Ocean acidification is a major concern related to climate change, with the oceans currently absorbing around a quarter of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. The increased CO 2 that is absorbed by the ocean in turn decreases its pH, making the waters more acidic. These more acidic conditions put marine organisms that create calcium carbonate shells and skeletons at risk.
New research that will be presented Monday at the Geological Society of America’s GSA Connects 2022 meeting evaluated a strategy based on Indigenous techniques that may help to mitigate the effects of ocean acidification on calcifying organisms.
Hannah Hensel, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Davis, led a study that tested whether adding shell hash—pulverized clam shells—to sediments could help raise the pH of pore waters and aid in calcification for infaunal marine organisms.
“One of the things that marine invertebrates have to deal with regarding climate change is ocean acidification,” said Hensel. “When researching marine invertebrates that build shells and skeletons out of calcium carbonate, I came upon some research by a diverse group of people up in British Columbia working in clam gardens, an Indigenous shellfish management practice.”
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Emily Zawacki, The Geological Society of America (via EurekAlert!), 7 October 2022. Press release.
