How will marine communities respond to the interactive effects of ocean temperature change, increasing CO2 levels, decreasing pH, and other human-induced forcing over the next century?

Oceanic autotrophs account for about half of total global primary production. The food webs they support are important for a wide variety of human endeavors involving the sea, ranging from fisheries to coastal protection. Yet little is known about the synergistic effects of ongoing global changes on marine communities. Early evidence suggest that some organisms are highly sensitive to pH changes while others are available to take advantage of higher levels of dissolved carbon dioxide. How will species and communities respond to the sum of all forcing agents and at what timescales?

The principle obstacles to making progress in developing answers to this question revolve around the expense and difficulty of conducting ecological, physiological, and biogeochemical/climatic studies at sea.

One comment

1. jhall-spencer says:

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   Areas of the ocean that have naturally high co2 levels may provide insights into these questions inexpensively.