Variability in the benefits of ocean acidification to photosynthetic rates of macroalgae without CO2-concentrating mechanisms

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 275 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Cornwall ◽  
C. L. Hurd

Increasing concentrations of surface-seawater carbon dioxide (CO2) (ocean acidification) could favour seaweed species that currently are limited for dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Among them, those that are unable to use CO2-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) to actively uptake bicarbonate (HCO3–) across the plasmalemma are most likely to benefit. Here, we assess how the DIC uptake and photosynthetic rates of three rhodophytes without CCMs respond to four seawater CO2 concentrations representing pre-industrial (280μatm), present-day (400μatm), representative concentration pathway (RCP) emissions scenario 8.52050 (650μatm) and RCP 8.52100 (1000μatm). We demonstrated that the photosynthetic rates of only one species increase between the preindustrial and end-of-century scenarios, but because of differing photosynthetic quotients (DIC taken up relative to O2 evolved), all three increase their DIC uptake rates from pre-industrial or present-day scenarios to the end-of-century scenario. These variable, but generally beneficial, responses highlight that not all species without CCMs will respond to ocean acidification uniformly. This supports past assessments that, on average, this group will likely benefit from the impacts of ocean acidification. However, more concerted efforts are now required to assess whether similar benefits to photosynthetic rates and DIC uptake are also observed in chlorophytes and ochrophytes without CCMs.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Marx ◽  
Marcus Conrad ◽  
Vadym Aizinger ◽  
Alexander Prechtel ◽  
Robert van Geldern ◽  
...  

Abstract. A large portion of terrestrially-derived carbon outgasses as carbon dioxide (CO2) from streams and rivers to the atmosphere. Particularly, the amount of CO2 outgassing from small headwater streams was indicated as highly uncertain. Conservative estimates suggest that they contribute 36 % (i.e., 0.93 petagrams C yr−1) of total CO2 outgassing from all rivers and streams worldwide. In this study, stream pCO2, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and δ13CDIC data were used to determine CO2 outgassing from an acidic headwater stream in the Uhlirska catchment (Czech Republic). This stream drains a catchment with silicate bedrock. The applied stable isotope model is based on the principle, that the 13C / 12C ratio of its sources and the intensity of CO2 outgassing control the isotope ratio of DIC in stream water. It avoids the use of the gas transfer velocity parameter (k) that is highly variable and mostly difficult to constrain. Model results indicate that CO2 outgassing contributed 80 % to the annual stream inorganic carbon loss in the Uhlirska catchment. This translated to a CO2 outgassing rate from the stream of 5.2 t C yr−1 and to 2.9 g C m−2 yr−1, when normalised to the catchment area. Large temporal variations with maximum values during spring snowmelt and summer emphasise the need for investigations at higher temporal resolution. We improved the model uncertainty by incorporating groundwater data to better constrain the isotope compositions of initial DIC. Due to the large global abundance of acidic, humic-rich headwaters, we underline the importance of this integral approach for global applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 281 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Vance ◽  
K. I. Currie ◽  
C. S. Law ◽  
J. Murdoch ◽  
J. Zeldis

A national observing network has been operating over the past 4 years to inform the scientific and economic challenges of ocean acidification (OA) facing New Zealand. The New Zealand Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NZOA-ON) consists of 12 sites across varied coastal ecosystems. These ecosystems range from oligotrophic ocean-dominated systems to eutrophic river-dominated systems, with sites that are pristine or affected by agriculture and urbanisation. Fortnightly measurements of total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon provide the baseline of carbonate chemistry in these varied ecosystems and will facilitate detection of future changes, as well as providing a present-day baseline. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research and the University of Otago have developed a ‘grass-roots’ sampling program, providing training and equipment that enable sampling partners to collect field samples for analyses at a central laboratory. NZOA-ON leverages existing infrastructure and partnerships to maximise data captured for understanding the drivers of chemical changes associated with OA and ecological responses. NZOA-ON coordinates with and contributes to global initiatives to understand and mitigate the broader impacts of OA. A description of NZOA-ON is presented with preliminary analyses and comparison of data from different sites after the first 4 years of the network.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catriona L. Hurd ◽  
John Beardall ◽  
Steeve Comeau ◽  
Christopher E. Cornwall ◽  
Jonathan N Havenhand ◽  
...  

‘Multiple drivers’ (also termed ‘multiple stressors’) is the term used to describe the cumulative effects of multiple environmental factors on organisms or ecosystems. Here, we consider ocean acidification as a multiple driver because many inorganic carbon parameters are changing simultaneously, including total dissolved inorganic carbon, CO2, HCO3–, CO32–, H+ and CaCO3 saturation state. With the rapid expansion of ocean acidification research has come a greater understanding of the complexity and intricacies of how these simultaneous changes to the seawater carbonate system are affecting marine life. We start by clarifying key terms used by chemists and biologists to describe the changing seawater inorganic carbon system. Then, using key groups of non-calcifying (fish, seaweeds, diatoms) and calcifying (coralline algae, coccolithophores, corals, molluscs) organisms, we consider how various physiological processes are affected by different components of the carbonate system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miho Ishizu ◽  
Yasumasa Miyazawa ◽  
Tomohiko Tsunoda ◽  
Xinyu Guo

We developed a biogeochemical and carbon model (JCOPE_EC) coupled with an operational ocean model for the North Western Pacific. JCOPE_EC represents ocean acidification indices on the background of the risks due to ocean acidification and our model experiences. It is an off-line tracer model driven by a high-resolution regional ocean general circulation model (JCOPE2M). The results showed that the model adequately reproduced the general patterns in the observed data, including the seasonal variability of chlorophyll-a, dissolved inorganic nitrogen/phosphorus, dissolved inorganic carbon, and total alkalinity. We provide an overview of this system and the results of the model validation based on the available observed data. Sensitivity analysis using fixed values for temperature, salinity, dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity helped us identify which variables contributed most to seasonal variations in the ocean acidification indices, pH and Ωarg. The seasonal variation in the pHinsitu was governed mainly by balances of the change in temperature and dissolved inorganic carbon. The seasonal increase in Ωarg from winter to summer was governed mainly by dissolved inorganic carbon levels.


2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 1038-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ik Kyo Chung ◽  
Jung Hyun Oak ◽  
Jin Ae Lee ◽  
Jong Ahm Shin ◽  
Jong Gyu Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Chung, I. K., Oak, J. H., Lee, J. A., Shin, J. A., Kim, J. G., and Park, K.-S. 2013. Installing kelp forests/seaweed beds for mitigation and adaptation against global warming: Korean Project Overview. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 1038–1044. Seaweed beds can serve as a significant carbon dioxide (CO2) sink while also satisfying global needs for food, fodder, fuel, and pharmaceutical products. The goal of our Korean Project has been to develop new baseline and monitoring methodologies for mitigation and adaptation within the context of climate change. Using innovative research approaches, we have established the Coastal CO2 Removal Belt (CCRB), which comprises both natural and man-made plant communities in the coastal region of southern Korea. Implemented on various spatial–temporal scales, this scheme promotes the removal of CO2 via marine forests. For example, when populated with the perennial brown alga Ecklonia, a pilot CCRB farm can draw down ∼10 t of CO2 per ha per year. This success is manifested by an increment in biomass accumulations and a decrease in the amount of dissolved inorganic carbon in the water column.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (14) ◽  
pp. 3837-3857
Author(s):  
Claudine Hauri ◽  
Cristina Schultz ◽  
Katherine Hedstrom ◽  
Seth Danielson ◽  
Brita Irving ◽  
...  

Abstract. The coastal ecosystem of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) is especially vulnerable to the effects of ocean acidification and climate change. Detection of these long-term trends requires a good understanding of the system’s natural state. The GOA is a highly dynamic system that exhibits large inorganic carbon variability on subseasonal to interannual timescales. This variability is poorly understood due to the lack of observations in this expansive and remote region. We developed a new model setup for the GOA that couples the three-dimensional Regional Oceanic Model System (ROMS) and the Carbon, Ocean Biogeochemistry and Lower Trophic (COBALT) ecosystem model. To improve our conceptual understanding of the system, we conducted a hindcast simulation from 1980 to 2013. The model was explicitly forced with temporally and spatially varying coastal freshwater discharges from a high-resolution terrestrial hydrological model, thereby affecting salinity, alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and nutrient concentrations. This represents a substantial improvement over previous GOA modeling attempts. Here, we evaluate the model on seasonal to interannual timescales using the best available inorganic carbon observations. The model was particularly successful in reproducing observed aragonite oversaturation and undersaturation of near-bottom water in May and September, respectively. The largest deficiency in the model is its inability to adequately simulate springtime surface inorganic carbon chemistry, as it overestimates surface dissolved inorganic carbon, which translates into an underestimation of the surface aragonite saturation state at this time. We also use the model to describe the seasonal cycle and drivers of inorganic carbon parameters along the Seward Line transect in under-sampled months. Model output suggests that the majority of the near-bottom water along the Seward Line is seasonally undersaturated with respect to aragonite between June and January, as a result of upwelling and remineralization. Such an extensive period of reoccurring aragonite undersaturation may be harmful to ocean acidification-sensitive organisms. Furthermore, the influence of freshwater not only decreases the aragonite saturation state in coastal surface waters in summer and fall, but it simultaneously decreases the surface partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), thereby decoupling the aragonite saturation state from pCO2. The full seasonal cycle and geographic extent of the GOA region is under-sampled, and our model results give new and important insights for months of the year and areas that lack in situ inorganic carbon observations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 10939-10983 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. G. Mostofa ◽  
C.-Q. Liu ◽  
W. D. Zhai ◽  
M. Minella ◽  
D. Vione ◽  
...  

Abstract. Ocean acidification, a complex phenomenon that lowers seawater pH, is the net outcome of several contributions. They include the dissolution of increasing atmospheric CO2 that adds up with dissolved inorganic carbon (dissolved CO2, H2CO3, HCO3−, and CO32−) generated upon mineralization of primary producers (PP) and dissolved organic matter (DOM). The aquatic processes leading to inorganic carbon are substantially affected by increased DOM and nutrients via terrestrial runoff, acidic rainfall, increased PP and algal blooms, nitrification, denitrification, sulfate reduction, global warming (GW), and by atmospheric CO2 itself through enhanced photosynthesis. They are consecutively associated with enhanced ocean acidification, hypoxia in acidified deeper seawater, pathogens, algal toxins, oxidative stress by reactive oxygen species, and thermal stress caused by longer stratification periods as an effect of GW. We discuss the mechanistic insights into the aforementioned processes and pH changes, with particular focus on processes taking place with different time scales (including the diurnal one) in surface and subsurface seawater. This review also discusses these collective influences to assess their potential detrimental effects to marine organisms, and of ecosystem processes and services. Our review of the effects operating in synergy with ocean acidification will provide a broad insight into the potential impact of acidification itself on biological processes. The foreseen danger to marine organisms by acidification is in fact expected to be amplified by several concurrent and interacting phenomena.


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