There’s growing concern about the impact of ocean acidification on the health of our seas, especially the Southern Ocean.
The Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre in Hobart has released a new report card on the impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems.
Ocean acidification is linked to the increasing greenhouses gases in the atmosphere.
The more carbon dioxide sea water absorbs, the lower its ph, and that poses problems for many marine organisms, particularly corals and those that make shells.
ACE CRC Ocean Acidification project leader Dr Donna Roberts says scientists still don’t know if ocean acidification will kill off species, change communities or shift habitats.
“The colder the ocean, the more carbon dioxide is stored there. So signals we are seeing in the polar oceans are going to indicate what will happen in temperate and tropical ecosystems.”
ABC.net.au, 5 April 2011. Article.
