6533b882fe1ef96bd12da528
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Seawater carbonate chemistry and composition of intertidal and subtidal communities
Sylvain AgostiniBen P HarveyShigeki WadaMarco MilazzoKazuo InabaJason M Hall-spencersubject
Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC)SalinityTemperateBicarbonate ion standard deviationCommunity composition and diversityAlkalinity total standard deviationinorganicAlkalinityCalculated using seacarb after Orr et al. (2018)Fugacity of carbon dioxide in seawater standard deviationExperimentTemperature waterCarbon inorganic dissolvedCalculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al 2010Aragonite saturation stateNorth PacificAlkalinity totaltotalCO2 ventpHTemperaturedissolvedCarbonate ionPartial pressure of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air)Carbon dioxide standard deviationTemperature water standard deviationEarth System ResearchField observationstandard deviationCalcite saturation stateCoverageFugacity of carbon dioxide in seawaterwaterPartial pressure of carbon dioxideSiteRocky-shore communityAragonite saturation state standard deviationBenthosSalinity standard deviationOcean Acidification International Coordination Centre OA ICCCarbon inorganic dissolved standard deviationCalcite saturation state standard deviationBicarbonate ionTypeCalculated using seacarb after Nisumaa et al. (2010)Partial pressure of carbon dioxide standard deviationIndividualsCarbonate system computation flagpH standard deviationCarbonate ion standard deviationCalculated using seacarb after Orr et al 2018Fugacity of carbon dioxide (water) at sea surface temperature (wet air)CarbonPartial pressure of carbon dioxide water at sea surface temperature wet airCarbon dioxideEntire communityRocky shore communityFugacity of carbon dioxide water at sea surface temperature wet airCoast and continental shelfdescription
Rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are causing surface seawater pH and carbonate ion concentrations to fall in a process known as ocean acidification. To assess the likely ecological effects of ocean acidification we compared intertidal and subtidal marine communities at increasing levels of pCO2 at recently discovered volcanic seeps off the Pacific coast of Japan (34° N). This study region is of particular interest for ocean acidification research as it has naturally low levels of surface seawater pCO2 (280–320 µatm) and is located at a transition zone between temperate and sub-tropical communities. We provide the first assessment of ocean acidification effects at a biogeographic boundary. Marine communities exposed to mean levels of pCO2 predicted by 2050 experienced periods of low aragonite saturation and high dissolved inorganic carbon. These two factors combined to cause marked community shifts and a major decline in biodiversity, including the loss of key habitat-forming species, with even more extreme community changes expected by 2100. Our results provide empirical evidence that near-future levels of pCO2 shift sub-tropical ecosystems from carbonate to fleshy algal dominated systems, accompanied by biodiversity loss and major simplification of the ecosystem.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-01 |