Researchers at Oregon State University have definitively linked
an increase in ocean acidification to the collapse of oyster
seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon, where
larval growth had declined to a level considered by the owners
to be "non-economically viable." A study by the researchers
found that elevated seawater carbon dioxide (CO2) levels,
resulting in more corrosive ocean water, inhibited the 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, this may serve as the proverbial
canary in the coal mine for other ocean acidification impacts on
shellfish, the scientists say. Results of the research have just
been published in the journal, Limnology and Oceanography. "This
is one of the first times that we have been able to show how
ocean acidification affects oyster larval development at a
critical life stage," said Burke Hales, an OSU chemical
oceanographer and co-author on