While most research in the field focuses on the impact of ocean acidification on individual species, new findings from scientists at the University of Washington, University of British Columbia and their colleagues across the globe shows that OA could drive a cascading loss of biodiversity in some marine habitats.
Read more at UW Today »Nanometer-scale image reveals new details about formation of marine shells
Unseen out in the ocean, countless single-celled organisms grow protective shells to keep them safe as they drift along, living off other tiny marine plants and animals. Taken together, the shells are so plentiful that when they sink they provide one of the best records for the history of ocean chemistry. Oceanographers at the University of Washington, the University of California, Davis and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have used modern tools to provide an atomic-scale look at how that shell first forms.
Read more at UW Today »Acid attack — can mussels hang on for much longer?
New research indicates that future ocean conditions could make mussels easy targets for predators and impact the mussel farming industry.
Read more at UW Today »UW part of NOAA-led cruise to study West Coast ocean acidification
The fifth West Coast Ocean Acidification Cruise is underway, with UW faculty, students, and staff investigating changes to ocean chemistry from Baja to British Columbia.
Read more at UW Today »West Coast study emphasizes challenges faced by marine organisms exposed to global change
The Pacific Ocean along the West Coast serves as a model for how other areas of the ocean could respond in coming decades as the climate warms and emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide increases. This region—the coastal ocean stretching from British Columbia to Mexico—provides an early warning signal of what to expect as ocean acidification continues and as low-oxygen zones expand.
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