Blue mussels grew and calcified 7 times faster in the Kiel Fjord (Baltic Sea), where low pH (ocean acidification) conditions prevailed, than at an outer fjord site where pH levels were higher In addition, the mussels were able to outcompete barnacles at the inner fjord, low pH site. Thus, blue ...

This study showed the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems at coastal sites where volcanic CO2 vents lower the pH of the water. Along gradients of normal pH (8.1–8.2) to lowered pH (mean 7.8–7.9, minimum 7.4–7.5), typical rocky shore communities with abundant calcareous organisms shifted to communities lacking scleractinian corals ...

Deep-water prawns (Pandalus borealis) exposed to severely acidified seawater (pH 6.86) for 16 days were able to compensate by accumulate buffering bicarbonate ions at levels comparable to those reported for shallow-living decapod crustaceans. (Laboratory study)

The Arctic spider crab (Hyas araneus) appears to have a threshold of ocean acidification beyond which it fails to acclimate. In a 10-week experiment, it had a limited ability to adjust to effects of ocean acidification with and without also experiencing a warmer temperature. (Laboratory study)

In green sea urchins from the Baltic Sea, the spines appear to be vulnerable to ocean acidification, which might reduce the urchins' protection against predators. Intestinal epithelia may play a role in mediating acid-base balance in the urchin. (Laboratory study)

Experiments with blue mussels from the Baltic Sea revealed a molecular basis of observed changes in physiology in response to ocean acidification. (Laboratory study)

Reproduction and larval development of two copepod species were sensitive to extreme ocean acidification conditions. The hatching rate tended to decrease, and mortality rate of young copepods tended to increase. (Laboratory study)

Under extreme ocean acidification conditions (pH 6.8), the egg production rates of copepods decreased significantly. For two species of sea urchins, fertilization rate of eggs decreased with increasing ocean acidification conditions. Furthermore, the size of urchin larvae decreased and deformities increased. These effects on marine life could lead to changes ...

Muscle length and claw strength of green crabs decreased after the crabs had been in ocean acidification conditions (pH 7.7) for 5 months. Periwinkles tended to have weaker shells in response to acidification. Predation by green crabs on periwinkles did not appear to change under ocean acidification conditions. (Laboratory study) ...

Some copepods (Calanus species) in the Arctic routinely encounter a range of seawater pH levels each day as they migrate vertically in the ocean; they were not severely affected when exposed to ocean acidification conditions in the laboratory. In contrast, a copepod species (Oithona similis) that does not vertically migrate, ...