antFOCE Under the Ice: Investigating Ocean Acidification in Antarctica

Ocean acidification poses a particular threat to polar ocean ecosystems. The  same chemistry that sees chilled champagne hold more CO2 fizz than warm  champagne ensures that polar marine ecosystems will see increasingly acidic  conditions in the future. To date, ocean acidification research on polar region  flora and fauna has been laboratory and mesocosm focused. The Antarctic Free  Ocean Carbon Enrichment experiment (antFOCE) will place two control units and two -0.4 pH offset treatments under the Spring ice cover in coastal waters off  Casey Station, Antarctica to assess the vulnerability of Southern Ocean Floor  Communities to continuing, and increasing, CO2 emissions.

Speakers: Jonathan Stark and Glenn Johnstone, Australian Government Department of the Environment