Climate Change Could Harm Marine Life
Climate change may lead to disturbances in marine life that will take thousands of years to recover from, not hundreds of years as previously thought, researchers said
The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is based on a section of fossilized ocean fauna found on the seafloor off the coast of California dating to between 3,400 and 16,100 years ago.
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Researchers sliced up the sediment like a cake for a before and after glimpse of how creatures were affected by climate change during the last major deglaciation, when polar ice caps melted abruptly and low oxygen zones expanded in the ocean.
Ice melt and ocean dead zones are an increasing concern today, as scientists study the warming planet and trends that are driven by the burning of fossil fuels that send greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Researchers analyzed more than 5,400 invertebrate fossils, such as sea urchins and clams, and found that they "nearly disappeared from the record during those times of low oxygen," according to the study.
Levels of oxygen in the ocean dropped by between 0.5 and 1.5 milliliters per liter over a period of less than 100 years, a relatively minor changes that resulted in "dramatic changes and reorganizations for seafloor communities," the study said.
Climate change in the future could have similar effects, and could take a similar time scale for ocean life to rebound, on the order of thousands, not hundreds of years, the researchers said.
Oysters, clams and scallops are going to cost a lot more at your favorite seafood market or restaurant, while fishing communities in southern New England, the Pacific Northwest, coastal Alaska and parts of Maine will likely take a big hit as shellfish start feeling the effects of rising ocean acidification, according to a new study by a team of marine scientists.
As climate-warming greenhouse gases are pumped into the earth’s atmosphere, the oceans are absorbing more carbon dioxide. This causes a chemical reaction that makes seawater more acidic, especially in colder regions. Higher levels of acidity are already destroying the larvae some species of shellfish.
“There’s not a lot of room for error,” said Mike Rice, professor of fisheries and aquaculture at the University of Rhode Island, who was not associated with the report. “The data seem to show the areas of biggest risk are the cooler water areas. Areas like Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts that have a fairly robust shellfish industry need to be worrying.”
The study’s authors reviewed data from multiple fields and published there findings today in the journal Nature Climate Change. It states that rising acidity has already cost the Oregon and Washington shellfish industries $110 million, and endangered 3,200 jobs. Those figures are likely to get worse in the coming decades, according to lead author Julia Ekstrom, director of the climate adaptation program at the University of California, Davis.
“We looked at all the coasts around the United States,” Ekstrom said. “There are more places vulnerable than we previously thought. “That said, every region has a unique set of factors that makes it vulnerable. Understanding what makes you vulnerable is useful to guide how you will adapt.”