A group of marine scientists is calling for focused research that provides “incontrovertible evidence” of how ocean acidification impacts marine life. In a report published Oct. 16., the scientists say that studies establishing a direct causal link between acidification and marine life are currently lacking, but are needed so policymakers can make informed decisions. Ocean acidification is one of nine key planetary boundaries that, if breached, would make Earth less habitable for humans. Scientists say we’re at risk of breaching the “safe operating space” threshold for this boundary in the next few years. Oceans are good at absorbing excess atmospheric carbon dioxide. The dissolving CO2 reacts with seawater, lowering pH and increasing acidity. As human activities release more carbon, oceans absorb more CO2, worsening acidification. Research suggests this disrupts the physiology of marine species, including plankton, corals, crabs and oysters, affecting entire marine food webs. The 2022 U.N. conference on the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) set a target that calls for actions to “minimise the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on biodiversity.” However, only 13 known government-level ocean acidification action plans exist, the recent report notes. One problem is that most ocean acidification research has happened in laboratories, said Steve Widdicombe, science director at the U.K-based Plymouth Marine Laboratory and lead adviser to Economist Impact’s Back to Blue initiative that published the report. “We’ve done an awful lot of work in laboratories, including targeted experiments to see how ocean acidification affects different aspects of the physiology of organisms,”…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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