Ocean acidification may not make fish act weird after all

New research upends earlier work on how ocean acidification might affect reef fish
behavior
reef damselfish
Damselfishes swim on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. New research suggests
that ocean acidification won’t impair these fishes' behavior, in contrast to
earlier studies.

FREDRIK JUTFELT/NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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By Jonathan Lambert

JANUARY 8, 2020 AT 1:00 PM

Climate change threatens coral reef fishes in myriad ways, but maybe not in all the
ways we thought. Some studies have suggested that ocean acidification, one
consequence of climate change, might warp fish behavior. But new research shows
that fish may be far more resilient.

Scientists predict that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, and
oceans absorb even more, the waters will increasingly acidify. About a decade ago,
a series of high-profile studies alarmed biologists with reports of severe
behavioral impairments in coral fishes exposed to mildly acidified water. Larval
fish lost the ability to smell predators and became dangerously hyperactive and
confused when exposed to ocean acidification levels projected for 2100 if fossil
fuel use continues at current levels (SN: 7/6/10). Research into the effects of
ocean acidification then ballooned, becoming one of the most studied subjects in
marine science.