Oysters Highly Vulnerable to Ocean Acidification

Louisiana oysters are highly vulnerable to ocean acidification, new study says

Louisiana oyster fisheries are highly vulnerable to ocean acidification, according toa study publishedin the peer-reviewed journalNature Climate Change.Increased acidification can compromise oysters' ability to create a hard shell, putting themin peril.

The study saidthat whileglobal modelsoften show that acidification caused by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will not affect the local oyster crop until 2100, those studies haven't factored in local river runoffs and algae blooms that will contribute to theGulf of Mexico's acidification over time.

"Messages from global models to date are that the Gulf will experience changes later on, but with these other local factors enhancing it, things can be moving at a much shorter timeline than that," saidSarah Cooley, the Ocean Conservancy acidification program's science outreach manager and a co-author of the study.

The study also noted Louisiana oyster farmers' singular reliance on the eastern oyster species Crassostrea virginica, and how risky a dependence on one speciescan be when the Gulf's chemistry is expected to change in coming decades.

"Diversification, looking at other possible oyster strains, species, shouldn't be ruled out as a way to help future-proof their communities against ocean acidification," said Cooley, a marine chemist and ocean modeler who focuses on how humans can help modify changes in ocean chemistry.

The scientific study, "Vulnerability and Adaptation of US Shellfisheries to Ocean Acidification," led by researchers for thenonprofit environmental advocacy groupsNatural Resources Defense CouncilandOcean Conservancy, focused on how shelled mollusks such as oysters, clams, and scallops likely would be the first U.S. fisheries harmed by ocean acidification.

Organisms such as oysters use carbonate ions to create their shells and skeletons. Decreases in carbonate ions caused by acidification can make it difficult for these oysters to form hard structures, making them vulnerable, especially in their larval stages.

Ocean acidification may cause some organisms to die or reproduce less successfully, according to theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Nature Climate Change article maps local fisheries regions, includingin Louisiana, not only looking at physical, chemical and biological factors, but also at social variables in oyster fishery communities such as Plaquemines, St. Bernard and Terrebonne parishes.

It saidthat such parishes might also be vulnerable to acidification's potential harms because of social factors, such as low political engagement in climate change and acidification issues.

Source: Nola

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