Anthropogenically-induced increases in the acidity of the ocean have the potential to seriously harm marine calcifying organisms by decreasing the availability of carbonate (CO32−) used to make shells. I tested the effects of lowered pH on juvenile Pisaster ochraceus, an intertidal sea star and keystone predator in the eastern Pacific...
Atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by approximately 40% since preindustrial times from 280 ppm (parts per million) to 400 ppm. The rise in Pco₂ is causing the ocean to become more acidic due to the uptake of carbon dioxide by the water, termed “ocean acidification”. As the Pco₂ in the...