated CO₂ affects CaCO₃ mineralization and the allocation of C between the two C sequestration remains unclear.
• Therefore, C. willmottianum was exposed to five CO₂ concentrations (400, 550, 700, 850, and 1000 ppm) in combination with ¹³C isotope labeling, carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitor treatments, and transient overexpression assays to systematically investigate these effects.
• Results showed that 700 ppm CO₂ was the most effective in promoting plant growth, photosynthesis, and CaCO₃ accumulation, whereas 1000 ppm CO₂ exerted an inhibitory effect. ¹³C tracing revealed that elevated CO₂ increased C allocation to CaCO₃ mineralization from 3.03% (400 ppm) to 4.62% (700 ppm), while decreasing that to net organic C fixation from 63.40 to 60.51%. CA inhibitor experiments further indicated that extracellular CA plays a key role in promoting more C allocation to CaCO₃ mineralization. Gene expression and functional validation identified CwβCA2 as a key gene responding to elevated CO₂ and promoting CaCO₃ mineralization.
• This study provides a theoretical basis and candidate gene resources for developing biomineralization-based C capture and storage technologies to cope with rising CO₂ in the future.

Highlights

• Ocean acidification causes pH- and time-dependent disruption of nacreous and prismatic microstructures.
• Shell compressive strength declines progressively with decreasing pH and exposure duration.
• Quantitative mantle phosphoproteomics identified 3720 phosphoproteins and 10,780 phosphosites.
• Differential phosphorylation is associated with signaling, vesicular trafficking, autophagy, and metabolic pathways.
• Molecular and shell-level responses support a proof-of-concept dual-indicator framework.

Abstract

Ocean acidification (OA), driven by rising atmospheric CO₂, threatens the structural integrity and ecological performance of calcifying marine organisms, yet the mechanistic links between environmental acidification and compromised shell mechanical resilience remain insufficiently understood. Here, we integrate microstructural imaging, mechanical testing, and quantitative phosphoproteomics to characterize the structural, mechanical, and phosphorylation responses of Mytilus edulis to OA and examine their relationships. Adult mussels were exposed to near-future pH conditions (8.1, 7.9, 7.7) for up to 40 days. OA produced progressive disorganization of nacreous tablets and prismatic columns without altering aragonite–calcite polymorphs, indicating that acidification drives structural degradation rather than mineralogical shifts. Correspondingly, shell compressive strength declined in a pH- and time-dependent manner, with an approximately 60% reduction at pH 7.7 after 40 days. Phosphoproteomic profiling identified 3720 phosphoproteins (10,780 sites), revealing extensive acidification-induced remodeling of phosphorylation networks. Proteins corresponding to differentially phosphorylated peptides were predominantly nuclear and were enriched in kinase-, PH-, PDZ-, and RNA-recognition-domain-containing proteins. Functional analyses implicated MAPK signaling, vesicular trafficking, ion transport, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, autophagy, and calcium-associated processes. Phosphoproteomic remodeling was associated with the deterioration of shell microstructure and compressive strength, supporting an association between mantle phosphorylation responses and compromised biomineralization under acidification. The enriched pathways and protein domains were functionally related to calcium-dependent signaling, vesicular trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, and cellular metabolism, providing testable candidates for future mechanistic validation. Together, these findings support a working model in which ocean acidification is accompanied by coordinated phosphorylation remodeling and progressive loss of shell mechanical resilience. We further propose a proof-of-concept dual-indicator framework that integrates candidate molecular sentinels with organismal metrics, providing a conceptual basis for future assessment of aquaculture resilience and ecosystem vulnerability under progressive ocean acidification.

Graphical abstract

Globally, oceans are becoming increasingly acidic and hypoxic due to anthropogenic carbon emissions increasing atmospheric CO₂, much of which is absorbed by the ocean. Recent research demonstrates that wastewater discharges, particularly in densely populated regions with large wastewater treatment plants, exacerbate ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH). Excess nutrients contained in treated wastewater amplify OAH processes, negatively impacting marine life. In the United States, state and federal agencies have the authority to manage nutrient levels in treated sewage in order to protect marine ecosystems. This study includes a compilation of data on OAH and wastewater inputs across key areas—biological thresholds, wastewater plant data, treatment technology options, and policy recommendations—to provide guidance to regulators in reducing excess nutrients that contribute to OAH. A series of steps provided to coastal managers focuses on wastewater discharge as a concrete example of how to translate an emerging scientific understanding into a concrete policy and regulatory recommendation. Wastewater discharges that cause or contribute to OAH conditions in ocean-receiving waters have infrequently been regulated to reduce or eliminate impacts despite the efficacy of increasingly common treatment technologies. With a focus on the California Current Ecosystem (CCE), this study recommends implementing more stringent wastewater treatment plant regulations by moving to technology-based standards to limit nitrogen concentrations in treated sewage discharged off the coast. If implemented, these limitations would minimize wastewater contributions to OAH and reduce its harmful impacts, safeguarding coastal ecosystems and economies. The nutrient management framework outlined here can be replicated nationally using the Clean Water Act framework, or internationally using a similar regulatory framework. Sewage effluent discharges and overflows to the ocean occur in all coastal states and territories, and mitigating these nutrient contributions is a management issue for all coastal managers. In this study, we present a nutrient management framework that can be integrated into regional and national strategies to help coastal regions mitigate OAH impacts on marine ecosystems.

Ocean acidification (OA) poses a significant threat to the ability of marine calcifying organisms—such as mollusks, corals, crustaceans, and plankton—to form and maintain their calcium carbonate-based shells. While some species show greater sensitivity to OA than others, the impacts on benthic marine calcifiers remain inadequately understood. This study investigates the shell density, weight, and thickness of the ostracode species Paracyprideis pseudopunctillata (subphylum Crustacea), which inhabits the continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean. Using microfocus X-ray computed tomography (microXCT) scans, we generated detailed morphometric measurements of specimens collected from both surface and down-core sediment samples to assess variations in shell properties over time. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the natural variability of ostracode shell characteristics in a specific region over an extended time period. For each specimen, we calculated a CT number, an index of relative calcium carbonate density, using a previously published equation. Our findings show that most living specimens of P. pseudopunctillata in the Beaufort Sea showed no overt signs of OA-related shell compromise or degradation. Shell density remained consistent between 1969 and 2018 CE, with consistent CT numbers suggesting that corrosive bottom waters are not a persistent feature in this area of the Beaufort Sea continental shelf. This is supported by a timeseries of discrete pH and carbonate saturation measurements. To help quantify diagenetic impacts on ostracode shells, we compared this calibration dataset with measurements of well-preserved adult specimens from downcore intervals of a box core (MR22, MT1, 1-29 cm) and a multicore (HLY1302 MC29, 25-35 cm), both collected from the same location, representing 2018 to 1955 CE and 1953 to 1925 CE, respectively. The CT numbers from these specimens were also consistent, which confirmed the preservation state of most specimens. However, several specimens had low CT numbers, and these shells show surficial evidence of post-mortem diagenesis. We aimed to quantify the extent of diagenesis, which has important implications for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. These findings provide important baseline data for understanding the variability of modern ostracode shell density of fossil and alive-collected specimens.

Ocean acidification (OA) and microplastic (MP) pollution are widespread marine stressors, yet their interactive effects on seafood quality and molecular metabolism remain unclear. This study investigated the combined effects of OA (pH 7.7) and MPs (2 and 200 μg/L) on the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas). OA was the primary driver of textural deterioration, significantly reducing springiness and chewiness, while combined stress synergistically depleted protein and lipid reserves. Distinct lipid remodeling strategies were identified: OA induced DHA accumulation potentially associated with membrane stabilization, whereas MPs triggered EPA and ARA upregulation associated with stress and immune responses. The flavor profile was severely compromised, characterized by depletion of umami amino acids, nucleotide redistribution, and altered succinate contribution. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that high MP exposure activated genome maintenance and DNA repair-associated pathways, including the Fanconi anemia pathway, superimposed on OA-associated metabolic suppression. Concurrent upregulation of nucleotide salvage (APRT, HPRT) and amino acid catabolic genes (GLS, GDH) suggests increased utilization of flavor metabolites for energetic demands. These findings support a bioenergetic trade-off in which oysters exposed to OA and MPs reallocate resources from nutritional and sensory quality toward cellular maintenance and stress adaptation, highlighting underrecognized consequences of climate change and plastic pollution for seafood quality.