Over the past 100 years, human
activities such as the burning of coal and gas have increased the carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. Approximately one third of the CO2
released by human activity has dissolved in seawater, causing measurable
changes in seawater pH and carbonate chemistry: Ocean Acidification (OA). As
the average acidity (pH) of the world's oceans has been stable for the last 25
million years, this rapid change is a major problem facing our seas today.
In particular, it is potentially catastrophic to all marine organisms that produce
limestone shells or skeletons, such as corals and mussels (‘calcifiers’). This
is because the increasing concentrations of dissolved CO2 in the
oceans decrease the carbonate saturation of the water, which means there are
less carbonate ions available for calcifiers to make their calcium carbonate
skeletons. The ability of calcifiers to function under conditions of OA and associated
elevated seawater temperature is largely unknown.
On this cruise, the scientists will conduct a number of surveys and experiments.We will update the blog daily with information about what the scientists are up to, and try to answer any questions which we receive.