Ocean acidification (OA) is one of the quietest yet most profound changes unfolding in our seas. Caused mainly by the ocean’s absorption of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it steadily lowers seawater pH and depletes carbonate ions — the essential building blocks for shells, skeletons, and coral reefs. These chemical shifts ripple through marine ecosystems, weakening coral structures, slowing the growth of shellfish, disrupting plankton communities, and ultimately destabilising the food webs that sustain biodiversity and human livelihoods. Although OA is recognised as a global problem, its effects are not uniform. Some regions, particularly the Indian Ocean and other tropical waters, remain poorly studied despite being home to rich biodiversity and millions of people whose lives depend on healthy coastal ecosystems. This paper focuses on OA as a “silent” driver of biodiversity loss and addresses two major gaps: the lack of strong policy and governance integration, and the scarcity of regional data for Indian and tropical waters. To explore how OA is framed in global agreements such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Paris Agreement, and examine its treatment in India’s environmental laws, including the Environment (Protection) Act, Coastal Regulation Zone rules, and the Biological Diversity Act. While these frameworks provide important protections, none directly target OA or mandate systematic monitoring. The shortage of long-term, high-resolution data on pH and carbonate chemistry in Indian waters makes it difficult to gauge the scale of the threat or design locally relevant solutions. The lack of species-specific studies in this region adds further uncertainty to impact predictions. This is mainly upon doctrinal studies. This study calls for integrating OA into national marine policies, creating dedicated monitoring networks in the Indian Ocean, and fostering interdisciplinary research that links chemical changes to ecological shifts and community livelihoods. Closing these gaps is vital not only for protecting marine biodiversity but also for ensuring food security and economic stability for coastal populations.
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification: the silent threat to marine biodiversity’Posts Tagged 'review'
Ocean acidification: the silent threat to marine biodiversity
Published 8 April 2026 Science ClosedTags: Indian, policy, review
The impact of climate change on lobster production: a systematic synthesis of literature
Published 6 April 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, crustaceans, fisheries, growth, morphology, mortality, physiology, reproduction, review
Climatic impact-drivers are projected to change in coastal and marine regions globally, especially towards the fisheries production of the commercially important global shellfish, such as lobster species. Thus, there is an immediate need for ongoing, rigorous systematic review that continuously assesses and analyzes the risk of climatic factors towards lobsters’ production (i.e., growth, reproduction, etc.). A global relevant literature was analyzed from the inception to 31st December 2024. The review targets commercially important lobster, across various life history stages. The current study presents a systematic analysis of the research articles on lobster growth, reproduction, and development from relevant literature through two main academic databases, Scopus (n = 284) and Web of Science (n = 310). During literature search, duplicate articles were removed manually (n = 177). A total of 46 research articles were generated from the strict systematic selection process at various life history stages of lobsters. Climate change elements such as temperature, salinity, carbon dioxide, pH, and hypoxia significantly impact ovigerous females, reproduction, hatching success, larval stages, and juvenile development of lobsters. As global climate change intensifies, the reproductive and developmental capacity of lobster populations may be increasingly compromised, particularly in early life history stages. To date, a comprehensive synthesis of reproductive and biological impacts across taxa and regions has been lacking. This review provides a foundational reference for future assessments and adaptation strategies for sustainable management of lobsters under climate change.
Continue reading ‘The impact of climate change on lobster production: a systematic synthesis of literature’California’s 2026 Coast and Ocean Assessment
Published 1 April 2026 Science ClosedTags: North Pacific, policy, review
Key Messages
- California’s coastal ocean moderates our climate, holds potential solutions to climate change, and is directly impacted by a changing climate. California’s coast and ocean are also critical natural resources and economic assets, generating $51.3 billion in gross domestic product and supporting more than 500,000 jobs.
- The public and policymakers can get a broad, state-level understanding of the overall status of the coast and ocean through this synthesis of complex data into single statewide metrics and subsequent aggregation of those evaluations in this report. At the same time, some categories are better understood through downscaled or local evaluations.
- This coast and ocean assessment is the result of the work of more than 120 scientific experts from academic institutions, state and federal agencies, NGOs, and Tribes. The widespread support that it has garnered exemplifies the value of leveraging buy-in from a broad scientific community that stands poised to continue to support in delivering the best available science to policymakers.
- State-federal partnerships provide essential infrastructure: evaluations for 13 of the 19 categories leveraged federal data, and the evaluations of five categories were fully reliant on the specialized expertise and in-kind time of federal scientists.
- Distilling data into single metrics for each category enabled us to flexibly incorporate multiple data types, retain geographic information while providing statewide coverage, and present findings that are both accurate and easily understood. This approach also ensures forward compatibility to incorporate new data as they become available and repeat this
analysis in the future. - The 2014-2015 marine heatwave was a seminal event that disrupted California’s ocean ecosystems, including loss of species and ecosystem services, declining populations, and geographic range shifts. We can expect more warm years like this in the future.
- The state has a valuable role to play in strengthening the ocean monitoring and evaluation enterprise, such as expanding monitoring in Northern California, coordinating networks and standardizing methods, supporting innovative monitoring technologies to better track cryptic species, and identifying where strategic investments can fill data gaps.
See summary of ocean acidification findings.
Continue reading ‘California’s 2026 Coast and Ocean Assessment’Impacts of ocean acidification on marine zooplankton: a review of physiological, developmental, and reproductive responses
Published 31 March 2026 Science ClosedTags: adaptation, biological response, otherprocess, physiology, reproduction, review, zooplankton
Acidification. The increasing levels of carbon dioxide CO₂ in the atmosphere are leading to ocean acidification, and this is altering the chemical content of marine water and is endangering life in the oceans. The examples of marine zooplankton, including Copepods, Pteropods, krill, and larvae of invertebrates are essential to the pelagic food webs and carbon cycles, even though they differ in their tolerance to low PH concentration and high pCO₂ levels. Early developmental phases are particularly vulnerable, with them showing retardation in developmental stages, reduced hatch rates, physical deformities as well as a lack of calcification. Higher carbon dioxide CO₂ levels interfere with the acid-base balance, increase oxidative stress and alter the allocation of metabolism, leading to trade-offs that lower growth, reproduction and survival rates. Calcifying organisms such as the pteropods are highly susceptible whereas some of the non-calcifying copepods exhibit a level of physiological resilience. Negative effects of other stressors may be affected by increased temperature, oxygen depletion, and nutrient enrichment which may further compound negative effects. There is some evidence that there is some possible acclimation in the short term and that there might be transgenerational plasticity but we do not understand adaptive capacity in the long term. Knowledge gaps exist in regard to multigenerational response, non-calcifying and gelatinous species and how physiological plasticity occurs. Species-specific responses are an important aspect of predictive models to estimate the impact of the ecosystem and guide conservation efforts. To ensure marine ecosystems remain stable as ocean acidification continues, vulnerable zooplankton should be safeguarded to preserve tropic structure, nutrient cycling, and nutrient stability.
Continue reading ‘Impacts of ocean acidification on marine zooplankton: a review of physiological, developmental, and reproductive responses’State of the global climate 2025
Published 30 March 2026 Newsletters and reports ClosedTags: chemistry, policy, review
The temperature of the Earth changes in response to the rate at which energy enters and leaves the Earth system. Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, all of which reached their highest level in 800 000 years in 2024 (the last year for which we have consolidated global figures), reduce the rate at which energy leaves the Earth system. This imbalance – the Earth’s energy imbalance, a new indicator in this year’s report – leads to an accumulation of excess energy.
One of the longest observational records of climate change is that of global mean near-surface temperature. The past three years are the three warmest years in the 176-year combined land and ocean observational record. The year 2025 is the second or third warmest year, depending on the dataset used, slightly cooler than the record warmth of 2024, due in part to the transition from El Niño at the start of 2024 to La Niña in 2025. The warming seen at the surface and throughout the troposphere represents just 1% of the excess energy trapped by greenhouse gases.
The vast majority of the excess energy – around 91% – has been absorbed by the ocean in the form of heat. Ocean heat content reached a new record high in 2025, reflecting the continued increase in energy.
Another 3% of the excess energy warms and melts ice. In a global set of reference glaciers with long-term measurements, eight of the ten most negative annual glacier mass balances since 1950 have occurred since 2016. The ice sheets on Antarctica and Greenland have both lost significant mass since satellite records began.
The extent of sea ice in the Arctic has decreased in all seasons since satellite measurements began in 1979, and the annual maximum extent in 2025 was the lowest or second lowest in the observed records. Sea-ice extent around Antarctica showed a small long-term increase until 2015, but since then, extents throughout the annual cycle have dropped considerably, and the past four years have seen the four lowest Antarctic sea-ice minima on record.
The warming ocean and melting of ice on land from glaciers and ice sheets have both contributed to the long-term rise in global mean sea level. The rate of global sea-level rise has increased since satellite measurements began in 1993.
The remaining ~5% of the excess energy is stored in the continents, increasing the temperature of the land mass and thereby affecting terrestrial processes.
As well as absorbing the majority of the energy trapped by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, the ocean has also absorbed around 29% of the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide in the past decade. While this helps to buffer the effects of climate change, it also alters the chemical composition of the ocean water, reducing the pH in a process known as ocean acidification.
These rapid large-scale changes in the Earth system have cascading impacts on human and natural systems, contributing to food insecurity and displacement where hazards intersect with high vulnerability and limited adaptive capacity.
Continue reading ‘State of the global climate 2025’The role of seagrass in modifying dissolved oxygen and pH in coastal systems: a meta-analysis
Published 26 March 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, chemistry, field, phanerogams, review
Highlights
- Seagrass productivity drives diel pH–DO variation, enhancing local buffering capacity
- Oxygen–pH coupling highlights seagrass role in mitigating acidification during photosynthesis
- Studies should integrate temperature, salinity, and light to parse biological drivers
- Expanded geographic scope, especially tropics and Global South, is urgently needed
- Standardized pH scales and advanced sensors to improve comparability and monitoring
Abstract
Seagrass meadows, highly productive ecosystems, can influence local water chemistry by increasing dissolved oxygen in the water column and removing dissolved CO2 thus raising pH. This study provides the first quantitative synthesis of literature comparing pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) between systems with and without seagrasses. Through a systematic literature review and meta-analysis, we collated and analysed data from 63 studies reporting pH values and 70 studies reporting DO. Across studies, seagrass habitats were associated with slightly higher mean pH relative to non-seagrass habitats. Seagrass habitats showed the highest mean pH (8.11 ± 0.30) and the greatest diel variability (0.47 ± 0.65) of all habitats investigated with unvegetated areas exhibiting lower mean pH and reduced variability. The diel pH range was also significantly higher in seagrass habitats (p = 0.024). The pooled standardized mean difference was small (0.15), indicating a modest overall effect of seagrass presence on pH across studies. Although mean DO concentrations were slightly lower in seagrass habitats compared to other vegetated systems, they experienced fewer hypoxic events (12% of values < 2 mg/L) compared to other vegetated systems (55%). Generalized additive models identified DO as the strongest predictor of pH, with minor contributions from temperature and salinity. Overall, seagrass habitats are associated with increasing average pH and reducing hypoxia across multiple sites and regions. However, the magnitude and direction of effects vary widely among studies (I2 = 97%). These findings indicate that seagrass influences on water chemistry are context-dependent and likely driven by interactions among biological processes and local environmental conditions. Key knowledge gaps were identified; including the need for a greater focus on H+ concentration and the need for more research on seagrass ecosystems in underrepresented geographical regions.
Continue reading ‘The role of seagrass in modifying dissolved oxygen and pH in coastal systems: a meta-analysis’Effects of rapid acidification in marine seawater: focus on Actinopterygii
Published 17 March 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, fish, morphology, mortality, performance, physiology, reproduction, review
Highlights
- The review reports physiological, behavioural, developmental and reproductive effects.
- Studies on Actinopterygii exposure to various pCO₂ levels are integrated.
- Fishes show strong species- and life-stage
specific vulnerability to high pCO2. - Most experiments with extreme CO₂ levels are short-term, limiting current knowledge.
Abstract
The progressive acidification of the world’s oceans has led to widespread concern regarding the potential consequences for marine biosphere. As a result, most research has been focused on the steady increase of dissolved CO₂ and consequent acidification thus on calcifying species while less attention has been paid to the physiological and developmental impacts of teleost fish. However, rapid and massive release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the marine environment may occur due to both natural and anthropogenic causes. This review specifically examines the outcomes of rapid but confined CO₂ emissions, with a focus on their role in accelerating the local acidification of seawater and on the related effects on Actinopterygii. It examines the impacts of elevated CO₂ levels on marine fishes, also emphasizing the lack of experimental evidence on embryonic larval and larval phases, which are highly vulnerable to acid-base imbalances and related physiological disruptions. A broad review of literature published between 1963 and 2025, on fishes’ exposure to varying CO₂ conditions, highlights pronounced variability in responses across species and developmental stages. Early life phases frequently exhibit reduced survival, skeletal and sensory anomalies, and shifts in metabolic demand. Although some taxa demonstrate compensatory adjustments, the resulting energetic costs and physiological trade-offs can limit growth, reproduction, and long-term resilience. Advancing our understanding of fish vulnerability and adaptive potential under seawater acidification of marine fishes in an acidifying environment requires long-term, ecologically relevant designs and integrated approaches that link multiple life stages and biological scales.
Continue reading ‘Effects of rapid acidification in marine seawater: focus on Actinopterygii’Consequences of rising atmospheric CO₂ on ocean acidification and dissolved carbon cycling: a systematic review
Published 10 March 2026 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, review
Increasing atmospheric CO2 and temperature diminish ocean pH and raise the amounts of dissolved inorganic and organic carbons, causing wide-ranging shifts in marine water carbon chemistry and predicting the impacts on long-term ecosystems. This review aimed to determine the ocean chemistry and spatial variation of CO2 at a global scale, as well as to predict the influences of anthropogenic and natural changes on marine ecosystems. The literature has demonstrated that the southern polar oceans, Antarctica, and any coastal zone are predominantly susceptible to marine acidification and the dissolved carbon cycle. Based on 355 studies conducted over the last 30 years, this investigation found that marine acidification and the dissolved cycle are complex and poorly understood phenomena. These two facts and climate change are very interrelated, and the potential of these threats is very spatial, seasonal, stratified, and complex also. It was found that the atmospheric CO2 has increased by about 50% since preindustrial times and excess CO2 raise the seawater acidity through some equilibrium reactions in aqueous medium. The study observed that over the past half-century, the marine surface water acidity has risen by 30%, and predicted that by 2100, it will increase to 150. Moreover, this study critically reviewed the actual rules of marine dissolved organic and inorganic carbon on the global carbon cycle and marine acidification and vice versa. Such a major change in ocean chemistry will already have wide consequences for marine life and ocean ecosystems.
Continue reading ‘Consequences of rising atmospheric CO₂ on ocean acidification and dissolved carbon cycling: a systematic review’Introducing the first ocean carbonate chemistry products hub
Published 6 March 2026 Press releases ClosedTags: chemistry, review
The ocean plays a critical role in stabilizing Earth’s climate. As the planet’s largest active carbon sink, it absorbs about 25% of global carbon dioxide emissions and roughly 90% of the excess heat generated by those emissions. This critical role helps regulate the planet’s climate, but comes at a cost.
“As carbon dioxide enters the ocean, some of it reacts with water to form a weak acid that increases the acidity of the ocean and alters the natural chemical balance of seawater,” said Liqing Jiang, a research scientist at Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), “As more carbon dioxide enters the ocean, seawater becomes increasingly acidic. In fact, ocean acidity has risen by about 30% since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.”
A more acidic ocean reduces carbonate ions, which alongside calcium, is a building block for ocean creatures that form skeletons and shells like coral reefs and oysters. Higher acidity reduces coral larval survival, weakens reef structures, and increases ecosystem vulnerability to storms and bleaching. These creatures function as key marine health indicators, and their decline threatens the entire marine ecosystem.
However, the ocean is vast, and the interconnected physical, chemical, and biological processes require scientists like Jiang to integrate many different types of data to piece together the full picture of how ocean chemistry is changing.
To support researchers navigating this complexity, Jiang led a team of international researchers to publish a comprehensive review of over 60 major ocean carbonate chemistry data products. The catalog brings together a wide range of global datasets, including historical time series, model outputs, and aggregated products spanning multiple time periods, making it one of the most comprehensive compilations of ocean carbonate chemistry data products to date.
Jiang’s goal is to present all available ocean carbonate chemistry products. He continues to collect datasets through the catalog to widen the library of data.
“My hope is that researchers will use these products to better understand changes in ocean carbonate chemistry, to improve model inputs for more accurate projections of future ocean conditions, and to support more robust assessments of marine ecosystem vulnerability,” said Jiang.
The paper detailing this work, “Synthesis of data products for ocean carbonate chemistry”, has been published in Earth System Science Data. The full data product catalog is publicly accessible at the following link.
Continue reading ‘Introducing the first ocean carbonate chemistry products hub’Synthesis of data products for ocean carbonate chemistry
Published 5 March 2026 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, field, globalmodeling, modeling, review
As the largest active carbon reservoir on Earth, the ocean is a cornerstone of the global carbon cycle, playing a pivotal role in modulating ocean health and the Earth’s climate system. Understanding these crucial roles requires access to a broad array of data products documenting the changing chemistry of the global ocean as a vast and interconnected system. This review article provides an overview of 68 existing ocean carbonate chemistry data products and data product sets, encompassing compilations of cruise datasets, derived gap-filled data products, model simulations, and compilations thereof. It is intended to help researchers identify and access data products that best align with their research objectives, thereby advancing our understanding of the ocean’s evolving carbonate chemistry. The list will be updated periodically to incorporate new data products. The most up-to-date list is available at https://oceanco2.github.io/co2-products/ (Gregor and Jiang, 2026).
Continue reading ‘Synthesis of data products for ocean carbonate chemistry’Persistence of coral reef structures into the twenty-first century
Published 2 March 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, BRcommunity, corals, review
Coral reefs provide important socioecological services but are vulnerable to climate change, which shifts the balance between the production and erosion of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). In this Review, we summarize understanding of reef accretion, describe the mechanisms of carbonate production and erosion, and consider the effects of future ocean warming and acidification on key reef-building and eroding taxa. The combined stressors of climate change substantially reduce net carbonate production, with a more pronounced effect on calcifying algae than corals. However, declining coral cover driven by marine heatwaves and mass bleaching will probably be the dominant determinant of future reef carbonate budgets, and thus only reefs with thermally adapted populations are predicted to maintain the ability to sustain positive CaCO3 production under climate change, even if calcareous algal cover increases. As carbonate budgets become net negative in the future, the longevity of pre-existing reef frameworks remains unknown and understudied owing to the timescales required to meaningfully assess framework removal rates. Improving estimates of the rates of biologically driven framework loss and chemical dissolution will also be important in better predicting future reef persistence. Key knowledge gaps exist in understanding the effects of deoxygenation on coral reefs, as well as the influence of climate change on understudied sediment-producing taxa such as foraminifera and tropical molluscs.
Continue reading ‘Persistence of coral reef structures into the twenty-first century’The invisible engine of the oceans: marine microorganisms driving climate resilience and ecosystem stability: a literature review
Published 27 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, community composition, otherprocess, physiology, review
Marine microorganisms form the invisible foundation upon which ocean life depends. Despite their microscopic size, they regulate major biogeochemical cycles, sustain primary productivity, and play a decisive role in maintaining the balance and resilience of marine ecosystems. As climate change intensifies and marine pollution expands in scale and complexity, the responses of these microbial communities have become central to understanding the future of the oceans. This work explores the diversity of marine microorganisms and examines how rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, physical oceanographic changes, and multiple pollution sources interact to reshape microbial structure and function. Current evidence shows that shifts in temperature and seawater chemistry can alter microbial metabolism, community composition, and ecological interactions, with far-reaching consequences for carbon cycling, nutrient availability, and food web dynamics. At the same time, chemical pollutants, plastics, heavy metals, and excess nutrients impose strong selective pressures, often disrupting microbial balance while also promoting the emergence of microorganisms capable of degrading contaminants. These dual responses highlight marine microbes as both sensitive indicators of environmental stress and active contributors to ecosystem recovery. By bringing together recent scientific insights, this study underscores the essential role of marine microorganisms in ocean ecosystem regulation and climate change adaptation and emphasizes the need to incorporate microbial processes more fully into ocean monitoring, climate modeling, and sustainable marine management efforts.
Continue reading ‘The invisible engine of the oceans: marine microorganisms driving climate resilience and ecosystem stability: a literature review’Natural analogues of climate change can reveal fish responses across multiple levels of biological organisation
Published 26 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, field, fish, review, vents
Anthropogenic climate change is threatening ecosystem functionality and biodiversity globally. While significant research has been dedicated to understanding how organisms may respond to future climate change, most of these studies focus on individual levels of biological organisation in controlled laboratory settings, which often fail to capture the complexity of natural ecosystems. Organisms respond to climate stressors across various levels of biological organisation, which also involve complex interactions or feedback mechanisms among levels, making it difficult to generalise responses to climate change from laboratory experiments or single levels alone. Natural analogues provide a unique opportunity to observe complex ecological interactions in real-world environments with long-term exposure to climate change stressors. Here, we provide a systematic literature review to reveal how natural analogues of ocean warming and ocean acidification can be used to assess fish responses to climate change across multiple levels of biological organisation (from molecular to biogeographical scales) and to assess how cross-level buffering and feedback mechanisms may shape fish species persistence in a future ocean. We identify key knowledge gaps and propose research frameworks that integrate natural analogues with laboratory experiments, mesocosms, and predictive models to better capture the complexity of fish responses to climate stressors in a more holistic way. Finally, we highlight the importance of coordinated, cross-system research using multiple natural analogues to reveal adaptive mechanisms and strengthen predictions of fish community reorganisation under climate change.
Continue reading ‘Natural analogues of climate change can reveal fish responses across multiple levels of biological organisation’Climate change impacts on coral reefs and emerging resilience pathways: a systematic review
Published 25 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, corals, review
Highlights
- Rising temperatures, acidification, sea level rise and storms are accelerating coral bleaching and reef weakening worldwide.
- Review of 220 studies from 1996–2025 reveals major biodiversity loss and high risk of reef collapse under warming.
- The 2023–2025 global bleaching event impacted about 84 percent of reefs, the most severe on record.
- Coral gardening, larval restoration, assisted evolution and connected marine protected areas boost reef resilience.
- Emission cuts combined with local conservation, community stewardship and adaptive management are vital for reef survival.
Abstract
Coral reefs are one of the ecosystems that are most affected by climate change, but they also support biodiversity, coastal stability, fisheries, and tourism around the world. This review uses a structured narrative literature review based on PRISMA protocols to put together evidence from 220 peer-reviewed articles (1996 to 2025) to see how warming seas, ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and stronger storms change coral ecology, structure, and ecosystem functioning. The results indicate that heightened thermal stress is the principal catalyst of mass bleaching and mortality, occurring with greater frequency and at larger spatial scales, whereas ongoing acidification persists in diminishing calcification, skeletal density, and recruitment success. The rise in sea level and damage caused by storms make habitat loss happen even faster, make reefs less complex, and make communities of reef-associated species less stable. Even though things are going this way, new interventions like coral gardening, larval propagation, assisted evolution, marine protected areas, and community-led co-management show promise for making things more resilient in the face of future climate change. The review emphasizes the necessity of immediate global carbon reduction in conjunction with customized conservation and restoration strategies at the local level. If no strong action is taken, coral reefs may not last long, and the economic security they provide may also go down.
Continue reading ‘Climate change impacts on coral reefs and emerging resilience pathways: a systematic review’Plasticity and adaptation in a changing ocean: a review of research trends and challenges
Published 24 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: adaptation, biological response, otherprocess, review
Climate change and ocean acidification pose significant challenges to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, making it critical to understand species’ vulnerability. Phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary adaptation are key mechanisms enabling organisms to cope with environmental shifts, with marine species appearing particularly susceptible. This semi-quantitative bibliometric review, conducted following PRISMA guidelines, examines research on climate change and ocean acidification impacts on marine organisms, focusing on plasticity and adaptation. We analysed 168 peer-reviewed articles published between 1995 and 2024 from Web of Science and Scopus. Publications remained low until 2013, then increased threefold, peaking in 2019, with the US, Australia, and China leading. Research predominantly addressed marine animals, especially fish, bivalves, and other invertebrates. Most studies focused on plasticity (57%) and examined molecular traits as response variables. Temperature, pH, and their combination were the most studied environmental drivers, whereas salinity and dissolved oxygen received little attention. Conceptual ambiguities in the use of plasticity and adaptation were noted. Our review highlights research gaps and emphasizes the need for integrated studies on plasticity and adaptation to better understand marine species’ vulnerability to climate change and ocean acidification and guide effective conservation and management strategies.
Continue reading ‘Plasticity and adaptation in a changing ocean: a review of research trends and challenges’Ocean acidification in Canada: the current state of knowledge and pathways for action
Published 23 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, chemistry, modeling, policy, regionalmodeling, review, socio-economy
Ocean acidification (OA) generally receives far less consideration than other climate stressors and related hazards, such as global warming and extreme weather events. Canada is uniquely vulnerable to OA given its extensive coastal oceans, the oceanographic processes in its three basins, accelerated warming and sea-ice melt, and extensive coastal communities and maritime economic sectors. Canada’s coastline is also home to extensive and diverse First Nations peoples with distinct histories, rights, title, laws, governance and whose traditions and cultures are extrinsically linked to the sea. However, there are currently very limited pathways to support OA action, mitigation, and/or adaptation in Canada, particularly at the policy level. Here, we present a first synthesis of the current state of OA knowledge across Canada’s Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic regions, including monitoring, modelling, biological responses, socioeconomic and policy perspectives, and examples of existing OA actions and efforts at local and provincial levels. We also suggest a step-wise pathway for actions to enhance the coordinated filling of OA knowledge gaps and integration of OA knowledge into decision-making frameworks. The goals of these recommendations are to improve our ability to respond to OA in Canada, and minimize risks to coastal marine environments and ecosystems, vulnerable sectors, and communities.
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification in Canada: the current state of knowledge and pathways for action’Blue carbon ecosystems and coral reefs as coupled nature-based climate solutions
Published 20 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: mitigation, review
Restoring coastal ecosystems offers more than just carbon storage: it can also help bring coral reefs back to life. This Perspective explores how the carbon captured by mangroves and other blue carbon systems could be used to support reef restoration, creating a powerful synergy between climate action and marine conservation. By aligning ecological benefits with innovative funding strategies, this approach offers a practical path towards more resilient coastlines and more durable climate solutions.
Continue reading ‘Blue carbon ecosystems and coral reefs as coupled nature-based climate solutions’The silent shift: how ocean acidification and rising temperature affect marine organisms
Published 17 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, review
The increased absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is the cause of ocean acidification. This has an adverse effect on marine calcifiers such as corals and shelled mollusks by lowering ocean pH and altering carbonate chemistry. Global warming-induced increases in ocean temperatures have serious repercussions for marine life as well, upsetting food webs, changing species ranges, and compromising physiological functions. The early life stages of shelled mollusks, such as gastropods and bivalves, are the most susceptible to the effects of ocean acidification. The growth, shell production, and survival of both juvenile and adult mollusks can be adversely affected by ocean acidification. The nutritional value of phytoplankton, the foundation of the marine food chain, may be impacted by ocean acidification. This may limit zooplankton’s ability to develop and reproduce, and higher trophic levels. The detrimental effects on marine ecosystems can be intensified by the interaction of ocean acidification, heat, deoxygenation, eutrophication, and pollution. Marine resources like fisheries and aquaculture are seriously threatened by ocean acidification and climate change, which might have negative social and economic effects. Reducing CO2 emissions, preserving and repairing marine habitats, and putting sustainable resource management techniques into practice are some ways to deal with these problems.
Continue reading ‘The silent shift: how ocean acidification and rising temperature affect marine organisms’A systematic review of the ocean acidification research in India: research trends, gaps and recommendations
Published 11 February 2026 Science ClosedTags: biological response, Indian, policy, review, useOAICCresource
Ocean acidification, a consequence of climate change, has become a significant threat to marine organisms. Globally, tremendous efforts have been made to understand its impact on different ecological and biological processes. In India, this research area is still not fully explored, but expanding at an exponential rate. Hence, it is essential to consolidate the fragmented knowledge into a systematic review, which will assist future researchers to develop their work. In this study, we utilized the Scopus, Web of Science and Ocean Acidification-International Coordination Centre bibliography to conduct a systematic review of ocean acidification research in India. We used the Biblioshiny package in R to conduct a bibliometric analysis, identify spatial and temporal research trends, and highlight the growth of literature in ocean acidification research, as well as existing knowledge gaps. We used the following keywords: ocean acidification, lowered pH, acidifying ocean, elevated carbon dioxide, elevated CO2, marine carbonate chemistry, shell decalcification and affiliation as India to obtain relevant publications. We selected 353 publications by applying relevance filtering and adherence to PRISMA guidelines. Almost one-third of the publications were non-primary articles. Among research articles, only 71 publications were found to investigate the response of marine organisms to ocean acidification. Majority of them involved single stressors, for a short term on very limited taxa. Lack of molecular-level investigation, multifactorial experimental design, and long-term observations were major gaps. This review aims to support researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders involved in the planning, monitoring, and developing adaptation strategies. Finally, it provides recommendations for future research and policy development.
Continue reading ‘A systematic review of the ocean acidification research in India: research trends, gaps and recommendations’Effectiveness and scalability of coastal nature-based solutions under climate impact drivers: a systematic review
Published 30 January 2026 Science ClosedTags: mitigation, policy, review
Highlights
- A structured review filters 117 coastal NbS studies to 35 CID-relevant and 14 implementation-informative cases
- Coastal NbS are evaluated through their implementation components under multiple climate impact drivers
- NbS foundational and measurement processes dominate reviewed NbS practices, while learning, governance, and economic processes remain weak
- Scalability emerges from processes completeness rather than ecosystem type or NbS intervention design
- Key implementation gaps are identified that limit the resilience, transferability, and policy uptake of coastal NbS
Abstract
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly promoted for enhancing coastal resilience to climate change, yet most evaluations focus on biophysical outcomes while overlooking the project-level processes that influence long-term effectiveness and scalability. This study applies an implementation-based analytical framework to assess how coastal NbS respond to multiple Climate Impact Drivers (CIDs), including sea-level rise, ocean warming, storm intensity, precipitation variability, and ocean acidification.
A structured qualitative review of 117 coastal NbS studies was conducted, of which 35 were CID-relevant and only 14 contained sufficient process-level information for detailed analysis. Eight Implementation Components (ICs)—baseline assessment, stakeholder engagement, comparative analysis, economic analysis, performance indicators, monitoring, adaptive management, scalability and replicability—were identified and analysed using Jaccard similarity indices to quantify their co-occurrence. These ICs are related to implementation planning, governance, monitoring, learning, and scalability. The ICs were further mapped to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Standard for NbS to evaluate their conceptual alignment with recognised quality criteria.
Results show that ICs such as baseline assessment, monitoring, and performance indicators dominate current NbS practice, whereas learning-orientated and enabling processes—particularly comparative analysis, adaptive management, stakeholder engagement, and economic assessment—are weakly integrated. This structural imbalance limits cross-site learning, adaptive capacity, and scalability under interacting climate pressures. NbS interventions exhibiting more complete process architectures demonstrate greater alignment with IUCN criteria related to governance, feasibility, and long-term sustainability.
The study demonstrates that scalability is an emergent property of process completeness rather than a function of ecosystem type or intervention outcomes. This study establishes a quantitative-conceptual framework that integrates CIDs, ICs, and NbS standards, offering a transferable methodology for identifying implementation deficiencies and enhancing the design of resilient, policy-relevant coastal NbS.
Continue reading ‘Effectiveness and scalability of coastal nature-based solutions under climate impact drivers: a systematic review’
