Ocean acidification

• is occurring
• negative impacts climate
• negative impacts fisheries
 Sybil Seitzinger
Executive Director, IGBP

www.IGBP.net
 Ocean acidification

Atmos CO2

seawater
CO2

pH

(Feely et al., 2008)

•*
 Ocean acidification

• is occurring
• negative impacts climate
• negative impacts fisheries
Fate of anthropogenic CO2 emissions
(2000-2008)

45%

+ 29%

26%
Le Quéré et al. 2009, Nature geoscience; Canadell et al. 2007, PNAS, updated
 Climate & ocean acidification

• CO2 dissolves sw
• decreases with pH
 Climate & ocean acidification

• CO2 dissolves sw
• decreases with pH

• Organisms remove CO2

• make biomass
• calcium carbonate shells
 Coccolithophores
Ambient pH
Coccolithophores largest
producer of calcite on Earth

G. oceanica

E. huxleyi

NASA image

C. quadriperforatus

Riebesell et al. 2000

Langer et al. 2006
 pH disrupts shell formation
Ambient pH pH
Coccolithophores largest
producer of calcite on Earth

G. oceanica

E. huxleyi

NASA image

C. quadriperforatus

Riebesell et al. 2000

Langer et al. 2006
 Ocean acidification

• is occurring
• negative impact climate
• negative impacts fisheries
 Ocean acidification slows
shell calcification

Net calcification rate

• economic losses

(wt% per 60 d)
• global shellfish prod.
10.5 billion US$

• disruption livelihoods

Ries et al. 2009

Cooley and Doney 2009 Decreasing pH
International coordination

• standardize methods
• coordinate field campaigns
• synthesis

www.imber.info
Summary for Policymakers
 Ocean acidification

• is occurring
• negative impacts climate
• negative impacts fisheries

Still much to be learned!

 Sybil Seitzinger
Executive Director, IGBP