Biological impacts of ocean acidification: a postgraduate perspective on research priorities

Abstract

Research into the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine organisms has greatly increased during the past decade, as realization of the potential dramatic impacts has grown. Studies have revealed the multifarious responses of organisms to OA conditions, indicating a high level of intra-and interspecific variation in species' ability to accommodate these alterations. If we are to provide policy makers with sound, scientific input regarding the expected consequences of OA, we need a broader understanding of these predicted changes. As a group of 20 multi-disciplinary postgraduate students from around the globe, with a study focus on OA, we are a strong representation of 'next generation' scientists in this field. In this unique cumulative paper, we review knowledge gaps in terms of assessing the biological impacts of OA, outlining directions for future research.

A snapshot of ocean acidification research

“…It is now clear that acidification impacts not only calcification and thus calcifying species, but a variety of biological processes associated with growth, reproduction and survival (see Garrard et al 2012 for review). But it came as a surprise that some marine calcifiers are resilient to ocean acidification.…”

Design, development, and implementation of recirculating aquaria for maintenance and experimentation of deep‐sea corals and associated fauna

“…Investigations of climate change and OA impacts in extreme environments are considerably less common (though some exist, e.g., Barry et al 2005;Thistle et al 2007), due to the logistical and financial constraints associated with collection and maintenance of target species. In the past several years, investigations of the effects of climate change and OA on organisms in remote environments (e.g., high-latitude regions and deep-sea communities) have emerged as new priorities for study (Hofmann et al 2010), as well as presently poorly understood biological impacts of ocean acidification (Garrard et al 2012).…”

Ocean Acidification and Related Indicators

“…This leads to a higher organic material transfer to deeper waters, eventually leading to higher oxygen consumption rates and oxygen deficiencies (Riebesell et al 2007;Hofmann and Schellnhuber 2009). This may in turn affect the biological pump in the open ocean (i.e., the fixation of inorganic carbon and its transport from the productive zone to the ocean interior), which eventually determine the fate of increased atmospheric CO 2 (Garrard et al 2013). …”

“…If we are to understand the potential effects of OA in the global oceans, it is fundamental to scale up the scientific questions to the ecosystem level, therefore taking into consideration a complex array of both biotic and environmental interactions (Garrard et al 2013).…”