A group of marine scientists is calling for focused research that provides “incontrovertible evidence” of how ocean acidification impacts marine life.
In a report published Oct. 16., the scientists say that studies establishing a direct causal link between acidification and marine life are currently lacking, but are needed so policymakers can make informed decisions.
Ocean acidification is one of nine key planetary boundaries that, if breached, would make Earth less habitable for humans. Scientists say we’re at risk of breaching the “safe operating space” threshold for this boundary in the next few years.
Oceans are good at absorbing excess atmospheric carbon dioxide. The dissolving CO2 reacts with seawater, lowering pH and increasing acidity. As human activities release more carbon, oceans absorb more CO2, worsening acidification. Research suggests this disrupts the physiology of marine species, including plankton, corals, crabs and oysters, affecting entire marine food webs.
The 2022 U.N. conference on the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) set a target that calls for actions to “minimise the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on biodiversity.” However, only 13 known government-level ocean acidification action plans exist, the recent report notes.
One problem is that most ocean acidification research has happened in laboratories, said Steve Widdicombe, science director at the U.K-based Plymouth Marine Laboratory and lead adviser to Economist Impact’s Back to Blue initiative that published the report.
“We’ve done an awful lot of work in laboratories, including targeted experiments to see how ocean acidification affects different aspects of the physiology of organisms,” Widdicombe told Mongabay. “But in the real world, there are lots of other stressors, so it’s really difficult to pinpoint ocean acidification as the driver for that change you might see.”
A major challenge, Widdicombe said, is that researchers who monitor the chemistry of the ocean, including changes from acidification, work separately from those who investigate changes in marine life.
Data on ocean acidification itself are also lacking, particularly around the Pacific islands, Southeast Asia and South Asia, he added.
In their absence, actions to address ocean acidification can be “misdirected and cause unintended harm,” the report notes. Widdicombe cited the example of geoengineering actions like CO2 removal technologies.
“We know that the rate of ocean acidification is very dependent on where it is that you go and look at it,” he said. “So, in those areas where there is a complete lack of evidence of how the system works and what the likely impacts are, to then think we can start manipulating that system, I think it’s a very dangerous step to take.”
In the new report, launched before COP16, researchers call for substantial funding and research into ocean acidification.
“The more conclusive data we can collect, the more national action plans we will see grounded on scientific evidence. It is imperative this happens sooner rather than later.” Pepe Clarke, oceans lead at WWF, said in a statement.
Banner image of coral reef by Milos Prelevic via Unsplash (Public domain).
Credits
