[Vision2020] April 2012: "The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas: Negative Correlation to Elevated CO2 levels: Implications for Ocean Acidification"

[Ted Moffett]

There is a misconception regarding ocean acidification being a result
of global warming.

Ocean acidification, though being caused by anthopogenic CO2
emissions, is not predominantly caused by the resulting CO2 linked
warming of Earth's atmosphere.

Ocean acidification is a separate problem from global warming, though
there are links in the biosphere between the two problems.

To quote from the following paper on this problem:
http://oceana.org/sites/default/files/Climate_change_and_Ocean_acidifciation_-_Synergies_and_opportunities_under_the_UNFCCC_Dec_2_0_0.pdf

Climate Change and Ocean Acidification: Synergies and Opportunities
Within the UNFCCC

"Ocean acidification is arguably one of the most serious threats
facing the oceans and humans this century. Ocean acidification is not
a symptom of climate change; rather, it is a threat concurrent with
climate change and caused by a root problem: ongoing anthropogenic CO2
emissions.  It is a serious global challenge of unprecedented scale
and importance that requires immediate action"
--------------------------
I continue:

If by some mechanism in Earth's climate system the radiative forcing
of increasing CO2 level in our atmosphere was being canceled, thus
resulting in no warming of the climate, ocean acidification would
still remain a serious problem.  This is one reason some of the
geo-enginering measures proposed to mitigate unmanageable warming of
Earth's climate, such as injecting reflecting particles into the
atmosphere to block solar radiation, mimicking the cooling effects of
volcano emissions, thus allowing us to continue the glut of fossil
fuel burning and avoid global warming, are a questionable proposal,
because this does not solve the problem of ocean acidification.

To put the problem of ocean acidification into persective regarding
the magnitude of anthopogenic CO2 emissions and the resulting changes
in ocean chemistry, that will increase significantly if humanity does
not address the problem, the following quote from the paper referenced
above is instructive:

"Since the industrial revolution, more than 1.6 trillion tonnes of CO2
have been emitted into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil
fuels, land use change and other human activities, of which almost 30
percent have been absorbed by the oceans.  This huge influx of carbon
dioxide is drastically changing the chemistry and pH of the oceans,
making them more acidic.  The average global oceanic pH has already
fallen roughly 0.1 units, representing an approximate 30 percent
increase in acidity since the 1750s.  Future changes are predicted to
occur at such an increasing speed that by the middle of this century
seawater pH could be lower than at any point in the last 20 million
years."
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

On Fri, Apr 13, 2012 at 4:23 PM, Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com> wrote:

> The dramatic decline in the Arctic, and impacts of ocean acidification (as
> the following just published peer reviewed science paper described lower
> down, as named in subject heading, indicates), are but two among many
> impacts (increasing floods, fires, drought and eventually faster rate of
> sea level rise and species extinction) of human sourced CO2 emissions and
> other human activities, that will only increase in magnitude if we as a
> species do not profoundly alter course in a matter of decades.
>
> Consider that the impacts we are already witnessing are with only about
> 40% of the way towards a doubling of atmospheric CO2 level, from about 280
> ppm pre-industrial to the current level measured at the Mauna Loa site, (
> http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/  ) 394 ppm, which shows about
> at 2 ppm increase in the past year.  At this rate, in 83 years, before the
> end of this century, humanity will have pushed atmospheric CO2 to about a
> doubling over pre-industrial levels, to 560 ppm, and another doubling will
> be underway.  The total planetary reserves of fossil fuels will allow us to
> go beyond the first doubling of atmospheric CO2 level.
>
> Global average temperatures have increased about .8 C in the GISS
> temperature record,
> (  http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2011/Fig2.gif ) and if this rate of
> temperature increase follows the rate of potential atmospheric CO2 increase
> in a business as usual scenario, we will reach over 2 C. increase in global
> average temperatures by 2100, a level that many climate scientists think
> will result in unmanageable global impacts, "tipping points", as they say,
> such as meters of sea level rise from Greenland destabilization.  And of
> course, with increasing industrialization and demand for energy, it is very
> possible that human fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions will increase, thus
> rates of atmospheric CO2 increase will increase, especially if carbon sink
> reversal increases in magnitude.  Thus it is also within the range of
> significant scientific probability that global average temperature increase
> will increase in rate, especially given significant positive feedbacks,
> reduced albedo from loss of ice cover, especially in the Arctic, among them.
>
> Good luck, kids!  At 60 now, I certainly won't be around in 2100, without
> medical breakthroughs.  But some born today will, who will be about 88 in
> 2100.
>
> But what I find astonishing is the shrug I have witnesses from the well
> educated in their middle years (30-50) who are well aware that climate
> change is happening, who state that it "won't impact them," but will impact
> the next generation.  Wrong!  Climate change is already impacting us,
> and in a matter of decades the impacts will significantly increase, so even
> for someone 60, let alone 30-50, if they live to 90, not so
> incredible, even they will witness increases in impacts, by 2042.
>  -----------------------------------------------------
> http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_57/issue_3/0698.html
>
> The Pacific oyster, *Crassostrea gigas*, shows negative correlation to
> naturally elevated carbon dioxide levels: Implications for near-term ocean
> acidification effects
>
> Alan Barton, Burke Hales, George G. Waldbusser, Chris Langdon and Richard
> A. Feely
>
> Limnol. Oceanogr., 57(3), 2012, 698-710 | DOI: 10.4319/lo.2012.57.3.0698
>
> ABSTRACT: We report results from an oyster hatchery on the Oregon coast,
> where intake waters experienced variable carbonate chemistry (aragonite
> saturation state < 0.8 to > 3.2; pH < 7.6 to > 8.2) in the early summer of
> 2009. Both larval production and midstage growth (∼ 120 to ∼ 150 µm) of the
> oyster *Crassostrea gigas* were significantly negatively correlated with
> the aragonite saturation state of waters in which larval oysters were
> spawned and reared for the first 48 h of life. The effects of the initial
> spawning conditions did not have a significant effect on early-stage growth
> (growth from D-hinge stage to ∼ 120 µm), suggesting a delayed effect of
> water chemistry on larval development.
>
> --------------------------------------------
>
>
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120411132219.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29
> Ocean Acidification Linked to Larval Oyster Failure
>
> ScienceDaily (Apr. 11, 2012) — Researchers at Oregon State University
> have definitively linked an increase in ocean acidification to the collapse
> of oyster seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon, where
> larval growth had declined to a level considered by the owners to be
> "non-economically viable."
>
> A study by the researchers found that elevated seawater carbon dioxide (CO
> 2) levels, resulting in more corrosive ocean water, inhibited the larval
> oysters from developing their shells and growing at a pace that would make
> commercial production cost-effective. As atmospheric CO2 levels continue
> to rise, this may serve as the proverbial canary in the coal mine for other
> ocean acidification impacts on shellfish, the scientists say.
>
> Results of the research have just been published in the journal, *Limnology
> and Oceanography.*
>
> "This is one of the first times that we have been able to show how ocean
> acidification affects oyster larval development at a critical life stage,"
> said Burke Hales, an OSU chemical oceanographer and co-author on the study.
> "The predicted rise of atmospheric CO2 in the next two to three decades
> may push oyster larval growth past the break-even point in terms of
> production."
>
> The owners of Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery at Oregon's Netarts Bay
> began experiencing a decline in oyster seed production several years ago,
> and looked at potential causes including low oxygen and pathogenic
> bacteria. Alan Barton, who works at the hatchery and is an author on the
> journal article, was able to eliminate those potential causes and shifted
> his focus to acidification.
>
> Barton sent samples to OSU and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
> Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory for analysis.
> Their ensuing study clearly linked the production failures to the CO2levels in the water in which the larval oysters are spawned and spend the
> first 24 hours of their lives, the critical time when they develop from
> fertilized eggs to swimming larvae, and build their initial shells.
>
> "The early growth stage for oysters is particularly sensitive to the
> carbonate chemistry of the water," said George Waldbusser, a benthic
> ecologist in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. "As
> the water becomes more acidified, it affects the formation of calcium
> carbonate, the mineral of which the shell material consists. As the CO2goes up, the mineral stability goes down, ultimately leading to reduced
> growth or mortality."
>
> Commercial oyster production on the West Coast of North America generates
> more than $100 million in gross sales annually, generating economic
> activity of some $273 million. The industry has depended since the 1970s on
> oyster hatcheries for a steady supply of the seed used by growers. From
> 2007 to 2010, major hatcheries supplying the seed for West Coast oyster
> growers suffered persistent production failures.
>
> The wild stocks of non-hatchery oysters simultaneously showed low
> recruitment, putting additional strain on limited seed supply.
>
> Hales said Netarts Bay, where the Whiskey Creek hatchery is located,
> experiences a wide range of chemistry fluctuations. The OSU researchers say
> hatchery operators may be able to adapt their operations to take advantage
> of periods when water quality is at its highest.
>
> "In addition to the impact of seasonal upwelling, the water chemistry
> changes with the tidal cycle, and with the time of day," Hales said.
> "Afternoon sunlight, for example, promotes photosynthesis in the bay and
> that production can absorb some of the carbon dioxide and lower the
> corrosiveness of the water."
>
> A previous study co-authored by Hales found the water that is being
> upwelled in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast has been kept at depth
> away from the surface for about 50 years -- meaning it was last exposed to
> the atmosphere a half-century ago, when carbon dioxide levels were much
> lower. "Since atmospheric CO2 levels have risen significantly in the past
> half-century, it means that the water that will be upwelled in the future
> will become increasingly be more corrosive," Hales said.
>
> The OSU researchers also found that larval oysters showed delayed response
> to the water chemistry, which may cast new light on other experiments
> looking at the impacts of acidification on shellfish. In their study, they
> found that larval oysters raised in water that was acidic, but non-lethal,
> had significantly less growth in later stages of their life.
>
> "The takeaway message here is that the response to poor water quality
> isn't always immediate," said Waldbusser. "In some cases, it took until
> three weeks after fertilization for the impact from the acidic water to
> become apparent. Short-term experiments of just a few days may not detect
> the damage."
>
> The research has been funded by a grant from the National Science
> Foundation, and supported by NOAA and the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers
> Association. Other authors on the journal article include Chris Langdon, of
> OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center, and Richard Feely, of NOAA's Pacific
> Marine Environmental Laboratories.
>
> -----------------------------------------

Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett