Oregon oysters take a hit from global warming

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Research links ocean acidification with stunted larval growth

If you enjoy fresh oysters, eat up, because global warming and ocean acidification are taking a toll on the reproduction of the popular shellfish. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

SUMMIT COUNTY — An Oregon oyster farm may have to shut down because increasing increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in sea water has stunted larval growth, making the operation “non-economically viable.”

Researchers found that the sea water is becoming more corrosive, inhibiting larval oysters from developing their shells and growing at a pace that would make commercial production cost-effective.

As atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise, the Oregon oysters may be the proverbial canary in the coal mine for other ocean acidification impacts on shellfish, according to Oregon State University scientists. (more…)

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Caribbean yields deepest-ever ‘black smoker’ vents

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Hydrothermal 'black smoker' vents near the Cayman Islands may offer new clues to the dispersal of deep sea organisms. PHOTO COURTESY NOAA.

Research offers new clues to sea-floor formation, dispersal of deep-ocean organisms

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — British oceanographers and biologists say a group of volcanic vents on the Caribbean seafloor are the deepest discovered to-date, and another field of vents on a nearby submerged mountain suggests that so-called black smoker hydrothermal vents may be much more common than previously believed.

The vents — about three miles deep in a rift in the Cayman Trough, south of the Cayman Islands — may be hotter than 450 °C and are shooting a jet of mineral-laden water more than a kilometre into the ocean above.Despite extreme conditions, the vents are teeming with a new species of shrimp that has a light-sensing organ on its back.

Results of the 2010 expedition were reported this week in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The deep-sea research was led by marine geochemist Doug Connelly at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton and marine biologist Jon Copley of the University of Southampton. (more…)

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Coral ‘sunscreen’ has potential benefits for humans

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Researchers at King’s College London have discovered how coral produces natural sunscreen compounds to protect itself from damaging UV rays, leading scientists to believe these compounds could form the basis of a new type of sunscreen for humans. This image was taken during a trip to the Great Barrier Reef to collect samples for analysis. Photo courtesy Australian Institute for Marine Science and King's College London.

New discoveries could also help scientists develop more productive crops for tropical regions

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Learning how coral produces its own natural UV protection could help researchers develop new types of sunscreen for humans — and may also help increase crop yields of plants grown in the bright sunlight of the tropics.

Researchers at King’s College London say their research has begun to uncover the genetic and biochemical processes behind how algae living in symbiosis with coral produces the sun-blocking substances. They hope to recreate the process synthetically in a lab for use in developing sun protection.

This month, as part of the three-year project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the King’s team collected coral samples for analysis from the Great Barrier Reef, a collaboration with Dr Walter Dunlap from the Australian Institute for Marine Science and Prof Malcolm Shick from the University of Maine USA. (more…)

Filed under: agriculture, coral reefs, Environment, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Full-scale studies of ocean acidification planned

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Corallium rubrum and other deep-sea corals are affected by ocean acidification.

National Science Foundation awards multiple grants to integrate various disciplines, including paleoecology, physics and marine chemistry

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — In addition to the most obvious effects of global warming — beetle kill, melting glaciers, more forest fires — oceans are feeling the effect of the changing climate in a much more subtle way. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, it’s making its way into marine ecosystems, and the water is growing increasingly acidic.

Animal species from pteropods–delicate, butterfly-like planktonic drifters–to hard corals are affected by ocean acidification; so, too, are unseen microbes that fuel ocean productivity and influence the chemical functioning of ocean waters.

As oceans become more acidic, the balance of molecules needed for shell-bearing organisms to manufacture shells and skeletons is altered. The physiology of many marine species, from microbes to fish, may be affected. A myriad of chemical reactions and cycles are influenced by the pH of the oceans. (more…)

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