Archive for May, 2011

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Of jingles, oysters and pearls

Published 30 May 2011 Media coverage Closed

My collection of shells from beaches around Kodiak includes several 1- to 2-inch shells, which are round, thin, and resemble the rough and wavy ridges of an oyster shell. Sometimes these are found with both shells still attached to each other and reveal that the bottom shell is rather flat, molded to whatever substrate it grew on, and features a hole. The upper shell is deeper and looks like an oyster shell except that it is a bit rounder and thinner. While the outside is white to gray in color, the inside has a shiny, rainbow-colored layer of mother-of-pearl, which makes this small shell excellent for art and decoration projects. I’ve been told this shell is called a false oyster or jingle (for the sound it makes in a wind chime). Wikipedia claims that people also call them “mermaids’ toenails” and that they are related to oysters, but not in the same family as the edible oysters. The jingles are described as unfavorable and bitter to the taste (who would want to eat toenails?).

…

Over the last decade oyster farmers on the West Coast have been facing a new difficulty. Oysters are another early victim of ocean acidification. The increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere resulting from the burning of fossil fuels since the beginning of the industrial revolution and our continuously high energy consumption results in more carbon dioxide being dissolved into the oceans. In seawater, carbo dioxide forms carbonic acid, making the water more acidic and lowering the pH. The acidity is bad news for shell-building organisms. Some oyster farms in Oregon have already seen all of their spat (young oysters) die when the intake water had a lower pH. I heard that one oyster farmer reported that the spat was not only dead, but that it was just gone — dissolved like the shell of an egg left in vinegar for a few days.
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OSU scientist: Coastal communities can fight ocean acidification

Published 30 May 2011 Media coverage Closed

Ocean acidification is a complex global problem because of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, but there also are a number of local acidification “hotspots” plaguing coastal communities that don’t require international attention – and which can be addressed now.

A regulatory framework already is in place to begin mitigating these local hotspots, according to a team of scientists who outline their case in a forum article in the journal Science.

“Certainly, ocean acidification on a global level continues to be a challenge, but for local, non-fossil fuel-related events, community leaders don’t have to sit back and wait for a solution,” said George Waldbusser, an Oregon State University ecologist and co-author of the paper. “Many of these local contributions to acidity can be addressed through existing regulations.”
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Mitigating local causes of ocean acidification with existing laws

Published 30 May 2011 Science Closed
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As the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) continues to rise, so too does the amount of CO2 in the ocean, which increases the ocean’s acidity. This affects marine ecosystems on a global scale in ways we are only beginning to understand: for example, impairing the ability of organisms to form shells or skeletons, altering food webs, and negatively affecting economies dependent on services ranging from coral reef tourism to shellfish harvests to salmon fisheries. Although increasing anthropogenic inputs drive acidification at global scales, local acidification disproportionately affects coastal ecosystems and the communities that rely on them. We describe policy options by which local and state governments—as opposed to federal and international bodies—can reduce these local and regional “hot spots” of ocean acidification.
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The impact of seawater saturation state and bicarbonate ion concentration on calcification by new recruits of two Atlantic corals

Published 30 May 2011 Science Closed
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Rising concentrations of atmospheric CO2 are changing the carbonate chemistry of the oceans, a process known as ocean acidification (OA). Absorption of this CO2 by the surface oceans is increasing the amount of total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and bicarbonate ion (HCO3−) available for marine calcification yet is simultaneously lowering the seawater pH and carbonate ion concentration ([CO32−]), and thus the saturation state of seawater with respect to aragonite (Ωar). We investigated the relative importance of [HCO3−] versus [CO32−] for early calcification by new recruits (primary polyps settled from zooxanthellate larvae) of two tropical coral species, Favia fragum and Porites astreoides. The polyps were reared over a range of Ωar values, which were manipulated by both acid-addition at constant pCO2 (decreased total [HCO3−] and [CO32−]) and by pCO2 elevation at constant alkalinity (increased [HCO3−], decreased [CO32−]). Calcification after 2 weeks was quantified by weighing the complete skeleton (corallite) accreted by each polyp over the course of the experiment. Both species exhibited the same negative response to decreasing [CO32−] whether Ωar was lowered by acid-addition or by pCO2 elevation—calcification did not follow total DIC or [HCO3−]. Nevertheless, the calcification response to decreasing [CO32−] was nonlinear. A statistically significant decrease in calcification was only detected between Ωar = <2.5 and Ωar = 1.1–1.5, where calcification of new recruits was reduced by 22–37% per 1.0 decrease in Ωar. Our results differ from many previous studies that report a linear coral calcification response to OA, and from those showing that calcification increases with increasing [HCO3−]. Clearly, the coral calcification response to OA is variable and complex. A deeper understanding of the biomineralization mechanisms and environmental conditions underlying these variable responses is needed to support informed predictions about future OA impacts on corals and coral reefs.
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EPOCA information event in Brussels

Published 27 May 2011 Meetings Closed

An EPOCA information event devoted to policy makers in the morning and the general public in the afternoon was organized at European Commission in Brussels on 13 May 2011. Photographs and presentations are available on the EPOCA web site.

Research assistant/associate in ocean acidification in the University of Glasgow

Published 26 May 2011 Jobs Closed

Reference Number     E20098
College / Service       College of Science and Engineering
Department               School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
Position Type             Full Time
Salary Range             £25, 854- £29,099/£31,798 – £35,788 (grade 6/7)

Job Purpose

To perform research on ocean acidification in order to determine how both the protein and mineral components of the mussel, Mytilus edulis respond to ocean acidification. To be responsible for the maintenance of the mesocosm.

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Two-year engineer contract, “Effects of ocean acidification on benthic communities in the Mediterranean Sea”

Published 25 May 2011 Jobs Closed

A research engineer position is available for two years within the project eFOCE (European Free-Ocean Carbon dioxide Enrichment experiments) funded by the “Fondation BNP-Paribas”

Ocean acidification and its impacts on organisms are the subject of growing research interest. Most of the data acquired so far have been obtained through laboratory perturbation experiments although only in situ studies will allow investigation of the effects of ocean acidification over long periods of time, on the structure and functioning of natural communities. Within the framework of the eFOCE project, an in situ benthic experimental system, that allows the continuous regulation of pH in coastal areas, will be constructed and tested to assess the effect of ocean acidification on key benthic communities of the Mediterranean Sea.

Responsibilities: The applicant will be in charge of construction, testing and deployment of this in situ perturbation system in the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer. The work will involve close interaction with colleagues from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI; USA), who are partners of the project and have designed previous FOCE systems.
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The acid test

Published 25 May 2011 Media coverage Closed

Why ocean acidification matters to you.

Every day, the oceans do us a huge favor. Across the planet, they absorb nearly one million metric tons of carbon dioxide each hour, removing about a third of the greenhouse gases from the atmosphere that would otherwise speed up global warming. This seems, at first, to be a massively beneficial service.

But the oceans haven’t been able to soak up the extra carbon pollution without a cost.

The basic chemistry is simple: as oceans absorb more carbon dioxide, they become increasingly acidic and potentially harmful to a wide swath of sea life, from giant clams to tiny plankton that play a role in the diets of most things you might see at a local aquarium. Many of those species wind up on fishing boats, processing plants and dinner plates around the world.

Marine life—from clams to king crab, sea urchins to salmon—has supported the Northwest and its inhabitants for centuries. But a mix of ocean currents and chemistry has put local waters on the leading edge of ocean acidification, a phenomenon that could produce profound changes to the marine food web and industries built upon it.

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Endangered gourmet sea snail could be doomed by increasing ocean acidity

Published 25 May 2011 Web sites and blogs Closed

Increasing levels of ocean acidity could spell doom for British Columbia’s already beleaguered northern abalone, according to the first study to provide direct experimental evidence that changing sea water chemistry is negatively affecting an endangered species.

The northern abalone–prized as a gourmet delicacy–has a range that extents along the North American west coast from Baja California to Alaska. Even though British Columbia’s northern abalone commercial fisheries where closed in 1990 to protect dwindling populations, the species has continued to struggle, largely due to poaching.

To better understand the impact climate change — and specifically, increasing ocean acidity — has on this endangered species, UBC researchers exposed northern abalone larvae to water containing increased levels of CO2. Increases from 400 to 1,800 parts per million killed 40 per cent of larvae, decreased the size of larvae that did survive, and increased the rate of shell abnormalities.

“This is quite bad news, not only in terms of the endangered populations of abalone in the wild, but also the impact it might have on the prospects for aquaculture and coastal economics,” says Christopher Harley, Associate Professor with the Department of Zoology and one of the authors of the study.
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Effects of ocean acidification on early life history stages of Caribbean scleractinian corals

Published 24 May 2011 Science Closed
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Ocean acidification (OA) refers to the increase in acidity (decrease in pH) of the ocean’s surface waters resulting from oceanic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Mounting experimental evidence suggests that OA threatens numerous marine organisms, including reef-building corals; however, few studies have focused on the effects on early life history stages. Coral recruitment is critical to the persistence and resilience of coral reefs and is regulated by several early life processes, including: larval availability (gamete production, fertilization, etc.), larval settlement, post-settlement growth, and survival. Environmental factors that disrupt these early life processes can result in compromised or failed recruitment and profoundly affect future population dynamics. To evaluate the effects of OA on the sexual recruitment of corals, sexual reproduction (including fertilization and sperm swimming speeds) and several critical early life history stages (including larval metabolism, larval settlement, and post-settlement growth) were tested in common Caribbean coral species. Three pCO2 levels were used: ambient seawater (380 µatm) and two pCO2 scenarios that are projected to occur by the middle (560 µatm) and end (800 µatm) of the century as determined by the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change. Results show that fertilization success, larval metabolic rates, larval settlement rates, and post-settlement growth rates are all compromised with increasing pCO2. This dissertation demonstrates that OA has the potential to negatively impact sexual reproduction and multiple early life history processes of several common Caribbean coral species and may contribute to substantial declines in sexual recruitment that are felt at the community and/or ecosystem scale.
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Aquarium lecture series: Ocean acidification – Implications for west coast ecosystems

Published 23 May 2011 Meetings 1 Comment

Event Description

Guest lecturer Dr. Richard Feely will discuss the present and future implications of increased temperature and CO2 levels as they relate to the health of our West Coast ocean ecosystems. He will also conduct a live demonstration of ocean acidification.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most important “greenhouse” gases in the atmosphere affecting the radiative heat balance of the Earth. As a direct result of the industrial and agricultural activities of humans over the past two centuries, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased by about 100 parts per million.

The atmospheric concentration of CO2 is now higher than experienced on Earth for at least the last 800,000 years and is expected to continue to rise. This will lead to significant temperature increases in the atmosphere and ocean by the end of this century. The global ocean is the largest natural long-term reservoir for this excess heat and CO2. It absorbs approximately 85 percent of the heat and 30 percent of the anthropogenic (human-sourced) carbon released into the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial era.

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Method of performing in situ calibrated potentiometric pH measurements

Published 23 May 2011 Science Closed

A device for the precise and accurate potentiometric pH measurements in situ. Embodiments of a potentiometric device according to the invention consist of one or more glass pH-sensitive electrodes connected to a potentiometer. A key feature of the device is that, rather than being calibrated conventionally with buffers, it can be calibrated with an in situ device that measures pH spectrophotometrically. Spectrophotometric pH measurements obtained via sulfonephthalein absorbance measurements are inherently calibrated (do not require buffers). Thus, devices according to the invention allow for continuous potentiometric pH measurements with occasional spectrophotometric calibrations. The spectrophotometric calibration device consists of a spectrophotometer with associated pumps for combining a sulfonephthalein pH indicator with the aqueous medium whose pH is to be measured. The device will record potentiometric pH measurements for an extended period of time until the spectrophotometric device is autonomously activated for another calibration. In this manner precise and accurate pH measurements can be obtained continuously in the environment, and the low energy expenditure of the potentiometric device provides excellent endurance. Also provided is a method and associated devices for spectrophotometrically determining the salinity of an aqueous medium.
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Application of potentiometric method using a cell without liquid junction to underway pH Measurements in surface seawater

Published 23 May 2011 Science Closed
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This study evaluated a method to carry out underway pH measurements of surface seawater by means of a cell without liquid junction using glass electrodes for hydrogen and sodium ions as follows:

The Pitzer method was used as the theoretical basis for the calibration of the above cell and calculations of the pH in total hydrogen concentration scale. It was shown that abovementioned cell has long-term stability and can be calibrated only once a day. A buffer solution, TRIS·HCl-TRIS-NaCl-H2O, is recommended for calibration. This approach has been applied to a cruise in the Sea of Okhotsk on the R/V Akademik M.A.Lavrentyev during September and October 2007.
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OCB OA subcommittee welcomes new members

Published 23 May 2011 Newsletters and reports Closed

Six new members have joined the OCB OA subcommittee, and they bring a range of scientific expertise and organizational talents to the OA subcommittee:

Andreas Andersson (BIOS/SIO) – A geochemist who studies global environmental change owing to both natural and anthropogenic processes, with
emphases on marine CO2 and carbonate geochemistry and on ocean acidification’s effects on marine calcifiers and coral reefs, calcium carbonate mineral dissolution, and sediment composition.

Rusty Brainard (NOAA PIFSC) – Originally a physical oceanographer, Rusty now performs interdisciplinary and integrated ecosystem observations of coral reef ecosystems across the Pacific Islands and has a particular interest in spatial and temporal changes of reef ecosystems and biodiversity in response to climate change and ocean acidification.

Gretchen Hofmann (UCSB) – A metazoan-focused ecophysiologist who broadly focuses on understanding the role of temperature and oceanographic features on marine species’ distributions, and who also employs genomic and traditional biological methods to assess species responses.

Jeremy Mathis (UAF) – A carbon and nitrogen biogeochemist using classical biogeochemical methods to examine ecosystem function in various regions, particularly the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska, with special emphasis on human/ocean and land/ocean interactions.

Taro Takahashi (LDEO) – A geochemist who seeks to understand the fate of industrial CO2 emissions by examining CO2 cycling through the oceans and atmosphere and by examining the behavior of the oceanic CO2 sink over time.

Carol Turley (PML) – Originally a microbial biogeochemist, Carol focuses on communicating the possible holistic impacts of ocean acidification, including OA’s economic and policy consequences; Carol is also deeply involved in international OA organizations including EPOCA, the SOLAS-IMBER Ocean Acidification Working Group, and the UK Ocean Acidification Research Program.
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Coup d’oeil sur la Planète avec Sophie Brems “Le projet Epoca” (audio; in French)

Published 23 May 2011 Media coverage Closed


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OCB hosts first meeting for ocean acidification researchers

Published 23 May 2011 Meetings Closed

Ocean acidification research is growing by leaps and bounds, both in the United States and abroad. One of the greatest challenges facing this fast growing community of researchers is simply to know– Who’s who? What’s happening? Where? Who’s looking for collaborators? What obstacles should the community tackle first?

To begin answering these questions and coordinating the ocean acidification (OA) research community in the United States, the OCB-OA subcommittee and the OCB Project Office held a three-day meeting for OA researchers in March (www.whoi.edu/workshops/OAPI2011). With significant help from NSF, NOAA, NASA, USGS, EPA, and Navy program managers, OCB identified representatives from almost all OA research projects supported by these U.S. agencies to invite to this meeting. Attendees included ecologists, paleoceanographers, instrumentation specialists, chemists, biologists of all types, socioeconomists, modelers, and communications specialists.
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Oregon Sea Grant videos on ocean acidification

Published 20 May 2011 Media coverage Closed

Dr. Richard Feely of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Experimental Lab discusses new findings about how increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making the oceans more acidic, and what that bodes for ocean ecosystems and the marine animals that inhabit them.

(1) What is ocean acidification (1:38)

[vodpod id=Video.9209327&w=425&h=350&fv=]
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Une scientifique monégasque en mission en Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée (in French)

Published 20 May 2011 Media coverage Closed

Le Docteur Stéphanie Reynaud, chargée de Recherches au Centre Scientifique de Monaco, revient d’une mission internationale en Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée. 8 chercheurs ont étudié pendant 15 jours les coraux soumis à des sources volcaniques de CO2.

25 millions de tonnes de gaz carbonique, sont absorbées par l’océan mondial chaque jour causant un phénomène d’acidification des océans qui impacte particulièrement les récifs coraliens. Les nombreuses espèces de poissons voient ainsi leur habitat sensibilisé. Les coraux sont constitués d’un squelette en calcaire, donc sensible à la dissolution en milieu acide. Un phénomène mis en évidence au Centre Scientifique de Monaco il y a près de 20 ans.
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Grasse : le Printemps des Chercheurs et l’Agenda 21 font fête commune! (in French)

Published 20 May 2011 Media coverage Closed

Les Alpes-Maritimes célébreront le Printemps des Chercheurs le samedi 21 mai à Grasse en s’associant au Forum d’ouverture de l’Agenda 21 de la cité des parfums. Pour cette 2ème édition azuréenne, l’association des deux événements prendra d’ailleurs valeur de symbole et permettra d’illustrer la Recherche et les innovations technologiques pour des enjeux en lien avec le Développement Durable.

Cette thématique est illustrée à travers de nombreux travaux de recherche dans des disciplines aussi variées que la mer, l’agriculture, les bases scientifiques polaires, l’astrophysique, la santé, la glaciologie, et l’économie. Organisée sous forme d’une journée, le Printemps des Chercheurs Alpes-Maritimes 2011 se déroulera samedi 21 Mai de 10 à 17 heures, au Palais des Congrès de Grasse. Le public aura le choix entre expositions, ateliers, films commentés, et conférences. En voici le détail.
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Include ocean acidification in the National Climate Assessment

Published 19 May 2011 Media coverage Closed

Ocean acidification should be included as a priority issue in the 2013 National Climate Assessment, say the Center for Biological Diversity and representatives of 28 other groups in a May 16 letter to the National Climate Assessment leadership. Climate Science Watch signed the letter, urging that the status of ocean acidification in the assessment be elevated to a level that is commensurate with the threat.
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