Acid oceans are shrinking plankton, fuelling faster climate change

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 03:41:50 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/amp/acid-oceans-are-shrinking-plankton-fuelling-faster-climate-change-121443>

"Increasingly acidic oceans are putting algae at risk, threatening the
foundation of the entire marine food web.

Our research into the effects of CO₂-induced changes to microscopic
ocean algae – called phytoplankton – was published today in Nature
Climate Change. It has uncovered a previously unrecognised threat from
ocean acidification.

In our study we discovered increased seawater acidity reduced Antarctic
phytoplanktons’ ability to build strong cell walls, making them smaller
and less effective at storing carbon. At current rates of seawater
acidification, we could see this effect before the end of the century."

Cheers,
        *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net                   Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/             Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/                Manager, Serious Cybernetics

Comment via email

Home E-Mail Sponsors Index Search About Us