New research shows the surface waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas could reach levels of acidity that would interfere with animals' ability to build shells as soon as 2030.
The research, conducted by NOAA, University of Alaska, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, also shows the Bering sea will likely reach similar acidity levels by 2044.
"Our research shows that within 15 years, the chemistry of these waters may no longer be saturated with enough calcium carbonate for a number of animals from tiny sea snails to Alaska King crabs to construct and maintain their shells at certain times of the year," said Jeremy Mathis, an oceanographer at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and lead author. "This change due to ocean acidification would not only affect shell-building animals but could ripple through the marine ecosystem."
The team of researchers collected observations of water temperature, salinity, and levels of dissolved carbon from the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas over the course of two months. The data was used to calculate timely changes in calcium and carbonated dissolved ion levels in the water, which can indicate acidity.
"A key advance of this study was combining the power of field observations with numerical models to better predict the future," said Scott Doney, a coauthor of the study and a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The form of calcium carbonate called aragonite is essential in the ability of animals to build their shells, and if concentrations of calcium and carbonate ions slip below certain levels it can cause aragonite shells to dissolve. The continental shelves of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ocean acidification because glacial melting and upwelling contribute to the phenomenon on top of the absorption of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions.
"The Pacific-Arctic region, because of its vulnerability to ocean acidification, gives us an early glimpse of how the global ocean will respond to increased human-caused carbon dioxide emissions, which are being absorbed by our ocean," Mathis said. "Increasing our observations in this area will help us develop the environmental information needed by policy makers and industry to address the growing challenges of ocean acidification."
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Oceanography.
