Ocean acidification

A basin-wide assessment of pH changes in the Mediterranean Sea based on reanalysis products

Carolina Galdino — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Ocean acidification, driven by increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, poses a growing threat to marine ecosystems and biogeochemical processes. The Mediterranean Sea, characterized by complex circulation patterns and distinct hydrographic sub-basins, represents a sensitive region for assessing basin-scale pH variability. However, long-term in situ pH observations remain spatially sparse and unevenly distributed, limiting the assessment of coherent […]

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Physical-chemical gradients, CO2 venting dynamics and microbial community composition in a shallow Mediterranean CO2-rich hydrothermal system

Carolina Galdino — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:59:00 +0000

Shallow-water CO2-rich hydrothermal systems provide natural laboratories for studying localized ocean acidification under realistic environmental conditions. Here, we present a multidisciplinary characterization of the Calent mound CO2-rich system (Columbretes Islands, Western Mediterranean), based on oceanographic surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021. Localized pH anomalies were detected directly above active vents, reaching maximum reductions of 1.12 […]

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Proteins shine a light on Dungeness crab resilience

Carolina Galdino — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:58:00 +0000

Environmental Sciences Professor Brooke Love and graduate student Rhiannon Holmes explore the link between proteins and resistance to ocean acidification Rhiannon Holmes holds up two female Dungeness crabs. Photo by Luke Hollister. Professor Brooke Love was already studying the effects of ocean acidification on sea life, but wanted to look into some new tools to […]

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Protecting seafood security by assessing the impacts of ocean acidification

Carolina Galdino — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:01:00 +0000

A global research network assessed how ocean acidification affects seafood to help countries build climate resilience and secure future food supplies. The spotted rose snapper (Lutjanus guttatus), locally known as pargo mancha or pargo lunarejo, is a commercially and culturally valuable fish species in Costa Rica. (Photo: C. Sanchez-Noguera/University of Costa Rica) Global seafood security […]

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Marine invertebrates and fishes exhibit inconsistent body size responses to ocean acidification

Carolina Galdino — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Body size is a fundamental characteristic of all living organisms that determines physiological functions and life-history traits. Ecological theory predicts that ocean acidification can cause body size reductions, confirmed by several studies reporting miniaturization in ectotherms. Based on this prediction, we would expect a broad suite of species to show similar plastic body-size responses to […]

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Pteropod vulnerability to ocean acidification in the eastern Arabian Sea

Carolina Galdino — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:59:00 +0000

Highlights Abstract The rapid rise in atmospheric CO2 and its subsequent uptake by the oceans has led to ocean acidification and other associated changes in the marine ecosystem. The recent reports of the shoaling of the aragonite saturation horizon in the northern Indian Ocean are particularly alarming, as they pose a serious threat to the survival […]

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Temperature, but not acidification, influences the growth and lipid profile of juvenile sand whiting, Sillago ciliata (Cuvier 1829)

Carolina Galdino — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:58:00 +0000

Seafood provides an essential source of macro- and micronutrients for coastal communities worldwide. Climate change is a key threat to seafood security, altering the sizes, abundances, distributions, physiology and ecological interactions of fisheries species, and increasingly, there is evidence of impacts to seafood nutritional quality. In a 12-week mesocosm experiment, we tested the influence of […]

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Shifts of tentacles-associated prokaryotes of Anemonia viridis along a natural pH gradient

Carolina Galdino — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:57:00 +0000

Highlights Abstract Marine hydrothermal vents are extreme environments that naturally select for organisms with strong resistance and the ability to cope with special conditions of acidification. Sea anemones are an interesting example that are able to buffer intracellular pH conditions. In this study, the influence of a natural pH gradient on microbial communities associated with Anemonia […]

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A systematic bias in float pH leads to overestimation of derived pCO2 and underestimation of carbon uptake by the Southern Ocean

Carolina Galdino — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The carbon flux estimated from biogeochemical Argo float data indicates a lower annual carbon uptake by the Southern Ocean compared to fluxes derived from other observations (e.g., ship and aircraft measurements). The root cause of this discrepancy remains controversial, with growing evidence suggesting that potential biases in float-derived pCO2 may be a plausible explanation. Here, we perform […]

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Response of HAB-forming microalgae competition to ocean acidification, warming, and changing light fields

Carolina Galdino — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:59:00 +0000

In recent years, the East China Sea (ECS) has experienced frequent harmful algal blooms (HABs), driven by the complex interplay of climate change—specifically ocean warming and acidification—and eutrophication-induced light attenuation. Despite their ecological significance, the interactive effects of these environmental stressors on the competitive dynamics between bloom-forming microalgae remain poorly understood. This study aimed to […]

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