What is the Big Deal About Ocean Acidification?

If you have been paying attention to environmental news lately you may have read or heard a little bit about this thing called ocean acidification. But what is ocean acidification and why is it such a big deal?

What is ocean acidification?

 

A little bit of science on ocean accidification

Ocean acidification, as the name suggests, is an increase in acidity of the world’s oceans which can be shown by a decrease in pH. This increase in acidity parallels an increase in CO₂ in the earth’s atmosphere. This parallel increase occurs because CO₂ stays balanced between the ocean and the atmosphere, so if the CO₂ increases in the atmosphere, the ocean absorbs more CO₂ to stay in equilibrium.  

In the ocean, CO₂ is also getting used up through a reaction with water and carbonate (a molecule that occurs naturally in the ocean) that creates bicarbonate and carbonic acid, both of which are acidic and decrease the pH of the ocean. Overall, this reaction causes an increase in acidity, a decrease in carbonate, and a decrease in CO₂ in the ocean, which pulls more CO₂   out of the atmosphere to maintain the CO₂ balance. Find out more here.

Why is the increased acidity in the ocean, as well as the removal of carbonate a big deal?

• The removal of carbonate from the marine environment affects organisms that use carbonate to build shells and skeletal structures such as crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters, and corals. With less carbonate available, it is harder for these animals to create their hard protective structure.
• As CO₂ increases and carbonate decrease in the ocean, the acidic environment may even break down calcium carbonate of shells and corals, causing these structures to dissolve! (Image of shells dissolving on the right) This is harmful to adult organisms that have already created these calcium carbonate structures, but it is even worse for young individuals that are just trying to build these hard structures. If young individuals cannot build shells or skeletal structures, then they will not survive!
• Organisms that utilize carbonate to build calcium carbonate shells and structures are not the only ones to be affected by ocean acidification. There are thousands of species that depend on the larvae and adults of these species for food and corals provide habitat for thousands of fish and top predators. If these shell and skeleton building species are affected by ocean acidification then all of the species that depend on them, many of which are commercially important, will also be impacted.
• Many of these species also provide ecosystem services that are valuable to people. Corals provide a layer of protection to coastal habitats in storms. While, shellfish are filter feeders and can filter entire bay areas, cleaning the water for people as well as other organisms.
• Ocean acidification by itself has a big impact on the ocean, but when combined with other stressors such as overfishing, increased temperatures, melting sea ice, and coastal pollution, the effects are amplified! 

Vibrant coral communities are affected by ocean acidification

Ocean acidification is a major issue for our planet and for Marine Conservation Institute. Marine Conservation Institute educates policy makers about the causes and effects of ocean acidification as well the importance of funding science to better understand and deal with the issue. Yesterday, Marine Conservation Institute held two Congressional briefings to educate U.S. Senators and Representatives about ocean acidification and the serious impacts it has not only on our ocean environment, but also on our economy, and our culture.

What can you do to help? Get informed! Learn more about ocean acidification. Tell your friends! Tell your U.S. Senators or Representative that you are worried about the impacts of ocean acidification and that they should be too!

(All Photo Credits NOAA)

The Creation of a National Monument: San Juan Islands

San Juan Islands (Credit NOAA)

Recently there has been an explosion of new marine protected areas (MPAs) being proposed or created around the world. In the last month at least six countries have strengthened regulations on existing MPAs, expanded Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), designated new MPAs or have made proposals for new MPAs! And these are no tiny MPAs, Cook Islands has announced a new MPA covering 1.1 million square kilometers, which is the size of Bolivia or Ethiopia! While New Caledonia announced an MPA that will be 1.4 million square kilometers and will connect to 1 million square kilometers already protected by Australia, combined this is almost the size of all of India! This is quite the feat for a country with only 18,576 square kilometers of land area!

          

Map of San Juan Islands (Credit Washington State Parks)

At the same time that we are seeing great leaps in MPA creation around the world, here in the U.S. measures to create marine protected areas are being stalled. Since the 1990s no new marine sanctuaries have been formed due to a moratorium on the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, and Marine Reserves and other forms of protection must be passed by Congress. Currently, a bill to create a National Conservation Area (NCA) in Washington State has been halted in Congress in part by Representatives in Washington State that do not support the creation of the NCA. This is contrary to local community support including over 150 businesses, 5,000 individuals, local and state tourism and conservation organizations, as well as other Congressional members. In order to bypass this stall in Congress, Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington, sent a letter to the President petitioning him to declare the area a National Monument.

Rose Atoll (Credit NOAA)

A National Monument can be created by the President through a public proclamation to protect sites of historic and scientific importance found on federally owned lands. This ability was granted through the American Antiquities Act of 1906 and has been utilized in the creation of numerous protected areas. Two marine areas that were protected by a Presidential declaration by George W. Bush and the Antiquities Act are the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (2006), and the Pacific Islands National Marine Monuments (2009) which includes Rose Atoll Monument, Marianas Trench Monument, and the Pacific Remote Islands Monument.

          

Marine Conservation Institute was integrally involved in the process of the creation of the Pacific Islands National Marine Monuments and supports the use of the Antiquities Act to protect the best areas in our nation’s oceans. There is need for more protection of the ocean habitats in U.S. waters, yet there are few pathways to get this goal accomplished, and many are hindered by bureaucracy and politics. Thus, the Antiquities Act is an important tool for bypassing these roadblocks. However, the Antiquities Act does have its drawbacks, such as bypassing public participation and environmental review requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

Harbor Seal (Credit NOAA)

Seabirds (Credit NOAA)

In the case of the San Juan Islands proposed conservation area, the lands meet the requirements of the Antiquities Act in that they are historically important, with numerous historic sites such as old lighthouses, cabins of early settlers, and Native American plank-home sites and burial grounds. In addition, these lands are home to unique habitats, haul out sites for harbor seals, nesting grounds for sea birds, and are home to endangered species, including endangered molluscs. The use of the Antiquities Act to form a National Monument in this area may be a good use of the Act since there is strong local support for the formation of a protected area and the bureaucracy of Congress is the major reason it has not yet been designated.

San Juan Islands (Credit NOAA)

How you can help! Learn more about the Antiquities Act and other ways of creating MPAs. If you would like to show your support for the formation of the San Juan Island Conservation Area or National Monument contact your state’s congressional representatives and let them know! Also visit the San Juan Islands National Conservation Area website and show your support on their Act Now page.

News of Discoveries from the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster

Researchers aboard the NOAA research vessel Nancy Foster, under the direction of Dr. Sandra Brooke, Marine Conservation Institute’s Director of Coral Conservation and Dr. Steve Ross (UNCW), reported today that they have rediscovered a methane seep off America’s East Coast that has not been seen for the last 30 years! 

Mussels at a methane seep

Methane seeps are fascinating undersea ecosystems, in which methane naturally emerges through the ocean’s floor. The methane seeps support unique ecosystems where some invertebrate species have evolved a close relationship with bacteria that use methane to make energy. These bacteria live in the tissues of animals like seep mussels and allow them to use methane as a food source. Seep-dependent species are ‘endemic’ - found only in these unusual habitats and nowhere else. 

A map illustrating the location of Baltimore Canyon

In the early 1980s Dr. Barbara Hecker conducted a survey of Baltimore Canyon, a deep marine canyon off the coast of Delaware and New Jersey, using a towed camera. When she processed the analog film at the completion of the cruise, she saw a type of mussel that lives only in seep habitats - a clear indicator of a methane seep in the Canyon. The location of the seep could only be estimated using the location of the ship and a depth sensor on the camera. Since the location data from the early 1980s cannot be converted to modern GPS coordinates, no one has seen the seep since.

The ROV Kraken II

Dr. Brooke is the co-Principal Investigator in charge of biological sciences for the 2012 Mid-AtlanticDeep-Water Canyons project. The 2012 research cruises are pursuing a variety of biological, geological, and archaeological objectives - including rediscovering this methane seep using modern technology. The team is using the Kraken II, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) owned by the University of Connecticut, to record the exact coordinates of the seep, collect high definition video, and retrieve specimens of the surrounding marine life.   

In two dives, they were able to rediscover the long-lost methane seep. In the first dive on Sunday, August 26th, at a depth of over 400 meters (1300 feet), they found mussels that thrive in methane seeps. During this first dive the ROV’s cameras also recorded anemones, sponges, hydroids, and multiple species of fish.

An exciting and unique environment

In the second dive they found the main part of the seep, with a dense thriving mussel bed. Researchers peered intently at the high-resolution video being sent from the Kraken II, showing the ocean floor covered with patches of white bacteria. Methane gurgled up from the sediment, and there were dense patches of mussels dominating the seafloor. The marine seep is estimated to be quite large and relatively shallow in comparison to other Atlantic Ocean seeps.
 

Patches of bacteria grow in methane seeps utilizing the methane to produce energy

The discovery of this seep highlights how little we know of the ocean floor – even the oceans offshore of our largest cities and in our own national waters. Sites like the methane seep in Baltimore Canyon are hot spots of productivity and diversity, where new species continue to be discovered. They are also close to areas of intense recreational and commercial fishing, but are currently unprotected from impacts of fishing activities. They also fall within an area of potential oil and gas leases, but have some protection from damage under federal regulations. New discoveries from the deep-water canyons demonstrate how little we know about these unique ecosystems, and how responsible federal agencies should work to limit or restrict damaging activities near these sites. 

Crabs trying to pry open dinner, methane seep mussels

One of Marine Conservation Institute’s conservation themes is to Identify Vulnerable Ecosystems  and then to advocate for their protection. Research and exploration of irreplaceable ecosystems within Baltimore Canyon is an essential first step to informing policy makers, to help them make good decisions for the health of our oceans.

What can you do to help? You can take a variety of actions to make a difference in ocean health. The most important is to contact your Congressional representatives today and encourage them to support NOAA’s Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program and other federal efforts. You can also support organizations that protect these precious marine resources, support ocean-friendly businesses, stay informed, and spread the word!