AS DOMINOES FALL…THE CONSEQUENCES OF RISING ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE FOR OCEAN CONDITIONS, ECOSYSTEMS, AND SOCIETY

The carbon dioxide story doesn't end with global warming, and includes changes in ocean conditions that could have important consequences for society. The upper ocean absorbs much of the extra heat trapped by human-related greenhouse gases, as well as ~1/3rd of the CO2 emissions released to the atmosphere each year. This 'extra' CO2 in the ocean reacts with seawater to make the oceans more acidic, a process now termed 'ocean acidification'. As the ocean surface warms, mixing between the surface and deeper waters is inhibited, which reduces the influx of oxygen into the oceans. This can lead to hypoxia (reduced oxygen levels) in deeper waters. These dominoes – CO2 emissions → global warming → ocean warming → ocean acidification → ocean hypoxia, are very likely to affect the composition and function of ocean ecosystems, upon which society depends for a variety of services ranging from fisheries to aquaculture and recreation. How will ocean organisms react to ocean acidification? Can organisms acclimate or adapt to future ocean conditions? What will this mean for marine communities and ecosystem services society depends upon? This talk will provide an overview of changes in ocean conditions linked to fossil fuel emissions, how these chang! es can affect marine organisms and the function of marine ecosystems, including examples of our studies at MBARI on shallow and deep sea animals, and some discussion of how our ecosystems and services we depend upon may be affected.

Speaker:  Dr. James Barry, MBARI